Event category: Plenary

Some of Western Canada’s most valuable technology companies were built far from Toronto and Silicon Valley, and they got there by very different routes. Some rolled up fragmented markets through acquisition; others grew deliberately into national and global players, and several have just drawn major US capital to do the next chapter. This session brings together the operators behind the region’s standout scale stories to examine how enduring enterprise value actually gets built from the Prairies: when to buy versus build, when to stay independent versus partner with outside capital, and how regional strengths in energy, industrial, and fintech became global advantages worth paying a premium for.

Acquisitions are no longer reserved for large corporations. Search funds, founder-led rollups, private-equity-backed platforms, and disciplined operators are increasingly using M&A to accelerate value creation, buying capability, customers, or market position rather than building it organically. But knowing when and how to transact takes more than ambition: it takes financial discipline, a clear view of what buyers actually reward, and the operational readiness to integrate. This session brings together an operator who has grown through acquisition, a finance leader who has evaluated deals from the inside, and advisors who structure them, to unpack how founders can use M&A as a deliberate growth strategy.

Selling a technology company isn’t a single event—it’s the outcome of years of deliberate decisions. This session will share the practical lessons that separate smooth, value-maximizing exits from difficult transactions. Beyond preparing for a sale, this keynote explores how founders can create enterprise value through strong operational architecture, disciplined governance, and the strategic decisions that make companies attractive to both financial and strategic buyers long before they ever go to market. Rather than treating exit readiness as a checklist completed just before a transaction, this keynote demonstrates how operational architecture, disciplined governance, and thoughtful value creation become competitive advantages years before founders ever enter a sale process.

CoolIT Systems engineered the liquid cooling backbone powering some of the world’s most demanding AI and high-performance computing infrastructure, culminating in one of Alberta’s most significant technology exits. But the final valuation is only the last chapter of a much longer story.

This fireside chat explores the strategic decisions, turning points, and moments of resilience that shaped CoolIT’s journey over more than a decade. From building for a market that had yet to emerge, to navigating changing investors, protecting critical intellectual property, and resisting opportunities to exit too early, this is a conversation about what it truly takes to build enduring enterprise value.

Today’s founders face a dramatically different funding and transaction environment than they did just a few years ago. Strategic buyers, private equity firms, venture investors, and lenders are evaluating opportunities through different lenses, often rewarding different characteristics within a business. This discussion explores what makes companies attractive to investors and acquirers, how expectations have evolved, and what founders should focus on if they want to create future strategic optionality.