Building a Prosperous Future for Ottawa's Tech Sector with Ottawa Inc.

Ottawa Inc., the Ottawa branch of the Innovator Network of Canada (Inc.), held its first networking event and panel discussion, Building a Prosperous Future for Ottawa's Tech Sector, on June 6, 2024.

This community-organized event united entrepreneurs, tech experts, business leaders, and worried citizens to explore new strategies for fostering long-term economic growth in Canada.

The panel showcased diverse leaders from Ottawa's tech community, including:

• Pierce Ujjainwalla, Co-Founder and CEO of Knak
• Margo Crawford, Founder and Chair of Business Sherpa Group
• Thomas Park, Partner & Lead at BDC Deep Tech Fund
• Alexandre Labrèche, Co-Founder and CEO of Rain Technologies Inc.
• Benjamin Bergen, President of the Council of Canadian Innovators
• Laura Dhillon Kane, Ottawa Bureau Chief at Bloomberg

The expert panel discussed the challenges facing the Canadian economy and how the federal government’s current policies are harming Canada’s capacity to compete with global innovation leaders.

Benjamin Bergen spoke on how the federal government’s proposed capital gains tax increase will ultimately hurt the Canadian innovation economy.

"I've heard people thinking about building a startup, and they're saying that the United States has become much more attractive. We've seen our economy is trapped in a low-productivity mode, and we're told that if a little more tax is paid, we can continue funding our social services. Policymakers have forgotten that if this continues, our economy won't grow, and our investments and the broader economy will feel the impact. As a country, we need to figure out how to develop policy that will lead to economic growth and future prosperity."

A special thank you to our supporters from RBCx, TiE Ottawa and TCC Canada for making this event possible.

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About the Innovator Network of Canada (Inc.)

The Innovator Network of Canada (Inc.) is a new collaborative platform dedicated to fostering innovation, economic growth, and community development across the country. Inc. is proud to partner with local organizations to support grassroots initiatives and we hope to see you at a future event. Inc. is powered by the Council of Canadian Innovators, with regional chapters run locally by business leaders and economic organizations committed to the future prosperity of their regions. To receive updates about future Inc. events in your region, sign up for the Inc. newsletter here.

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