Techweek, a week-long technology festival based in the U.S., is making a stop in Toronto for the first time.
“Toronto is a huge expansion for us, as it is the fourth largest city in North America and the third largest tech hub,” said Amanda Signorelli, CEO of Techweek.
The festival will run between July 25-31. To help identify and spotlight Toronto’s top tech innovators, cultivators, and ambassadors — called the Toronto Techweek 100 — Techweek turned to some notable people in Toronto’s tech scene to join its Techweek Toronto Executive Advisory Board. Names on the list included Female Funders founder Katherine Hague, Real Ventures general partner Janet Bannister, and SurePath Capital Partners founder Mark MacLeod.
The Techweek 100 was split in three categories — ambassadors, which include founders and influencers; cultivators, which include VCs and incubators; and innovators, which recognize both early and later-stage companies “shaping their industries via technology”.
While Techweek recognized Minister of Innovation, Science, and Economic Development Navdeep Bains and current MaRS CEO Ilse Treurnicht as ambassadors, that list also included Vidyard CEO Michael Litt and Communitech CEO Iain Klugman. Bridgit, Thalmic Labs, and Nanoleaf were among those recognized as innovators, while the DMZ, Ladies Learning Code, and the University of Waterloo were recognized as cultivators.
“The tech ecosystem is growing quickly, with investment levels and startup activity on the rise,” said Signorelli. “Considering this, we immediately recognized that it was important for us to get the input and guidance of those most familiar with Toronto before selecting the Techweek100 honourees. These are the people that have achieved success in Toronto and want to help other local innovators do the same.”
The extensive list of the Toronto Techweek 100 can be found here.