Most founders build on untested assumptions, wasting time on misaligned products. This panel shows why validation isn't a one-off task, but an ongoing discipline driving every company decision. Drawing from real founder stories and coaching insights, we explore how testing core hypotheses, embedding continuous learning, and confronting real customer evidence fundamentally elevates your trajectory and sets up long-term commercialization.

You’ve made the connection, now use LinkedIn to keep it going. Learn how to strengthen your profile, follow up with people you meet, find the right contacts at tech companies, and stay visible to potential employers and industry connections.

What does hiring at a tech company look like from both sides? Take part in a simulated hiring process, including résumé reviews and a look at how applicant tracking systems (ATS) work. Tech talent leaders will share practical guidance on assessing candidates fairly and helping your application stand out.

When innovation happens through collaboration, who owns what gets created? Hear from industry and academic experts on how to identify, protect, and manage intellectual property when working with partners. Explore why upfront agreements matter, how ownership of jointly developed innovations works, and practical strategies for protecting your contributions while avoiding costly surprises down the road.

Learn how talent funding programs can help your company grow its team, and how different funding opportunities may work together. Representatives from Mitacs, ICTC, techNL, and Copsys Technologies will share practical guidance from both the funder and employer perspectives, including what programs are available, when funding can be combined, and how companies can make the most of these supports.

The right legal approach can help technology companies move faster, make better decisions, and grow with confidence. Drawing on 17+ years as part of the team that helped scale Verafin from a Newfoundland and Labrador startup to a global technology company, Chris Hickey shares practical lessons on using legal expertise to support enterprise sales, AI and data decisions, product expansion, and smart risk-taking. No legal jargon or compliance lecture here, just a candid look at how legal can become part of the machinery of growth.

MJ Leslie, Founder & Principal Consultant at Chapter 3 will share practical, low-cost marketing tactics to help startups build traction as they grow from seed to Series A. Drawing on firsthand experience, she’ll offer tips, tricks, and lessons learned for reaching the right customers, building credibility and making limited budgets go further. Founders and small teams will leave with clear ideas they can put to work right away.

AI is changing how companies understand, support, and grow their customers — from spotting opportunities earlier to personalizing experiences and helping teams do more at scale. Join Amanda Harris of Airtable and Susan Byrd of Trudell Medical as they explore how AI is reshaping customer success, what they're learning along the way, and where human relationships still make the difference.

Generative AI has made it easier to develop new tools and products, but turning an idea into a viable business remains challenging. How can you assess an opportunity to launch a software product within your organization? Join local business leaders as they share what led them to pursue new products and businesses within their organizations.

Do you really understand the power of a strong brand? In the age of AI, reputation and authority matter more than ever, especially when everyone is trying to be cited as well as found. Join Sean Williams as he explores what ‘brand’ really means, how to build and manage it, and how brand power drives everything from first contact to customer retention and advocacy.

Many Canadian tech companies either skip SR&ED entirely or claim well below what they qualify for. In this session, Joshua Martin of Boast AI breaks down what actually qualifies (it's often more than you think), which salary and contractor costs are commonly missed, and how to document work without slowing your engineers down. Walk away knowing whether your company is leaving money on the table.

As technology rapidly transforms how we work, keeping up can be rewarding — but also exhausting. Join HeadCase and local tech peers for an honest conversation about burnout, the pressure to constantly reinvent ourselves, and the impact on mental health. Through lived experiences, real stories, and a few laughs, explore common pitfalls and practical strategies for navigating change, protecting your well-being, and staying connected.