The Waterloo Innovation Summit 2017, a conference that brings together business and technology leaders from all over the world, took place Sept. 14-15 at the Humanities Theatre.
The summit started on Sept. 13 with a tour of the Waterloo Region Innovation Ecosystem. The tour included various research hubs and startup incubators, such as Velocity Garage and Communitech Hub.
“We all know that innovation does not happen by accident. It happens in environments where problems, ideas, aspirations, knowledge – they all collide with each other,” UW President Feridun Hamdullahpur proclaimed during the opening remarks.
Speakers included Velocity Director Jay Shah, Kik CEO Ted Livingston, The James Dyson Foundation Managing Editor Jenna Blanton, and Axonify CEO Carol Leaman. Each speaker presented on disruptive technologies and how to adapt in today’s market.
“When survival is on the line, you can reach so much deeper and accomplish so much more,” CTO of Tesla Motors JB Straubel said on the subject of risk-taking.
In addition to the speakers, the summit included various networking sessions.
