News Release

Oct 31, 2023 | News

techNL is Making Waves Launching 10th Annual Innovation Week and New Awareness Campaign

St. John’s, NL – techNL kicked off Innovation Week 2023 at the St. John’s Convention Centre this morning, celebrating its milestone 10th year. Taking place October 31 – November 2 Innovation Week is sponsored by platinum sponsor Keyin College, gold sponsors Stewart McKelvey and EPRA, and provides member organizations and industry stakeholders with networking opportunities, learning from industry experts, and space to spark waves of inspiration.

This morning’s launch event included greetings from The Honourable Andrew Parsons, Minister of Industry, Energy and Technology; Dave Boland, Vice-President Newfoundland and Labrador, the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency; and St. John’s Mayor, Danny Breen. The highlight of the morning kick-off was the unveiling of a new awareness campaign entitled Tech is Making Waves in Newfoundland and Labrador, launched by techNL’s CEO, Florian Villaumé. The campaign promotes the local tech sector, capturing what makes work and life in tech within the province so unique.

“There are so many opportunities for the technology sector to put our province on the global stage as a hub for tech innovation,” says Florian. “We hope Tech is Making Waves in Newfoundland and Labrador inspires people to consider the immense potential within the tech sector and get them excited to become part of a diverse ecosystem.” The campaign will showcase real people who are powering our tech sector, with Newfoundland and Labrador as the amazing backdrop. The campaign will run throughout social and digital media, out-of-home, on TV and radio, in addition to other placements across the province with plans to extend nationally and internationally in the future. More information can be found on www.FindYourFutureNL.ca.

“Our Government is proud to partner and support techNL’s Innovation Week again this year. It is important to showcase the many good things happening in all sectors of our economy,” says Minister Parsons. “Great things are happening within the tech sector here in our province because of the key collaboration between government, businesses, industry associations, communities, and academia.”

Innovation Week 2023 is supported by government partners. The Government of Canada, through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), contributed $160,860 towards Innovation Week 2023 initiatives and the Department of Industry, Energy and Technology has committed $63,645.

Over the next three days, Innovation Week will host an impressive lineup of speakers covering key topics such as artificial intelligence and the latest on scaling a tech company. “Innovation Week is our marquee event, providing opportunities for members to connect with one another, learn from tech experts, and hopefully spark inspiration,” says Jaqueline Lee, techNL Board Chair. “Innovation Week is for everyone — we want everyone to know they’re welcome to join us and learn about what’s taking place within the sector.”

The lineup of speakers includes Ramy Nassar, former Head of Innovation at Mattel (the company behind global brands Barbie, Hot Wheels, Fisher-Price and Uno); John Hill, Former VP of Network at Techstars; and Sedef Akinli Kocak, Director, Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Top 100 Women Advancing AI in Canada. Day One will feature an engaging session with experts talking about raising capital including panelists Sarah Murphy (Pelorus) Mike Winter (trophi.ai) Ray Rashed (RBCx) and Cathy Bennett (Sandpiper Ventures).

Day Two features breakout sessions that allow attendees to hear from a diverse group of speakers, including:

● Johanna Brown (Verafin): The Path to Growth in the New Sales Landscape.

● Danielle Graham (The Firehood): Setting the Path to Success: Investment Strategy Session, Sponsored by Genesis.

● Ryan Thistle (Venor), Tessa Whelan & Steph Burry (CoLab), TalentLift and Ajay Pande (Keyin College): Elusive Talent Panel: Competing for the World’s Best Talent Against the World’s Best Companies.

● Murray Brown (Horizon Maritime), Charlene Brophy (Fonemed), Armin Strobel (StrobelTEK), Dan Sweeney (Kraken Robotics), Carolann Harding (SmartICE), Paul Griffin (C-Core): Cross-industry Connections at the Innovation Centre.

Registered attendees can also attend a drop-in at the under-construction future Innovation Centre on Torbay Road, catching a glimpse of what’s set to take place when it opens in the new year.

The much-anticipated student networking session, sponsored by Hatch on Day Two caters to post-secondary students interested in entering the provincial tech workforce, featuring local tech companies such as Avalon Holographics, OPAS Mobile, Vision33 Inc., PragmaClin Research Inc., econext, Verafin, BreatheSuite, Nucliq Biologics Inc., PAL Group of Companies, PolyUnity Tech Inc., Hatch, Carnegie Learning, Fonemed, and ExxonMobil Canada, among others.

Innovation Week concludes on Day Three with its third annual Industry Awards, sponsored by McInnes Cooper, celebrating the incredible achievements of companies and innovators in the Newfoundland and Labrador tech sector. This event will be hosted by Spirit of Newfoundland’s Keith Power.

For more information about Innovation Week and to register visit technl.ca/iw23/

Media Contact:

Marlayne Hardy

(709) 330-7122

marlayne@technl.ca

About techNL

techNL is a not-for-profit membership association that enables a thriving innovation-driven economy in Newfoundland and Labrador. techNL provides visibility, business growth services and a collective influential voice to the tech sector in Newfoundland and Labrador with a vision to make Newfoundland and Labrador the most sought-after Canadian tech ecosystem, globally recognized for its collaborative community, diversity and quality of life.   

A key focus on business growth includes programs and services to support talent pipeline expansion, member connections, digital transformation and ecosystem development in Newfoundland and Labrador. More information can be found on the website technl.ca.