​Legacy industries like mining, construction, energy, and manufacturing present unprecedented opportunities for accelerating the transition to a sustainable future. But if you work with customers in these industries, you’ll already know that progress is slow because it comes with high capital expenditure, risk for the incumbent operators, and a lot of red tape.

​Hot on the heels of MistyWest’s recent panel discussion during SF Deep Tech Week, we’re continuing the conversation on Thurs, Nov 21 with a Vancouver Hardware Meetup focused on building trust with risk-averse customers. We’ll be asking a panel of experts about the keys to startup success when cracking capital-intensive industries so you can reach your commercial potential.

​Details

​Doors open at 5:30pm
Panel Discussion starts at 6:30pm
Networking from 8:15pm until close

​Tickets

​Early Bird Pricing (Until Oct 3): $20
General Admission: $30

​Panelists

​Alicia Lenis, P.Eng, Vice President at Chrysalix

​As a Vice President at Chrysalix in Vancouver, Alicia focuses on investments in industrial climatetech. With nearly 20 years in industrial technology, she has held roles at Bain & Company in London and started her career in heavy industry engineering. Alicia holds an MBA and MS in Mechanical Engineering from MIT, where she was a Leaders of Global Operations Fellow, and is a Professional Engineer with a BASC from UBC. She serves on the boards of Chrysalix portfolio companies Rithmik, MineSense, Novamera, and VerAI and is a member of the NREL Investor Advisory Board.

​

​Jason Williams, Director of Software Development at Vancouver Airport Authority (YVR)

​As the Director of Software Development at Vancouver Airport Authority (YVR), Jason leads the development and delivery of YVR's innovative software portfolio, including the Digital Twin and BORDERXPRESS™. Known for his commitment to excellence, Jason's strategic vision and hands-on approach are driving YVR's digital transformation and shaping the future of airport operations, passenger experiences, and industry standards.

​

​Michele Wallcraft, Executive in Residence at entrepreneurship@UBC

​Michele Wallcraft is a senior commercial executive with over 25 years of experience in sales, business development, and go-to-market strategies, driving growth for startups and Fortune 500 companies across the Americas, Europe, and Africa. Her expertise includes digital transformation, international expansion, and strategic partnerships in industries like mining, oil and gas, agriculture, forestry, and construction. Currently, as an Executive in Residence at Innovate UBC, Michele mentors founders, sharing her insights to shape the next generation of industry leaders.

​

​Michael Funke, Head and Chief Operating Officer at Weir-Motion Metrics

​With over 25 years in operations, strategy, and tech-driven growth, Michael Funke focuses on optimizing processes, driving innovation, and scaling teams for impact. At Weir Motion Metrics, he has advanced the mission to make mining safer and more efficient, working with leadership to transform operational, commercial, and product models. Now as the Global Head and COO, Michael continues this work, aiming to position the company as a leader in sustainable, intelligent mining solutions.

​

​Moderated by Taylor Cooper, CEO of MistyWest

​Taylor is a founding employee of MistyWest and an advisor to the Creative Destruction Lab incubator. Holding an undergraduate degree in Engineering Physics from UBC, Taylor has over 15 years of experience designing and leading engineering teams to create novel hardware for applications in cosmology, molecular biology, agriculture, and mining. He was a lead inventor for a patented miniaturized optical particle counter, and his work has contributed to the spin-out companies of Google X.

​

​Our Sponsors

​MistyWest extends our massive thanks to our platinum sponsor Memfault, gold sponsors Manning Elliott LLP, Edge Impulse and Intent, and silver sponsor Nordic Semiconductor, whose contributions enable us to offer bigger and better hardware meetups for our community.

​Land Acknowledgement

​Vancouver Hardware Meetup acknowledges that this event takes place on the unceded traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.

​Accessibility

​Manning Elliott's office is on the 17th floor, accessed by elevator. The event capacity will be 100 attendees, including 50 seats and the rest standing-room.

​About Vancouver Hardware Meetup

​Vancouver Hardware Meetup hosts panel discussions with local industry leaders on the latest trends and developments across many industries and sectors - from Agtech to Deep Tech and beyond.