A group of Indigenous tech professionals sitting in a conference room, smiling, laughing and sharing, wearing conference badges, with some dressed casually and others casually stylish.

INDIGENOUS TECH CONFERENCE

Bringing together innovators, entrepreneurs, and leaders to explore how technology can drive economic growth and community empowerment.

Join us on January 20th & 21st in Vancouver

Register
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SPEAKERS

  • Portrait of a young woman with black hair, smiling, wearing turquoise jewelry, and a black sleeveless top, leaning against a concrete wall.

    Althea Wishloff | Raven Indigenous Capital Partners

    GENERAL PARTNER

  • Angie Saltman | Saltmedia

    FOUNDER

  • Bill Hale | FetchGoat

    CO-FOUNDER & CEO

  • A woman with long dark hair, one braid, wearing a sheer blouse with colorful heart and swirl patterns, sitting on a brown velvet armchair against a dark background.

    Betsy Fore | Velveteen Ventures

    FOUNDING PARTNER & MANAGING DIRECTOR

  • Bobbie Racette | Virtual Gurus

    FOUNDER & PRESIDENT

  • Brett Hotas | TECHNATION

    EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, FUTURE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY

  • Candice Loring | Genome BC

    DIRECTOR INDIGENOUS RELATIONS

  • Darion Ducharme | Teqare

    FOUNDER & CEO

  • Darian Hirst | BDC

    INDIGENOUS ENTREPRENEURS FUND

  • Dean Bittner | RUNWITHIT (RWI) Synthetics

    CTO, CO-FOUNDER, PRINCIPAL INVENTOR

  • Denis Carignan | PLATO

    PRESIDENT

  • Hayden Smith | FeX Energy

    CEO & CO-FOUNDER

  • Ja’-elle Leite | Ultralogix Inc.

    CEO

  • Jackie McCoy | Grengine

    DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING

  • Jacquie Griffiths | Invest Vancouver

    PRESIDENT

  • Jeff Ward | Animikii

    FOUNDER & CEO

  • Kari Kylo | Soma Public Relations

    FOUNDER & MANAGING PARTNER

  • Keith Gillard | Sustaero

    CEO & CO-FOUNDER

  • A man with short dark hair, a goatee, and wearing a black shirt, smiling with arms crossed, leaning against a concrete wall.

    Lawrence Lewis | OneFeather

    FOUNDER & CEO

  • Lynnsey Chartrand | Mila

    HEAD OF INDIGENOUS INITIATIVES

  • Magnolia Perron | NACCA

    DIRECTOR OF STRATEGY & PARTNERSHIPS

  • Michael Running Wolf | Mila

    CO-FOUNDER & LEAD ARCHITECT FIRST NATIONS LANGUAGES AI REALITY

  • Noah Wilson | Futurpreneur

    SENIOR BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

  • A smiling man with light skin, blue eyes, a beard, and brown hair, wearing a blue shirt with a small pattern of trees, sitting in front of a blurred green background.

    Richard Egli | Emend Vision Fund

    GENERAL PARTNER

  • Richard Tuck | Indigenous Venture Challenge & Wakopa Financial

    CO-FOUNDER & CEO

  • Rochelle Grayson | Mosaic Accelerator

    FOUNDER

  • Headshot of a bald man with a beard wearing a white shirt and dark gray suit jacket, outdoors with a blurred cityscape background.

    Ryan St. Germaine | Indigenous Tech Circle

    FOUNDER & CEO

  • Sara Wolfe | Equity Cubed

  • Shauna (McConechy) McAllister | R8dius

    SALES

  • Susan Tees | New Ventures BC

    IP DIRECTOR

  • A woman with long brown hair smiling outdoors, wearing a black shirt and a silver pendant necklace, with green foliage and trees in the background.

    Teara Fraser | Iskwew Air

    FOUNDER & CEO

  • A young woman with long brown hair and blue eyes, wearing a white shirt, is smiling slightly at the camera against a plain light gray background.

    Vicki Knott | CruxOCM

    FOUNDER & CEO

  • Victoria LaBillois | The Eloquent Hostess

    FOUNDER

CONFERENCE AGENDA

Subject to change

DAY 1 - Entrepreneurship & Growth

Tuesday January 20

8:00AM - 9:00AM Breakfast

9:00 - 9:30AM Opening Remarks & Welcome Victoria LaBillois & Candice Loring

9:30 - 10:30AM The Importance of Tech and Growth for Indigenous People How technology drives sovereignty, jobs, and opportunity Betsy Fore, Jeff Ward, Bobbie Racette, Ryan St. Germaine moderating

10:30 - 10:45AM Break

10:45 - 11:30AM Workshops

  • AI Nations Designing a Future Where Technology Serves the People Lynnsey Chartrand, Michael Running Wolf

  • Creating An Effective PR Strategy Kari Kylo

11:30 - 12:30PM Lunch

12:30 - 1:20PM Importance of Mentorship in Technology: Building Capacity, Confidence, and Community Shauna McAllister, Noah Wilson, D'arcy Lussier, Brett Hotas moderating

1:40 - 2:30PM Workshops

  • Earth Tech 2050: Co-Creating Clean, Affordable, Community-Centered Energy Future Keith Gillard, Hayden Smith, Jackie McCoy

  • The State of Indigenous Investment Where capital is flowing, gaps that remain, and what founders need to do to be ready Richard Tuck, Richard Egli, Darian Hirst, Althea Wishloff moderating

  • Indigenous Leaders Who Have Created Tech to Improve Cultural Needs In Community Lawrence Lewis, Denis Carignan, Hannes Edinger

2:30 - 2:45PM - Break

2:45 - 4:30PM Lightning Talks: Indigenous Startup Showcase Founders introduce their companies and highlight opportunities for funders, supporters, and peers to engage.

4:30 - 4:40PM Closing

6:00 - 8:00PM Reception & Indigenous Venture Challenge Winner Announcement Featuring Richard Tuck on SEALS and celebrating community achievements.

DAY 2 - Careers & Technology

Wednesday January 21

8:00 - 9:00AM Breakfast

9:00 - 9:15AM Welcome Back & Day 2 Overview Victoria LaBillois

9:15 - 10:05AM Leading As Indigenous Tech CEOs Hear from successful Indigenous Tech Founders sharing their journey and how they navigate two eyed seeing in the world of tech Teara Fraser, Vicki Knott, Dean Bittner, Bill Hale, Althea Wishoff, Laura Webb moderating

10:05 - 10:20AM Break

10:20 - 11:05AM Workshops

  • Top Tech Tools for Indigenous Businesses 2026 Rochelle Grayson

  • Tech As A Tool For Cultural Environmental Storytelling

11:05 - 12:05PM Lunch

12:05 - 12:55PM Women At The Helm: Advancing Indigenous Innovation and Workforce Growth Candice Loring, Magnolia Perron, Michele Young-Crook moderating

12:55 - 1:10PM Break

1:10 - 1:55PM Workshops

  • Cybersecurity 101 Protecting Your Business & Community Online Darion Ducharme

  • IP Strategy: Safeguarding Innovation Susan Tees

  • E-commerce For Artists and Makers: Selling Online As A Creator Chelsee Pettit

1:55 - 2:10PM Break

2:10 - 3:00PM Navigating Indigenous Data Sovereignty Ja’-elle Leite, Angie Saltman, Sara Wolfe, Candice Loring moderating

3:00 - 3:30PM Closing

OUR SPONSORS

In partnership with:

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