BCBusiness

W estern Canada's larg- est technology conference, the #BCTECH Summit, is set to welcome some of the industry's greatest local and global thought leaders and power players from May 14-16 at the Vancouver Convention Centre. The Summit saw over 5,550 participants in 2017, and is projecting 6,000 for 2018. Key programs are the Investment Showcase and B2B Matchmaking Programs, which will connect technology buyers with solution providers. Youth Innovation Day is designed to open young attend- ees' eyes to career possibilities they might not have considered. "The conference is built for everyone: government, aca- demia, industry and companies of all sizes that are looking to take in knowledge, and hear from leaders, to help their businesses succeed," says Lindsay Chan, #BCTECH Summit's director. The Summit will showcase tech- nology's transformation of key sectors such as natural resources, forestry and banking. Some speaker sessions will centre around robotics ethics, block- chain and crypto-currencies. While Brent Bushnell, CEO of Los Angeles-based experien- tial entertainment company Two Bit Circus, and Jared Cohen, founder of Google Ideas and CEO of Jigsaw, are keynote speakers, the Summit also showcases the talents of female technology entrepreneurs. BDC Investment Manager Michelle Scarborough will speak on the importance of invest- ing in women-led businesses to fuel growth and innovation. Scarborough joined the bank's investment arm, BDC Capital, in May 2017 to head up the strategic investments team. She was recruited specically to lead the Women in Tech Venture Fund. Launched in November 2017, the fund has already increased its allocation from $50 million to $70 million. Nine investments were made as of January 2018. "The growth of the number of women starting technology companies is expanding dramati- cally," Scarborough says. The criteria for success of female-led (or any) technology enterprise are a global market opportunity, a scalable service offering and a marketable product. These, she says, together with hard work, a belief in oneself and tenacity in the face of a "no" are recipes for success. "Every no gets you closer to a yes," she says. Another Summit speaker, Norma Biln, founder and CEO of Augurex, was named to Women's Executive Network's list of Canada's 100 Most Powerful Women in 2017. Biln, who has a background in both business and biological sciences, was awakened to the marketing capabilities of the business of science while working for Pzer. Augurex is a biotechnology company that develops biomark- ers that can predict rheumatoid arthritis in patients prior to diag- nosis. The company's JOINTstat blood tests help doctors to deter- mine and diagnose joint damage before it happens. Already used on hundreds of thousands of patients, the product is available in Canada, the U.S., Europe, Japan and Australia. While seven of the eight people in Augurex's core team in Vancouver are women, Biln says the company hires based on qualications, not gender. "We are looking to hire more men. [And] it's just as important for male-dominated companies to start increasing the number of women. It's not to do women a favour; it's because it's good for the organization. It adds to the richness of the organization—and to the bottom line." + BC InnovatIon CounCIl Women Innovators at #BCTECH Summit Venture fund leader, biotech CEO among the speakers Hiring more women is good for tech companies' bottom lines, argues #BCTECH Summit speaker Norma Biln Created by BCBusiness in partnership with BC Innovation Council IM AGE COUR T ESY OF RICh A Rd L A M

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