Hockeystick and Lazaridis Institute launch DRIVE conference

Hockeystick and the Lazaridis Institute are launching a new conference called DRIVE.

Taking place from February 20 to 22, DRIVE hopes to provide insight into scaling tech ecosystems. While the conference hasn’t shared confirmed speakers, supporters include several organizations fostering and funding startups across Canada, including Techstars, Communitech, HIGHLINE, and BCF Ventures.

“DRIVE is where data, policy, and practice meet in the world of scaleup ecosystems,” said Raymond Luk, Hockeystick’s founder and CEO. “We’re bringing together leaders from global accelerators, policy-makers, academics, funders, and founders to challenge each other and present bold new ideas on building scaleups.”

The conference aligns with work Hockeystick and the Lazaridis Institute have done in the past. Last year, the two organizations partnered to build a central hub tracking activity in Canada’s startup ecosystem. With $2.5 million from the Canadian government, the goal is to collect scale-up data on incubators, accelerators, and startups across the country.

“We are having a great time organizing DRIVE with our partner Hockeystick, and are delighted to host the conference at the Lazaridis Hall in Waterloo,” said Kim Morouney, managing director at the Lazaridis Institute. “Waterloo’s reputation as a tech hub continues to expand. DRIVE will enable us to share our ecosystem’s energy and vision with global players — international hubs, founders and policy-makers — and to learn from their diverse perspectives on growth.”

The conference will take place at the Lazaridis Hall at Wilfrid Laurier University’s campus in Waterloo. Pre-registrations are open here.