Two weeklong tech and innovation gatherings are happening in Canada concurrently: one in the nation’s capital and the other in the heart of the Prairies.
If you’re wondering where to block off time in your calendar, BetaKit has you covered with the can’t-miss events for both Ottawa Innovation Week and Saskatoon Startup Week.
Saskatoon Startup Week
Saskatoon Startup Week runs from June 9–13 and is organized jointly by Saskatoon Regional Economic Development Authority (SREDA), Startup TNT, Opus, FEAD Canada, Saskatchewan Food Centre, Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies (SIIT), and Ethical Digital. Law firm McKercher LLP is the official sponsor.
On June 10 at 11:30 am CST, marketing professional and entrepreneur Chris Kotelmach of Colors + Cubes is hosting “The Persuasion Playbook: Timeless Marketing Strategies,” an interactive marketing exercise to help tech startups boost their branding.
At 5 pm CST that evening, deep tech incubator Opus (run out of the University of Saskatchewan) is running a networking event and panel discussion at Collider Hub, focused on sustainability and aligning business goals with environmental priorities.
On June 11 at 9 am CST, Saskatchewan Polytechnic will host a joint presentation, guided tour, and networking event focusing on bringing lab innovations through to commercialization.
There are plenty of networking and social events during the week. Saskatchewan Young Professionals & Entrepreneurs is running a speed networking event on June 11 to connect entrepreneurs, tech workers, creatives, and community members. On June 12, Startup TNT is hosting an afternoon social with co-founder Zack Storms at Hudsons Saskatoon.
Perhaps the most hotly anticipated event will be Fail Fest, a wrap-up panel discussion and networking session that aims to spotlight failure stories from seasoned entrepreneurs. It’ll be hosted at Cohen’s Beer Republic at 4 pm CST on June 13.
The full event schedule for Saskatoon Startup Week and registration links can be found here.
Ottawa Innovation Week
Ottawa Innovation Week also runs from June 9–13 and is hosted by Ottawa Unlimited, a joint partnership between Invest Ottawa, the Ottawa Board of Trade, and Ottawa Tourism.
On June 10, the Wesley Clover Foundation is hosting a special edition of its monthly CEOTuesday panel discussion series at 5 pm ET to discuss how artificial intelligence (AI) is shaping research and investment. That evening, Invest Ottawa and Capital BioVentures are running a healthtech mixer event to unite innovators in the life sciences at Beyond the Pale Brewing Company.
On June 11, The Canadian Club of Ottawa is hosting an exclusive luncheon with Peter Heokstra, the United States Ambassador to Canada, with a discussion moderated by Global News Ottawa bureau chief Mercedes Stephenson.
At 1:30 pm ET that afternoon, RBCx and Labarge Weinstein LLP will put on a discussion to demystify the fundraising journey for founders. Featured speakers include Dr. Lindy Ledohowski, vice president of banking at RBCx, and Mistral Ventures partner Pablo Srugo.
On June 12, one-day summit AccelerateOTT is running at Landsdowne Park. The agenda includes panels and sessions from Fullscript founder and CEO Kyle Braatz, BDC Capital Thrive Venture Fund managing partner Michelle Scarborough, and RHEI founder and CEO Shahrzad Rafati. The summit will wrap up with a networking event at Jack Astor’s.
Four local universities, including Carleton University and UOttawa, are hosting an Ottawa Grad Career Fair for prospective tech workers on June 13 at the Nepean Sports Complex.
The full event schedule for Ottawa Innovation Week and AccelerateOTT can be found here.
Feature image courtesy Saskatoon Chamber via X.