Web Summit Diary - Day 0
The Web Summit Conference is back in Vancouver for the second year in a row, and I'll be there all week to meet with startups, international partners and local ecosystem organizations.
Web Summit officially kicks off this evening, and then we’re in for three days packed with meetings at the different booths, sessions, evening events and international networking. Foresight is partnering with a few other organizations to host the Climate Innovation Zone. That’s where you’ll find me over the next few days.
I will be sending out a short newsletter every evening, summarizing my initial impressions from the conference and the various events, unedited and my immediate, personal reactions.
On today’s agenda:
Host Foresight’s matchmaking event in collaboration with the Dutch Consulate
Pick up my conference badge
Prepare my schedule for the week and get ready
Badge Pick-Up at Canada Place
There’s always a lot going on at Canada Place, but today it was particularly busy - not just with tourists, but also with dozens of conference participants picking up their badges. I even caught a glimpse of Minister Bailey as she made her way through the crowd.
Connection to the International Innovation Ecosystem
Today, on what I call Day 0, Foresight hosted an event in collaboration with the Dutch Consulate to connect the Canadian and Dutch innovation ecosystems through B2B meetings.
It was a great opportunity to bring people together the day before the conference, when everyone still had the energy and capacity to network. It always fills me with so much joy when two people who have met through our event discover they have things in common, exchange thoughts on shared challenges or solutions, and wrap up the conversation with a promise to stay connected.
I also believe that it’s important that discussion on innovation and climate change extend beyond national borders and that there is an active exchange on how to tackle the climate crisis effectively.
What’s up tomorrow?
Tomorrow is probably the busiest conference day for me. A business breakfast with the Swiss Consulate, two Foresight sessions at the Climate Innovation Zone, the ClimateGlobal 2026 event and the Vancity Innovation House presented by Frontier Collective. I’m excited for all these events and will make sure to take some notes in between for tomorrow’s newsletter.
A few words about Web Summit
Web Summit runs some of the world’s largest tech events in cities such as Vancouver, Rio, Qatar, and its flagship event in Lisbon. Their mission is to connect CEOs, founders, investors, media, and local ecosystems. Web Summit Vancouver is in town for the second year in a row, succeeding Collision in Toronto.
And that’s a wrap! I ended the day with a bike ride around Stanley Park so I’d be fresh and full of energy for tomorrow’s conference.
I’m back in your inbox tomorrow for a brief summary of Day 1 at Web Summit Vancouver!