Thought Leaders

  When I first learned to code, I never imagined its profound impact on my life. I was 15 years old when I first learned to discovered software development, and I remember the awe of seeing the computer do what I instructed it to do. I still maintain that same...

Introduction With offices in both the U.S. and Israel, Imagry is an autonomous vehicle platform developer that is dedicated to pioneering the future of this technology. By pushing the limits of artificial intelligence and computer vision, Imagry’s mapless autonomous driving platform eliminates the need for the time-consuming HD mapping process....

I often tell people that BrightMa didn’t start as a company — it started as a calling. My ancestors were enslaved farmers who worked the same South Carolina soil I walk today. Their sacrifice, resilience, ingenuity, and stewardship of the land are the foundation for everything I do. BrightMa Farms...

However, for a university located in a region like Abitibi Témiscamingue, innovation can play an even more critical role in its development. First and foremost, innovation can help attract and retain students and professors. By developing innovative programs and offering exciting research opportunities in partnership with the community, UQAT attracts...

Alberta has a rich history of entrepreneurialism originating in the oil and gas industry. From the first discovery of oil around 1900 to the rapid growth starting in the middle of the 20th century, fossil fuels have been the economic engine of the province. With one of the largest reserves...

As the world moves in cycles, we see that change is constant. The pendulum swings and with global lockdowns, continuous quantitative easing, and privacy breaches – we are approaching a point of conflicting overreach and control. However, there is hope! History shows that human ingenuity will always find a way....

Innovation policy around the world puts massive emphasis on the importance of increasing entrepreneurship for economic, and more recently, social impact. In many cases, there is a fairly narrow focus on digital tech-based startups, “tech”- style entrepreneurs, and programming to increase the number of people who act like them. This...

Research conducted at Polytechnique, especially our collaborative research, is a fundamental lever for innovation. For more than 50 years, we have been carrying out the majority of technology transfer activities through our many research partnerships with companies of all sizes, and with universities and other organizations worldwide. Through these collaborations,...

I still remember the scrappy early days of Fienta. There was no office to unlock in the morning, there weren’t even salaries to draw. There were just two of us, an idea, and all the determination we could muster. Those lean beginnings taught me a lesson I still live by:...

It is the promise of innovation that brought me to Nashville and to Vanderbilt University. I was hired in August of 2021 to serve as Vanderbilt’s first Vice Provost for Career Advancement and Engagement. There were many elements of this opportunity which were attractive: joining a pre – eminent global...

Healthcare is personal. We are all one diagnosis away from being a patient. To a doctor, the relationship with a patient is one of the most sacred connections. To the patient, it is almost always a moment of anxiety and fear. As a family doctor, I’ve seen this moment of...

  I’ve been doing angel investing since the early 1980s after I took my first venture, a computer terminals manufacturer in Waterloo, public on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Since then, I’ve invested in well over 200 startup ventures. I often hear entrepreneurs complain about the lack of funding. One of...

CEO OF TEDCO From Southeast Houston to the boardrooms of the tech world, my journey has been anything but ordinary. Guided by a principle instilled in me by my mother, I’ve always believed that our primary purpose is to make a difference. This belief has not only shaped my personal...

The next industrial revolution is here, but it’s not about steam, mechanization, or electronics. It’s about software, data, and interconnected, electrified systems. It’s going to force us to rethink everything we know about manufacturing and about humans’ role in it. Schneider Electric has operated in the United States for 135...

I started focusing on the technology sector in the mid -90s when I joined a large national law firm in Vancouver. Over the span of 25+ years, I have been a lawyer, co-founder of a software company, President of the BC Premier’s Technology Council, CEO of a fintech company, Senior...

Growing up, I used to play a lot, from hockey with my brother to chess with my dad. The only game that truly bored me to death was Monopoly, which inevitably ended with one of us (usually my sister) bankrupting others. No uncovering of a killer, no epic naval battle,...

I moved from San Francisco to Ottawa to pursue a tech career. Yes, you read that right. I grew up north of Toronto, but my curiosity took me all over North America. I moved to Calgaryat the height of the oil boom in Alberta. I chased the energy of Barack...

WELCOME TO THE FUTURE OF USER-FOCUSED SOFTWARE  Gérard Métrailler has made Ottawa his home since moving from Europe in 2006. Today he is Corel Corporation’s Executive Vice President of Global Products, where he is responsible for developing and maintaining worldwide product strategy, management, and marketing across major software brands such...

It’s an amazing time to be a Detroiter. Yes, the city has its fair share of challenges, but its reputation is on the rise. As noted in a recent PR News article about Detroit’s renaissance, “Behind every rehabbed reputation lies really hard work, dedicated individuals and, of course, some strategic...

Paddy brings over 25-years of experience working with high-performing teams in business and sport, across multiple industries and on five continents. Imagine you’re a team leader and you overhear one of your team speaking to their friends at a party. They’re saying something like, ‘‘I love the place I work....

Philadelphia’s innovation comes in many forms, not the least of which is thought leadership. Ben Franklin’s genius not only gave us many inventions, but also stressed the value of working together for civic and self-improvement. LEADERSHIP Philadelphia has honored and echoed his thought leadership with its pioneering work recognizing, researching...

From within these pages you will be introduced to many of the visionaries and innovators who call our city home and are changing the world through work and research being done at some of our world renowned institutions such as MaRS Discovery District, the University of Toronto, and University Health...

Since its creation in 1969, the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR) has been active in several cities of the surrounding regions of Mauricie, Centredu-Québec and Lanaudière. More than fifty years of regional presence have enabled the University to establish ongoing relationships with various social, economic and cultural sectors. The...

Decades of ups and downs, helping others start companies, starting my own companies (and sometimes failing) has taught me the power of pattern recognition. It is key to both innovation and entrepreneurship because it is also at the core of being an early adopter and a connector. That was how...