Last month, Vancouver hosted its first Web Summit (previously Collision Conference), bringing together over 15,000 startup companies, investors and business leaders.
InBC participated in Web Summit as part of our commitment to supporting inclusive economic growth by investing in missions-aligned businesses and strengthening B.C.’s presence on the international stage.
Throughout the conference, we enjoyed getting to know the many B.C. entrepreneurs and companies that are turning groundbreaking ideas into innovative solutions. We also engaged with investors both from within Canada and across the world who are keen to invest in B.C.
Here were some highlights:
Showcasing B.C. Businesses to Investors
InBC was proud to be a partner in the Innovation and Investment Insider Tours that invited national and global investors to gain insight into the innovation and investment opportunities in B.C. The day before the conference, investors from Switzerland, Japan, Hong Kong, Uruguay and many other countries visited leading companies in the life sciences, cleantech and creative tech sectors across the Metro Vancouver region.
The tours kicked off with a welcome luncheon hosted by the City of Surrey, where we heard from Svante, Healthtech Connex, Clio and Fujitsu on all the great reasons they decided to build in B.C. Also at the luncheon was a showcase of exciting B.C. startups, such as VodaSafe, which is saving lives with its sonar water rescue technology, and CereCura, a biotech company developing drugs for brain diseases, to name a few.
Three sector-specific bus tours of over 150 investors, plus trade commissioners, media and innovation supporters made stops at high-growth companies such as AbCellera, Gandeeva and Kardium, representing B.C.ʼs fast-growing life sciences sector; and Arca, Hydron and pH7, at the forefront of B.C.ʼs climate leadership; as well as creative tech companies such as Industrial Light & Magic and Kabam demonstrating why B.C. is known as entertainment North.
Receptions hosted by SFU VentureLabs and NorthX provided additional room for investors to meet even more B.C. startups that are working on innovative solutions to real-world problems.
The innovation ecosystem — including partners Invest Vancouver (lead), AinBC, DigiBC, InBC, Innovation UBC, Invest Surrey, Life Sciences BC, the Naturally Innovative Alliance, NorthX and SFU VentureLabs — collaborated to make this event possible, enabling investors to witness first-hand the immense talent and exciting innovations taking place in B.C., and promoting our province as a destination for business and investment
Moderating a Speaker Panel at the B.C. Pavilion
InBC organized a speaker panel for the British Columbia Pavilion on the Web Summit floor. Moderated by our CEO Jill Earthy, we heard from a well-rounded panel representing industry, venture capital and academia on how “How Strategic Investments are Propelling Life Sciences in B.C.”
We thank panelists David de Graaf, CEO and Co-founder of Reverb Therapeutics; Allison Gaw, Principal at Amplitude Ventures; and Dr. Stephanie Willerth, Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Victoria and CEO and Founder of Axolotl Biosciences, for sharing their experiences and insights on how we can continue propelling the life sciences sector in B.C.
Key highlights:
- Government support such as the B.C. Life Sciences and Biomanufacturing Strategy, InBC and the Integrated Marketplace have played an integral role to the sector growth in B.C.
- Strong academic and research institutions — from the UBC School of Biomedical Engineering to St. Paul’s Hospital’s Clinical Support & Research Centre — have created an environment where top talent thrives in B.C.
- B.C.’s life sciences ecosystem has a supportive and collaborative spirit, a strength that contributes to the world-class research and innovation taking place in the province.
- We have the talent, the lab and research space and the will. B.C.’s life sciences sector is at a pivotal moment, growing quickly and becoming globally recognized, and strategic investments, with public and private sector support, can all work together to keep this momentum going.
Judging Life Sciences Startup Pitches
InBC’s CEO Jill Earthy also served as a judge for the Life Sciences BC Pitch Competition at the B.C. Pavilion. We congratulate Arbutus Medical and VoxCell BioInnovation for their winning pitches, as well as all the B.C. life sciences companies that participated. It is exciting to see all the life sciences innovations emerging out of British Columbia.
Cheering on InBC Portfolio Companies
We were proud to see the companies in our portfolio showcased at Web Summit and were pleased to refer some of these opportunities to them. From seeing 4AG Robotics, Arca Climate Technologies and Novarc Technologies demonstrating their products on the exhibit floor, to hearing Aspect Biosystems, Svante, ThoughtExchange and Evok Innovations speak on stage, and watching VodaSafe win the audience vote at the final pitch competition, we were cheering them on from the audience.
Engaging with Entrepreneurs and Investors
All week long, members of our investment team were scattered both across the conference and at various community-run side events across the city meeting with entrepreneurs and investors. From Indigenous Tech Circle’s Pre-Web Summit Gathering to Innovation UBC’s Mining & Critical Minerals Reception, we met with impactful founders, investors and leaders from across B.C.
If you are a company with strong connections to B.C. that may be fundraising now or in the future, or an investor interested in opportunities in B.C., learn more about how we are investing in British Columbia and connect with our team today: Let’s get acquainted
The inaugural Web Summit conference in Vancouver welcomed 15,727 attendees, including 1,108 startups — 44% of which were women-founded — and 681 investors from across the world. It showcased B.C. innovation on the world stage and brought unprecedented opportunities to B.C. businesses. The event will be back for another two years and we look forward to seeing you in 2026.
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