The Collision 2022 tech event in Toronto ON welcomed 35,000+ people from 130 countries. This represented 40 percent growth since the conference was last held in 2019 and was the largest global tech event to take place in Canada since the pandemic began. The attendees represented industries impacted by tech who wanted to learn about the latest trends and newest products and tools that can give them an edge over their competitors.
Founders and CEOs of the world’s most successful tech companies including Substack, Ethereum, Blockchain.com, Flexport, Cardano, Tezos, Binance, BlockFi, Chief, Calendly, Clearco, Cloudflare, and more spoke across 20-plus onstage tracks. Among the tech leaders in attendance were authors, athletes, actors, and musicians that discussed how technology has impacted their industry during sessions on a wide range of topics—from technology and digital media to music, politics, and culture. In all, there were more than 900 speakers, 1,200 journalists, 790 investors, and 100 unicorn companies.
People were happy to be back in person and were very open to connecting and sharing their passions. Collision is a great way to connect to foreign businesses interested in having a U.S. presence. The conference energy was electric and could be felt in every conversation. “With indications of a global recession looming, I was enthused to see the energy, excitement, and innovation happening in the startup community,” said Nigel Hapuarachchi, Regional Director, Business Development at Viaduct’s sister company Acara Solutions. “There was a lot of focus on AI/machine learning, environmental responsibility/sustainability, corporate social responsibility, life sciences, and fintech (specifically crypto).”
The number of startups grew by 36 percent from 2019. The 1,557 startups in attendance, included:
- 340 women-led startups, which was a record number for Collision
- 197 startups led by people from under-represented communities
- 274 impact startups working to advance the UN sustainable development goals
Viaduct and TalentRise attended along with partners from the Buffalo startup ecosystem including 43North, Invest Buffalo Niagara, Endeavor, and Tech Buffalo. “It was helpful having a Buffalo contingent in attendance,” said Tom Hausler, Viaduct Director of Recruiting and Business Operations. “We were able to promote the startup community in Buffalo and demonstrate how several organizations work closely together to help emerging businesses.”
Want to know more about Collision or pre-register for 2023? Get more information here.
