2026 Agenda

Exits aren’t one-size-fits-all anymore. To stay ahead in today’s tech M&A market means understanding how valuations, deal structures, and timing are evolving- and how optionality gives you leverage. With AI upending industries, market uncertainty everywhere, and buyers shifting their playbooks, this session cuts through the noise with a real-world outlook for 2026. Walk away with the trends, insights, and strategies to help your next deal- whether you’re selling, buying, or advising.

What You Will Learn:

• Key M&A trends for 2026 and beyond
• How deal structures are changing
• When and how optionality gives founders negotiating power
• How AI and global conditions are impacting buyer behaviour

The venture capital landscape is shifting, and alongside market changes a tsunami of AI integration, including solutions to help VCs make better, faster, and smarter decisions. This session dives into how AI is being used and what you should know in the battle of brain vs bots.

What You Will Learn:

• How VCs are using AI in investment decisions
• What AI tools are impacting the venture landscape
• Risks and rewards of AI-led capital allocation
• What founders should know about fundraising in this new VC world

It was the best of times and the worst of times. In this honest and no-BS conversation, two founders open up about their exit stories- the good, the gritty, and the stuff no one tells you about. They’ll share what those moments taught them not just as entrepreneurs, but as people. We’ll get into what it feels like to let go, and how the experience is shaping what they build next. This is the kind of founder-to-founder take home wisdom you will want in your back pocket.

What You Will Learn:

• • Personal insights from two contrasting exits

• • Emotional and operational challenges in selling

• • How exits change founders’ futures

• • What they’d do differently (and why)

What if the best way to get acquired is to stop trying so hard? In this provocative session, one of Canada’s legendary entrepreneurs shares why chasing an exit can be counterproductive-and how building a company with purpose, staying focused on long-term value, and ignoring acquisition hype can actually lead to the best outcomes, including acquisition. Drawing from his experience leading one of Canada’s largest tech exits, this ecosystem giant offers founders a refreshingly contrarian take on what really matters when it comes to building for the long run.

What You Will Learn:

• Why building for value beats building for exit
• How mission-driven growth attracts better buyers
• Real examples of organic exits done right
• Tips for resisting exit hype and staying focused