Trade & Invest British Columbia

Attending #WebSummitVancouver has been a wonderful experience, and after reflecting on it the last few days, here are some takeaways: 1-. The second edition was a better experience than last year. The exhibit floor was busy, and there was a good mix of exhibitors, with a ton of interesting startups. The program covered a lot of ground (with some gaps – more on that later) and the speaker lineup was of great quality. Kudos to the organizers. 2- In the last year, I have been more involved with the startup community and WebSummit showcased a lot of wonderful ventures and founders. One of my memorable conversations was about the value of mentorship. I urge founders to take advantage of every opportunity for mentorships and be receptive to feedback from more experienced individuals. Mentor feedback might sometimes sound harsh, but it comes from a place of kindness and, in the grand scheme of things, it contrasts with customer feedback that hits harder and can have more negative consequences. Negative feedback from a mentor hits like a pool noodle; negative feedback from a (potential) customer hits like a shovel (yes Chris Hobbs, I went there). 3- The program covered a variety of topics… technology development, AI, government, ethics, politics, financing… but there was a glaring hole. Sales. There was a marketing track, but it was all about branding. I’m not trying to minimize branding, or the other topics. But without sales, a business can’t be sustainable. And I’m not talking about acquiring market intelligence, understanding value chains, or outlining a buyer persona. I’m talking about the human effort that comes with the act of selling. There is nothing more difficult than to separate people from their money. And last I checked, AI hasn’t signed a PO or contract yet. 4- Tech might have been the central theme of the conference, but to me it was all about the people that I interacted with. I got out of my comfort zone and talked to people who have knowledge I don’t possess, and understanding of the world that is entirely different than mine, and were open to share. It led to some wonderful conversations, some akin to debate, and others very profound (looking at you Oluwapelumi). They were all meaningful in one way or another. And to me, that’s what business is about. That’s what doing business is about. People. See you next year.     Innovation UBC, Société de développement économique de la Colombie-Britannique (SDECB), GoExport, Trade Commissioner Service | Service des délégués commerciaux, Trade & Invest British Columbia, World Trade Centre Vancouver, Invest Quebec | Investissement Québec International, Québec Tech, Ville de Montréal   Jason Tse, CFA, Shona Reilly, Jean-Christophe Sinclair, François St-Hilaire, Francis Acquarone, Steve Ramage, Mohamed M Diallo, Sebastiaan Messerschmidt, Alejandra Guirola, Wei Chou, Hassan Pardawalla, Geneviève Retzlaff, PCC, CTPC, Gabriel Conea, Alex Martyniak

Web Summit Vancouver 2026 brought over 20,000 people from 100+ countries together! This four-day event is a critical catalyst for the Pacific Northwest's innovation economy, shifting industry focus away from vague Artificial Intelligence (AI) demos toward enterprise capability, data sovereignty, and sustainable, responsible technology. It brought global investors and innovators to beautiful British Columbia (B.C.) to connect with investment-ready companies and explore partnership and market entry opportunities in one of North America's fastest-growing tech ecosystems. It was such a pleasure in representing Trade & Invest British Columbia and thanks to all the clients, colleagues, community, friends, partners, sponsors, stakeholders, etc., for bringing such enthusiasm, collaboration, and energy into the ecosystem and Province! Big shout out to Edwina Ramirez and Diana Li in curating all the successes at and around WSV, working hard in the background throughout the year from planning, strategizing, and coordinating to execution. I am feeling invigorated and excited about the future! REMINDER: do not forget to disconnect to reconnect 🔌 City of Vancouver, Destination Vancouver, Global Affairs Canada | Affaires mondiales Canada, Innovate BC, Pacific Economic Development Canada | Développement économique Canada pour le Pacifique, Trade Commissioner Service | Service des délégués commerciaux

Web Summit Vancouver 2026 has been truly inspiring for Team Caseway! Over the past few days, we’ve had the opportunity to connect with founders, investors, government stakeholders, innovators, and technology leaders from around the world through networking events, private meetings, and conversations across the city. What makes events like this special is realizing how many passionate people are building toward a better future in their own ways. Behind every company, idea, and pitch is a story, a vision, and years of hard work. Listening to those stories and building genuine relationships has been one of the most meaningful parts of this experience. For us at Caseway, it has been exciting and humbling to see the level of interest around trusted AI infrastructure, mission intelligence, and the future of secure decision making in high stakes environments. A huge thank you to Web Summit, Alacrity Canada, Trade Commissioner Service | Service des délégués commerciaux, Trade & Invest British Columbia , Innovate BC, moomoo, The Liquidity Society, JOEY Restaurant Group and Govan Brown & Associates for creating spaces that bring together such an incredible community of builders and innovators. Vancouver has world class talent, ambition, and innovation. We’re proud to help represent that on the global stage. Connect with us❤️🎉🤝See you in 2027! www.caseway.ai #WebSummitVancouver #Caseway #AI #VancouverTech #CanadianInnovation #vancouver #vancouverbc #defensetech #canada