Last week, a delegation of 15 Montreal businesses and three Ubisoft Women in Tech ambassadors completed a trade mission to Silicon Valley to help form business ties with global tech companies.
“With this trade mission, we want to draw attention to inspiring female role models in this industry.”
This trade mission, the first with a delegation comprised mainly of women, was part of the Ubisoft’s Women in Tech initiative, created to inspire more women to consider the many careers in the tech sector. Participants also had a chance to visit tech giants such as Airbnb, Facebook, and Netflix.
“The tech sector plays a key role in the city’s growth and economic prosperity,” said Michel Leblanc, president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal. “The Montreal ecosystem has a pool of talent and leading expertise that enable it to aspire to be one of the top centres for innovation. To get there, we need to follow the example of the best and develop our international networks.
Leblanc noted that the trade mission was “an exceptional showcase for participating startups to demonstrate their know-how, draw inspiration from industry giants and form invaluable international ties.”
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“Montreal is one of the most technically creative ecosystems in North America, and Ubisoft is proud to be part of it,” said Francis Baillet, vice-president, corporate affairs at Ubisoft. “Women are clearly still underrepresented in this key sector of our economy. With this trade mission, we want to draw attention to inspiring female role models in this industry and mobilize players around a global movement to promote the place of women in tech. This recent trade mission reminds us of the importance of pursuing your passions, thinking big and going international.”
The trade mission gave Ubisoft Women in Tech ambassadors as well as participating startups the chance to attend the Women of Silicon Valley event. The event, held in San Francisco and in its third year, is called the world’s largest gathering of women in tech.
Additional organizations participating in the trade mission included National Bank of Canada, Gradiant AI, Mylo Financial Technologies, National Research Council of Canada, and others. Nine companies were selected through a call for applications for the “Women in Tech” special package to have all expenses paid for the trade mission.