With an estimated attendance of more than 25,000 people, Collision was for a week the meeting point for startups, companies and delegations from around the world. Cuti together with Smart Services (Uruguay XXI) and eight Uruguayan companies (Bunker db, Código del Sur, Convexa, Cualit, Fitted, Globalize U, GuTrade and Kona) actively participated in the event. The Uruguayan delegation also had the pleasure of having the presence of the Ambassador of Uruguay in Canada, Martin Silva and the Consul General in Toronto, Daniel Cadenazzi.
Uruguay had a prominent presence in Collision, being the only Latin American country with representation in a booth fully open to interaction with conference attendees. This strategic presence had the objective of showcasing and positioning the ecosystem and the technology industry of Uruguay in the international concert and the task of promoting the country as the most sophisticated Tech Hub to do business in the South American continent.
The companies in the delegation also had the opportunity to showcase their products and solutions in individual booths. Investors, entrepreneurs, representatives of large companies, government agents, other startups and curious public strolled during the three days of the conference visiting the various "Startup Alley" distributed in the different halls of the Enercare Centre in Toronto. Each company also had personalized agendas, with the opportunity to access one-on-one meetings with investors and participate in specialized workshops.
The Collision kick-off ceremony was attended by none other than Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who welcomed the thousands present and also highlighted why Toronto is being called the fastest growing tech hub in North America (surpassing even San Francisco). The creation of thousands of jobs in the sector, the attraction of investments and the policies of openness towards skilled immigration were the main points of reference during his speech.
It was clear from the outset the great effort that the Canadian government is making, in conjunction with key players in the ecosystem, to attract startups and talent from around the world to the Toronto region. Professionals and personalities that we would meet throughout the week would be responsible for continuing to emphasize the opening of Canada for the technology industry, the director of international operations of the accelerator DMZ, specialists in investment attraction of the Toronto Global agency, the president of the Toronto Board of Trade and the mayor of the city John Tory.
The three days of the conference were intense activity in the Uruguay booth, constantly interested public of different profiles and professions came to connect with the delegation. Others who knew the country from the last World Cup came interested in the jerseys and football, anyway we made sure that they got a general image of the Uruguayan technology ecosystem and the companies present. In this way hundreds of people visited the stand, in several cases contacts that later would be of great importance.
The networking activity didn't end when the conference centre closed. Every night the thousands of Collision attendees were invited to the "Night Summits", exclusive events that took place in the various bar areas that the city of Toronto has to offer. The Distillery District, The Esplanade or Liberty Village were the different meeting places to continue meeting, exchanging and networking.
Collision is a conference in which dozens of talks, panels, workshops and other activities take place in parallel and simultaneously. Several stages and "meeting areas" coexist with the main stage, which attracts the public throughout the day to witness the presentations of the keynote speakers. Growth Summit, MoneyConf, HealthConf, Venture Stage, Women in Tech, Startup Pitch Battle are some of the options that attendees have when planning their agenda. It is an event that can be overwhelming but requires the public to choose precisely those activities in which they are most interested.
The conference organizers also invited investors, startups, partners and international representatives to various private round tables. Such was the case of "Ecosystem Summit", an exclusive event for representatives of international technology ecosystems present at the event. On behalf of Cuti I participated throughout the day, which was welcomed by Ailish Campbell, Chief Trade Commissioner of the Government of Canada. This summit was attended by representatives from various countries and regions such as: Canada, United States, Mexico, Netherlands, Italy, Switzerland, Portugal, Vietnam, Taiwan, China, among others. The purpose of the tables was to encourage dialogue and exchange among participants, the designated moderators were responsible for assigning the topics for discussion, there were shared different views on the challenges that each ecosystem faces for the development of their startups and entrepreneurs, identifying potential solutions or actions that have been carried out in others. It was a great instance of exchange widely positive to learn about other realities and also to make Uruguay known to international representatives.
In general terms, the participation of an Uruguayan delegation in Collision can be evaluated as very productive and necessary. The contacts established as well as the exposure generated by being in the place where much of the North American technology ecosystem converges is of utmost importance for an industry that needs to position itself. Collision will have at least two more editions in Toronto and it looks like it will continue to grow in attendance and worldwide attention. Continuing to participate, increasing the presence of the Uruguayan ecosystem, adding more companies and representatives of other national agencies could undoubtedly yield great results in the future.
Federico García Larraburu
Global Markets Executive (Cuti)
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