WAKE Collective

The events I enjoyed most at Web Summit were the facilitated networking groups for women — both formal and informal. There's something particularly special about being in a room with women on a similar journey, facing similar challenges, where problem-solving (or at least venting without judgment) is the point. The first one I went to — and raved about for the rest of the day — was put on by Tami Rosen. It was called "Women Networking for Impact," and what made it inspiring wasn't just that it provided a listening ear and words of encouragement (valuable in itself). It was that the structure turned support into action. In my Ask/Act circle I met Hannah Sanford-Crane, Julia Nasi, Shafina Jamal, Alana Hovis, and Shiao-li Green. And we saw Tami in action — joining our conversations, making suggestions, and at the end, offering to keep us all connected. Later that day I dropped into an event emceed by Bilqis A. — a lively format where we met up with multiple groups based on something we had in common. I connected with Mercedes A., Cara Laban, and Jessica H.. The next day, the WAKE Collective ran part networking session, part live game show — brave women founders asking questions of other founders, including Rochelle Grayson of Mosaic Accelerator, Raissa Espiritu of Audaxa Ventures, and Amy Gopal of ISED Canada. The last one was hosted by The Forum. The Forum is where I started networking with other women — I began attending their weekly Virtual Connect when I first launched my coaching business, and I still remember the faces of the women in my first breakout room — Kim Jacob, Ruha Ratnam, Amina Mohamed, Nadiya Marwah — who welcomed me before they knew me. This time I got to meet women in person and trade advice with Ellen Xu, Stephanie Chan, Tarlyn Campbell, Danielle Leroux, Caroline Wakefield (she/her), and Miranda Ta. Four very different events, one common element: someone had thought carefully about how to make connection happen. Not just a room with chairs and name tags — but a structure that gave us something to do together. That's the difference between an event where people network and an event where people actually meet. I came away with new contacts, but also with a clearer sense of what I want to build into the spaces I run.

Last week myself and Izzie O'Hara attended websummit, and came out wondering "who is this really for?" Our mindset going into it was really different. Last year we were pumped. We had an ALPHA booth with hannahHR, we were there to make connections, generate buzz, and see what others in our market were doing. By the end of it we were exhausted, excited, and felt like we had some good intel into what the market felt in terms of AI product adoption. This year couldn't have been more different. We looked up and suddenly were in a rush to get to the conference, to see what was happening, hopefully learn a few things and run into some friends. Our audience? Is NOT at websummit. But we were thinking there might be some industry insights and trends we could take away from the experience. While we learned one or two things, the biggest thing we found is that websummit is trying to do so much, champion so many industries, so many perspectives, that it comes out not saying anything emphatically enough. Attendance looked lower, people seemed more reserved, and overall, the experience was much more muted. What we did do, was connect with our wonderful people. WAKE Collective threw a spectacular opening party where I met the thoughtful and engaging and meeting Rachel Wood, and Guita Yazdani, Priya Tronsgard, Stephanie Chan and Lorraine Wong were at the summit in full force (yelling to me from across the courtyard!) We had a great chat with Rochelle Grayson, I caught up with with Liz Goode over lunch, and saw a pretty brilliant and meta chat with Gabor Maté and some guy from Twitch that really kept the audience on their intellectual toes (but not in the way you'd expect). Overall, I was glad to have gone, but I wonder what next year will bring. Is websummit really the event for Vancouver? Or do we need more hallways WAKE Collective 😉 , less abstract discussion, and more real conversations on niche subjects where we actually learn things about how to "human" in this age of AI takeover? Just a thought. If you have thoughts on the summit, I'd love to hear them.

Thank you Wake Collective for inviting me to your pre-Web Summit event "Sky's the Limit" at the Vancouver Lookout! What an amazing opportunity it was to showcase our Bettinka products and connect with so many inspiring people. As the founder of a wellness business creating Reiki energy-infused candles, soaps, and other handmade products made with healthy, sustainable ingredients, this experience reminded me of my early days doing local markets and pop-ups around Vancouver. It felt both nostalgic and exciting to see how far the business has grown, we’re now working with many different businesses and stores across the city. As a founder, someone working in tech, and a BIPOC woman, it was incredibly meaningful to represent all of those parts of myself in one space. I also loved learning more about the incredible work Wake Collective is doing to support and empower women in Vancouver, while connecting with so many interesting founders, entrepreneurs, and attendees. Loved being a part of it ❤️ Thank you again to everyone involved for creating such a welcoming and inspiring event! Thanks to the 4 amazing women who started it all Guita Yazdani Lorraine Wong Priya Tronsgard Stephanie Chan https://wakecollective.ca/