Web Summit Vancouver 2025: Real Vibes, Real Movement
It’s taken me just over three weeks to process everything from Web Summit Vancouver. The energy, conversations, and momentum were overwhelming in the best possible way. I realized I needed to write it all down—not just to reflect, but to finally commit to something I’ve been meaning to do for years: document the journey. Back in school at the Centre for Digital Media, we were constantly told to document everything. I did it religiously for assignments and obsessively for work, but rarely for personal reflections. My camera roll may tell part of the story, but this time, I wanted to put it into words.
This is also my attempt to kickstart a monthly ritual of writing about experiences, lessons, and maybe a few unfiltered thoughts. Fingers crossed it lasts longer than my gym streaks.
Web Summit Lisbon 2016: The Start of the Journey
In 2016, I attended Web Summit in Lisbon with Quupe, a peer-to-peer rental startup that began as a school project and somehow turned into a real company with real users. My co-founders, Angela, Vijay, Amanda (covered by Grant), and I were just a few months in when we jumped on a flight to Portugal. We were full of hope, slightly terrified, and ready to pitch our big idea to the world. To be fair, a big part of our excitement might also have been about the Pasteis de Nata.
Angela Hamilton, Quupe’s CEO, delivered our pitch with poise and passion. Lisbon had an electric global energy, and we soaked it all in—from the food and architecture to spontaneous rooftop brainstorms. We returned with more than just photos and swag; we gained a renewed sense of purpose and ambition to build something meaningful back home. Quupe eventually sunset in 2022, partly due to COVID, but that Lisbon trip was foundational. It shaped my thinking about tech, people, and the sheer importance of shipping.
Web Summit Vancouver 2025: Full Circle
Fast forward nearly a decade and Web Summit came home. For the first time, Vancouver hosted one of the world’s largest tech conferences. The shift in tone was immediate. A city often labeled as “chill to a fault” suddenly felt... caffeinated.
While Vancouver has long been known for film and gaming, this event reminded everyone, locals and visitors alike, that we have serious potential in AI, sustainability, and emerging tech. There was a palpable sense that something had cracked open, and the city is finally stepping into its role on the global tech stage. Less “nice view,” more “next venture.”
Elevate AI: Road to Web Summit
My Web Summit week unofficially kicked off with Elevate AI, part of the “Road to Web Summit” series hosted by AInBC. Onliweb, the startup I’m building through 11X Ventures, was selected to participate. The event gave us a solid platform to share our work, get valuable feedback, and spark conversations with people who actually care about early-stage chaos.
Big shoutout to Rob Goehring and the AInBC team for pulling together such a focused and well-run event. The panels were refreshingly real, less fluff, more "here's how you survive GTM." There were practical insights on early-stage capital, marketing, and navigating the BC ecosystem, with just the right amount of optimism.
Vancouver Tech Journal: Pitch Practice
In the days leading up to Web Summit, I joined the Pitch Practice event hosted by Vancouver Tech Journal. It was a great chance to meet William Johnson and Casey Lau, and many others keeping the local scene moving.
I pitched the next version of Onliweb, which is basically a digital clone that can think and write like you. Yes, really. Still in stealth (shhh), but coming soon. Casey jokingly said it sounded like something out of Black Mirror, and he wasn’t wrong. The line between fiction and product roadmap is getting blurry, but it’s also what makes building in AI so exciting right now.
TechTO Demo Day Vancouver: A Growing Community
TechTO Demo Day was another standout. I finally got to meet Marie Chevrier Schwartz, the founder of TechTO. I had missed her session at Antler in Toronto, so this made up for it.
The event brought together a great mix of founders, investors, and partners—real conversations, no buzzword bingo. I connected with Maxwell Nicholson (Blossom Social), Hamed Taheri (Personize AI), Sarah Gooding (PR Consultant), Christophe Roy (Fizl), and Matt Stefan (Hubjoy), who each shared insights that I’ve already started applying to Onliweb. It got me thinking: should we finally formalize something like “TechVAN”? If it already exists, someone please save me from starting another Slack workspace.
Vancouver AI: A Community with Soul
The BC + AI event curated by Kris Krüg was one of the most heartfelt gatherings of the week. Hosted at the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre, the whole thing felt part cosmic, part community hub, in the best way.
What stood out was how personal it felt. The presenters shared openly, and the crowd felt deeply invested. It was less about pitching and more about connecting. I had the pleasure of catching up with Dr. Patrick Parra Pennefather, my mentor from CDM. He handed me two of his incredible books that I’m still working through. They’re dense, brilliant, and yes, they are slowing down my Netflix time—but totally worth it.
VanCity Innovation House: Creative Momentum
Another highlight was the VanCity Innovation House, hosted by the Frontier Collective. I ran into Dan Burgar, who I first met back when he led the AR/VR Association and I was at Skyrocket. It’s been great watching his evolution from XR evangelist to innovation ecosystem builder.
The vibe at the event was fresh—equal parts art, tech, and “what if we did this wild thing?” I also bumped into Dan Nelken, whose book and talk on silencing your inner critic really stuck. His quote, “your inner critic is a ding-dong,” might sound funny, but it’s surprisingly effective life advice.I also met Yangos Hadjiyannis and experienced his amazing XR project, "Love on a Plate." Finally tried the Apple Vision Pro, mind-blowing, but my wallet is scared!
Web Summit Moments: Offstage and Meaningful
While the stages were big and the branding was bold, the best parts of Web Summit happened between sessions. These were the serendipitous chats, the booth run-ins, and the quiet “you too?” conversations that spark future collabs.
Our Onliweb booth stayed busy throughout. It was great to tag-team with Jiayi (Chloe), one of the most thoughtful product builders I’ve worked with. I also connected with Chang Han , a longtime mentor from e@UBC, Alex Chang from Zenith Venture Studio, and Hassan Pardawalla, an excellent Biz Ops mind and one of our earliest users.
I tried to find Mo Dhaliwal, but we only managed a “printed card” cameo. I’m looking forward to reconnecting in person soon. Mo has been a huge influence on how I think about storytelling, product, and integrity from my time at Skyrocket Digital. Also, if you haven’t already, check out his podcast High Agency. It’s one of the most thoughtful shows highlighting the brilliance emerging from our ecosystem.
The Movement Is Born
Over 15,000 people attended Web Summit Vancouver. That number says a lot. This wasn’t just another tech conference, it felt like the beginning of something more. Vancouver has long been known for its mountains, coffee, and real estate prices that make your calculator sweat. But there’s a new story unfolding here.
The city is starting to show up with purpose. There’s a creative, collaborative energy rising across the Van side of the Cascadia corridor. It’s early, it’s imperfect, but it’s real. And if what I saw toward the end of May is any indication, the movement isn’t just coming; it’s already here.
P.S. This blog was written using Onliweb, with an early content tagging experiment, so you might spot a few bugs. I’d love to hear any ideas or feedback for improvement.