The latest Runway to Web Summit, taking place today Tuesday, March 4, is set to bring together Vancouver’s top tech and business leaders for a preview of Web Summit Vancouver 2025.
Web Summit is hosting its first Runway to Web Summit event in Vancouver at AWS offices at The Post, offering an inside look at the city’s tech ecosystem, startup landscape, and what’s ahead for Web Summit Vancouver 2025, taking place May 27-30.
Representing Web Summit at the event will be Web Summit’s Canadian Deputy Country Manager, Amanda Collett, and Web Summit’s VP of Startup Relations and Special Projects, Richard Forde.
The afternoon will start with opening remarks from PacificCan Minister Harjit Sajjan, followed by a panel featuring Web Summit’s Canadian Deputy Country Manager, Amanda Collett; Pixieset Co-founder, Simon Wong; and Innovate BC VP for Strategic Partnerships, Tomica Divic, moderated by AWS Canada Managing Director, Eric Gales. Later, Web Summit’s VP of Startup Relations and Special Projects, Richard Forde, will have a fireside chat with LayerZero Labs CEO, Bryan Pellegrino.
The Runway event, dedicated to fostering entrepreneurial spirit and driving startup success in Canada, will conclude with closing remarks from Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim.
Web Summit Vancouver will run from May 27-30, 2025, bringing together 15,000+ attendees, including more than 250 speakers, 750 startups, and 600 investors. Confirmed speakers include Bluesky CEO Jay Graber, a leader in decentralized social media; AI critic and best-selling author Gary Marcus, known for challenging mainstream AI narratives; Grammarly Co-Founder Max Lytvyn; Clio Co-founder and CEO Jack Newton, who has helped transform legal tech; Kindred Ventures Co-Founder Managing Partner Steve Jang; and Waabi Founder and CEO Raquel Urtasun, working on the next generation of self-driving technology.
According to Web Summit’s Canadian Deputy Country Manager, Amanda Collett: “Web Summit Vancouver couldn’t come at a more critical time. It brings global investors, top-tier media, and the international tech community directly to our city—attention we wouldn’t typically attract all at once. This event is a unique opportunity to showcase Vancouver on the world stage”.
“Runway events are key to building Web Summit within ecosystems, and connecting with the local community to create lasting impact”, concludes Amanda Collet.
VP of Startup Relations and Special Projects, Richard Forde adds – “Vancouver’s tech ecosystem is thriving, with a deep talent pool, world-class innovation, and a strong entrepreneurial spirit. Bringing Web Summit to Vancouver will further accelerate this momentum, connecting local startups and industry leaders with global investors, partners, and ideas.”
This week’s Runway to Web Summit event will preview key discussions set for Web Summit Vancouver, with a focus on Vancouver’s startup ecosystem and VC landscape.
AI’s rapid evolution will also be a major theme in May, with debates on who controls its future: Big Tech, open-source developers, or policymakers. The event will equally explore the future of social media, online communication, and blockchain, examining how emerging platforms, algorithms, and decentralised technologies are reshaping business, culture, and power in a fast-changing digital world. As technology evolves, so do the ways we connect, engage, and influence the world around us. Web Summit events are where people come to understand and shape that future.
Web Summit will not just bring the tech world to Vancouver but will showcase Vancouver’s fast-growing tech ecosystem, which is expanding at twice the rate of the overall economy and leading North America in high-tech job growth. With more than 11,000 tech companies, including Dapper Labs, Blockstream, Trulioo, and LayerZero Labs, alongside global players like Salesforce, Apple, and Amazon, Vancouver is solidifying its status as a global startup hub.
Web Summit runs the world’s largest technology events, connecting people and ideas that change the world. Web Summit events – Web Summit in Lisbon, Web Summit Rio in South America, Web Summit Vancouver in North America, RISE in Asia, and Web Summit Qatar in the Middle East – have gathered many people since Web Summit’s beginnings as a small conference in Dublin.