True North 2019 brought together 2,500 of the brightest, boldest, carbon-based badasses to Canada’s hottest tech community. They rolled up their sleeves to help make Tech for Good the core of digital life, work and play.
Why Attend?
“One of the best conferences of the year!!”
“The buzz is incredible! So many innovative and creative bodies in one space from all over the world!”
“ True North is becoming an important international conference and it’s right here in Ontario.
“The vibe is awesome! There is so much energy, it’s great.”
“2,500 of the region’s greatest minds in one place.”
“Everybody who is anybody is at True North.”
Why Waterloo Region?
For over 150 years, Waterloo Region has been the hub of innovation in Canada.
From tanneries to distilleries, vacuum tube radios to the first smartphone – the world has been shaped by Canadian innovations built in Waterloo Region. We have one of the fastest-growing tech ecosystems in the world with market-defining companies like Vidyard, Shopify and North operating in a distinctly collaborative culture set in unique and transformed industrial spaces. Top-notch universities and research institutes play side-by-side with global enterprises, scaling companies and a vibrant startup scene.
Conference Location
It all happens @LOT42
LOT42 is a revitalized industrial campus with more than 17 acres of flexible space for limitless cultural, professional and community applications. The former steel production facility is the primary location for True North conference and workshop activity. And the perfect place to talk about transformation.
2019 Recap
2019 Speakers
Kara Swisher Executive Editor, Recode
Sir Tim Berners-Lee Inventor of the World Wide Web
Thomas L. Friedman Bestselling Author & New York Times Foreign Affairs Columnist
Aaron Snow Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Digital Service
Ann Cavoukian Three-term Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario Distinguished Expert-in-Residence, Privacy by Design Centre of Excellence
Antonio Zappulla CEO, Thomson Reuters Foundation
Balaji Gopalan Co-Founder and CEO, MedStack
Branka Marijan Program Officer at Project Ploughshares
Caitlin MacGregor CEO and Co-founder, Plum
Catrena Norris Carter National Coordinator, Selma’s Bridge Crossing Jubilee
Cynthia Goh Professor, Impact Centre, University of Toronto
David Stein Managing Partner, Leaders Fund
Debbie Gamble Chief Officer of Innovation Labs and New Ventures, Interac
Duane Brown Founder & Head of Strategy, Take Some Risk Inc.
Hamoon Ekhtiari Founder and CEO, Audacious Futures
Hillary Hartley Chief Digital Officer and Deputy Minister, Ministry of Government & Consumer Services
Hongwei Liu CEO, MappedIn
Jade Choy Co-founder, CEO, EPOCH
Jen Wang Product Manager, thredUP
Jeremy Auger Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer, D2L Corporation
Jessica Galang Reporter, The Logic
Josh O’Kane Technology Reporter, The Globe and Mail
Kelsey Leonard Water Scholar
Komal Singh Engineering Program Manager, Google & Creator of Kids STEM Bestseller “Ara the Star Engineer”
Kris Braun VP Engineering, Bonfire
Krystyn Harrison Founder and CEO, Prosper
Lisa de Wilde Chief Executive Officer, TVO
Liu Yang Director of Product Management, Bonfire
Liz O’Sullivan VP of Commercial Operations, at a confidential AI explainability startup
Lyndsey Butcher Executive Director, SHORE Centre
Mark Connolly Partner, Zeitspace
Matthew Chandy Smart Waterloo Region Lead
Megan Smith CEO, shift7, 3rd US CTO
Meghan Wahab Product Designer, Bonfire
Mohamed Musbah Director of Product, Microsoft Research
Monika Jaroszonek Co-Founder and CEO, RATIO.CITY
Oshoma Momoh Chief Technical Advisor, MaRS
Patrick Myles CEO, Huron Digital Pathology
Peter BenHur Nyeko Co-Founder and Managing Director, Mandulis Energy
Rakhi Tripathi Associate Professor, FORE School of Management
Rosemary Barton Co-host, CBC’s The National
Rizwan Khalfan Executive Vice President and Chief Digital and Payments Officer, TD Bank Group
Robert Mazur President, KYC Solutions, Inc.
Roger Melko Associate Faculty, Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics Professor, Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Waterloo
Roy Gori President & CEO, Manulife
Saad Baig Shad Canada
Sarah Doyle Director of Policy and Research, Brookfield Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Sarah Prevette Founder and CEO, Future Design School
Shak Lakhani CEO and Co-founder, Avro Life Science
Sue Britton CEO & Founder, FinTech Growth Syndicate
Talia Sanhewe International Moderator, Keynote Speaker, Talia Productions
Tobi Lütke Founder, Chief Executive Officer, Shopify
Travis Ratnam CEO and Co-founder, Knowledgehook
William Zhou CEO, Chalk
Festival
True North Festival
This is how we do.
Waterloo Region is about building cool things together. That’s what we do here. For us, working, playing, helping, giving, celebrating, are all part of the ethos. Maybe we need a word for it, but it’s all at the True North Festival. (+ more)
For True North attendees, it’s like having a savvy local guide to show you all the hidden gems in a new town. For Waterloo Region’s locals, it’s a way to rediscover the community you thought you knew, and show our international guests what makes this place so extraordinary: You!
With our top-notch universities, research institutes and collaborative culture, our startup scene is one of the fastest-growing tech ecosystems in the world. But it’s people that make Waterloo Region our world-class home.
Interested in having your business or organization involved in the True North Festival?
We have a form for that – tell us more!
Partners
Our partners make True North a reality. If you’re reading this and not yet a sponsor, there’s still time to be part of the True North movement.
Contact Janelle Chalouhi for more information. Thank you to our 2019 partners:
