Collision Week 2024
Presented by
Since the Collision Conference rolled into Toronto five years ago, it’s given the Canadian tech sector lots to talk about.
Intended to draw big names and attract visitors from around the world, the event has also made headlines for its steep price tag and the statements of its controversial founder. This year’s Collision will take place from June 17-20, 2024, in what will be the conference’s final year in Toronto.
The BetaKit Guide features insights and recommendations from our audience, weighing in on the most interesting side parties, events, speakers, Toronto hot spots, as the city says goodbye.
Audience insights
Do you plan on attending this year’s Collision?
of respondents plan to attend
Most anticipated Speaker
Geoffrey Hinton
Godfather of AI
The Godfather of AI Geoffrey Hinton took the stage at Collision last year, shortly after resigning from Google. This year, he’s still the speaker our audience most wants to see, and doesn’t seem to be running out of things to say. Hinton recently advocated for governments to introduce universal basic income to help address the job losses that will result from AI.
Most anticipated VC
Gabriel Vasquez
Andreessen Horowitz
Gabriel Vasquez is an investment partner at Andreessen Horowitz focused on enterprise and FinTech. But interest in his attendance might have more to do with the fact that Andreessen Horowitz was the most active US investor in May, and co-led a $1-billion raise for Wiz.
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The Parties
Collision Afterparty List
Side parties have emerged as the main event of the unofficial Collision calendar. To help amplify that energy, Michael Liu, founder of Erdos Ventures and Chair of Toronto Tech Fest, created a Collision Master Afterparty List and the ability for organizers to add their own events. “Each year the Toronto startup ecosystem becomes incredibly vibrant, ambitious, and alive around Collision,” said Liu. “I want to make sure everyone has a chance to participate.”
The official events
Only 38 per cent of those surveyed by BetaKit said they were going to official Collision parties, which require attendees to have a conference pass. The two events will take place near the main conference site at the Enercare Centre. But neither the conference floor or the conference sanctioned soirees seem to be a big draw this year, with the majority of respondents saying they planned to attend private dinners.
Opening Night Party
Monday June 17 6PM
At the Grand Bizarre, a 41,000 sq ft supper club on the CNE Grounds that features a glass dome and outdoor swimming pool.
After Hours
Tuesday June 18 5PM
Held at the Stackt Market at Bathurst and Front, the networking mixer is hosted by Dell Technologies.
The local hangouts
Large tech conferences have sometimes been criticized for pulling focus and funding from local companies and ecosystems. But Toronto tech refuses to cede centre stage and a range of organizations and ecosystem leaders are hosting their own networking events. Check out the afterparty list for more.
TechTO Summer Social
Monday June 19, 6PM
Held at The Slip, at 235 Queen’s Quay West, the third annual Summer Social will feature food, drinks and a community open mic.
Black Innovation Zone After Party
Thursday June 20, 6:30PM
Bringing together Black founders, investors, professionals, and first-time attendees at Offworld Bar.
The BetaKit Talks
Following the impact of our recent Town Hall, BetaKit Talks: AI in Action on June 20 will explore the engineering challenges and real-world problems being tackled by some of Toronto’s top AI teams. Hosted by Intuit Canada during the week of Collision and featuring Dr. Anna Goldenberg, Co-Chair of AI in Medicine for Kids, SickKids Research Institute, Salim Teja, Partner at Radical Ventures (Cohere, Waabi, Xanadu) and Greg Coulombe, Engineering Director at Intuit.
The out-of-towners
The side party circuit features multiple events hosted by international delegations including Invest Hong Kong, Taiwan Startup Terrace, and the Central Eastern European Tech Forum. Canadian tech will also be repped from coast to coast, with parties and events hosted by ecosystem champions from across the country, including:
Vancouver Celebration Party
Monday June 17
The Vancouver Mayor will attend this Distillery District takeover as the West Coast makes a play for next year’s conference.
Last Collision Yacht Party
Tuesday June 18
Calgary’s Goodlawyer will host its annual yacht party, sponsored by Alliance Trust Company.
Startup Montréal Bus
Monday June 17
For those arriving from La Belle Province, MainQC has also put together a french language conference resource.
The private parties
What’s a conference without a little FOMO? Some of the most anticipated events are invite only and over subscribed. Two of the most popular parties are hosted by local VCs.
Party with Panache
Monday June 17, 6PM
The Panache Ventures bash sponsored by AWS, BMO, Fasken, and Telus Global Ventures is taking waitlist registrations only.
The Golden Ticket
Tuesday June 18, 6:30PM
You need a golden ticket to attend Golden Ventures’s event, hosted with Crosslink Capital and Deloitte Ventures, and headlined by Osler, Google Cloud & TD Bank.
Audience insights
What are you going to?
of respondents plan to
attend private dinners
62.7% Side parties
49.3% Conference talks/keynotes/panels
41.8% Booths/event floor
38.8% Collision parties
7.5% None of the above
Recommendation
How to approach a founder or investor at a party
“If you want to say ‘Hi,’ do that, and be direct. Say what you are working on and what you’d like from someone. Don’t trap them. Have a 60-second conversation and move on. If they are interested, they will keep you there. If they are busy, they will appreciate you letting them meet many folks.”
Daniel Debow
Vice President, Commercial at Shopify
🔥 Hot tip
“When attending events, seek out individuals from varied tech backgrounds. Diverse perspectives can spark unique insights and lead to groundbreaking collaborations. Don’t just network—diverse network.”
Lekan Olawoye
CEO & Founder, OBSIDI®
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The Speakers
The Canadian AI Legends
Two Canadians are among our reader’s most anticipated conference speakers. With AI still dominating the conversation, it’s no wonder that people want to hear from the country’s most talked about AI company and the man who started it all.
Aiden Gomez, Cohere
Tuesday June 18, 10:30AM
This has been a big year for the Toronto-based AI company, which recently raised $450M. Fortune magazine praised Cohere as the AI underdog to watch, “doing the opposite of OpenAI’s every move.” The CEO will discuss The real world impact of AI.
Geoffrey Hinton
Wednesday June 19, 4:40PM
In conversation with author Stephen Marche, Geoffrey Hinton will provide his answer to the question, Can we control AI? The godfather of AI also has a familiar relationship with Cohere, as a former professor and employer of the founders and early investor in the company.
The timely investments
Vinod Khosla
Tuesday June 18, 4:15PM
The entrepreneur, investor, and tech optimist founder of Khosla Ventures will discuss The path to an AI utopia with Connie Loizos of TechCrunch.
KJ Sidberry
Wednesday June 19, 12:50PM
The GV (Google Ventures) partner will break down How to be a successful entrepreneur and share his impressions of what makes a founder stand out.
Gabriel Vasquez
Thursday June 20, 10:45AM
The a16z partner will talk about the future of fintech with the CEO of Jeeves, Dileep Thazhmon.
The whistleblower
From Facebook to Tesla, whistleblowers have been sounding the alarm of late on issues from workplace safety to societal decline. Sam Salehpour is a former quality engineer at Boeing who told a US Senate Committee that the company ignored concerns about defective parts and assembly problems affecting its aircraft. He’ll join a panel called Whistleblowers can save big tech (Wednesday June 19, 3:40PM) where the first question should be: did you fly here?
A world of founders
A mix of Canadian and global founders will take the stage on a range of topics.
Jeff Shiner
1Password
Wednesday June 19, 2:40PM
The Canadian founder will speak on The Threat of AI to Cybersecurity.
Raquel Urtasun
Waabi
Tuesday June 18, 2PM
The Toronto-based founder covers The Road to Autonomous Driving.
Sara Sabry
Deep Space Initiative
Tuesday June 18, 12:15PM
The astronaut and founder is part of a panel called To Infinity and beyond! The future of space.
Audience insights
Who else do you want to see on stage?
Elon Musk
X, SpaceX, Tesla
Pierre Poilievre
Conservative Party of Canada
Joanna Griffiths
Knix
Michelle Zatlyn
Cloudflare
Dax Dasilva
Lightspeed
Chamath Palihapitiya
Social Capital
Recommendation
A grand slam of career inspiration
“I’m excited to see Maria Sharapova in the speaker lineup. I’ve followed her for years and admire her pivot into entrepreneurship. She’s a great example of how careers can change in interesting and unexpected ways.”
Elysia Bryan
Health & Safety Program Manager, Shopify
🔥 Hot tip
“For founders who are speaking at events, my advice is to be authentic. Tell your story, share your learnings, or give your perspective with humility, honesty, and a genuine desire to help the audience.”
Janet Bannister
Staircase Ventures
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The city
Spending power
Toronto’s post-pandemic downtown recovery has been slow, and business owners in many sectors have been struggling. According to Destination Toronto, Collision 2024 is projected to bring $42 million CAD in visitor spending to the economy. Consider channeling that ecosystem spending power to Black owned businesses in Toronto this year, with the help of a searchable map created by the Federation of African Canadian Economics (FACE), in partnership with Interac.
Park People
Almost 30 percent of BetaKit survey respondents suggested that Collision attendees visit Trinity Bellwoods. The popular hangout is one of 45 Toronto parks included in the creatively named Alcohol in Parks Program, and is within walking distance of the great shops, restaurants and bars of Ossington, Queen West, and Dundas West neighbourhoods. And while we did ask if people would recommend a visit to Drake’s house, now might be a good time to take in other views.
They ate
For those coming into town for the event, BetaKit readers offered restaurant recommendations across a range of neighbourhoods, cuisines, and price points. KJ Sidberry of GV, a self-professed foodie, said restaurants are a big part of all his city visits. “There’s a lot to learn but have heard great things about Prime Seafood Palace, plus who doesn’t love our faves from The Bear,” he said. “And apparently Beast comes with a little adventure.”
A bit thirsty
Meeting up for a drink or a chat is a big part of any conference. When it comes to getting a cocktail, BetaKit readers are more targeted in their recommendations, focusing attention on the downtown core.
Audience insights
What’s the best way to get around during Collision?
of respondents recommend walking
27% TTC
18% Rideshare/Uber
10% Bike
Recommendation
Where the mayor thinks you should go
“I am so pleased that the Collision Conference will bring so many visitors to Toronto. Our city is teaming with fun at this time of year. I encourage people to visit Toronto Island, one of my favourite places in the city.”
Olivia Chow
Toronto Mayor
🔥 Hot tip
While traffic in Toronto has gotten much, much worse, there have been some much-needed innovations since last year’s Collision when it comes to navigating the city. You can now tap to pay with Interac Debit on the TTC, GO Transit and the UP Express.
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The big picture
Audience insights
What should tech conferences prioritize?
of respondents think they should prioritize exposure to new ideas
of respondents think they should prioritize peer-to-peer learning
“The best part of Collision is the founders and builders. I can’t wait for the conversations (and drinks) with people way smarter than me.”
William Johnson
Startup TNT
“Say ‘yes’ to as many events as possible. It’s the best way to catch-up with your network and to create new, spontaneous connections.”
Eva Lau
Two Small Fish Ventures
Audience insights
Should Collision stay or should it go?
Stay!
Go!
Don’t care!
Presented by Interac
Interac Corp. returns as one of this year’s event partners at Collision.
This year, they’ll showcase how their products and services can make life easier and more frictionless for small businesses and Canadians from coast to coast to coast. Visit their interactive booth and networking space to connect with fellow attendees and industry leaders.