In the heart of Silicon Valley North, the second Hub350 Annual Partner Summit unfolded as a narrative of past triumphs and future ambitions. To underscore our theme, #EmpowerInnovation, Hub350 showcased a living, breathing vision in action: a testament to the “art of the possible” that has propelled Kanata North to become a $13 billion GDP juggernaut.
The space was filled with more than 150 leaders from the spheres of industry, academia, finance, government, and more, all drawn to the region’s tech park.
Julia Morris, Director of Partnerships at Hub350, spoke on what the day represents. “Today we are hosting our second annual partner summit where the theme is empowering innovation: technology shaping the future. By bringing together the strategic group of partners alongside our KNBA member ecosystem we are hoping to forge collaborations that will help shape the trajectory of innovation here in Canada’s largest technology park.”
Kicking off the day, statements were made by Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, Kanata-Carleton MP and Minister of Families, Children and Social Development: Jenna Sudds, uOttawa’s Associate Vice-President of Innovation, Partnerships and Entrepreneurship, Guy Levesque, and legendary founder Sir Terry Matthews: the man behind Mitel, Newbridge Networks, Wesley Clover International and more.
They all echoed a similar clarion call:
“Talk about Kanata North.”
“We should be telling the world about Kanata North.”
“Great things happen in Kanata North.”
From these rallying cries, the day transitioned into collaborative learning with panel discussions and a featured keynote from RBCx’s Anne No Delaide on the state of the tech economy entering 2024. Understanding that lifelong learning is one of the keys to advancement, our panels hyperfocused on real issues facing founders, such as: the AI surge, navigating the digital journey, and patching holes in the talent pipeline. Attendees shared their thoughts on transformation and what lies ahead in areas from finding and upskilling talent, as well as improving processes and finding efficiencies.
And Kanata North does more than just talk the talk: to close the day out with a bang, we heard from the five winning founders of Hub350 x L-Spark’s 2023 Living Lab Accelerator. Their progress has astounded Leo Lax, Executive Managing Director at L-Spark: “It is amazing to see what can happen in just five months.” These five companies have already formed partnerships in the region that are mutually beneficial.
Take Soralink’s collaboration with Calabogie Brewing Co.
Yun Yao, Soralink founder, explained how the Living Lab provided her startup with an opportunity to test their product in a true market situation and get feedback directly from users to further optimize their solution. On the other side, Calabogie’s Patrick Delahunty shared how Soralink’s predictive maintenance has already minimized losses and improved efficiency.
Other local partnerships were forged between B-Line and the Brookstreet Hotel, Zendelity and LePine Apartments, and METI with NOKIA. As part of the Living Lab, Aurrigo is working with Hub350 and other partners on a long-term vision. Dana Borschewski, VP of Aviation Products and Operations says “We would love to see one of our medium-speed shuttles here in the tech park addressing local transportation needs! It would be our first shuttle in North America and we would use this as our demonstration site for North America.”
So what is the plan to solidify Kanata North as a global tech playmaker?
A new media partnership is just one step that’s being taken to amplify the region and it’s successes. Sean Stanleigh, Head of Globe Content Studio, revealed a Globe and Mail campaign including two videos and two articles: a profile of our rich legacy, and our future trajectory.Looking forward, the commitment to innovation, community, and collaboration remains the driving force behind our ever-growing impact on the tech industry. With each year, the Hub350 Annual Partner Summit charts a course for the next chapter in Kanata North’s story. Write it with us.
Interested in learning more about Hub350’s Partnership Program? Please reach out to Julia Morris at julia@kanatanorthba.ca.
By Hannah Manierka, Digital Content Coordinator at hub350 and KNBA.
