ISPIM Connects Ottawa is a three-day event that will bring together world-renowned innovation managers, researchers, and business and thought leaders to share insights on specific local and global innovation challenges. Hosted by local universities in partnership with industry and the public sector, ISPIM ConnectsOttawa seeks participation, submissions and presentations from academia, industry, research organizations, consultants, intermediaries, and policy makers.

Ottawa is Canada’s Capital City and it boasts a highly educated and skilled technology workforce, world-class research and higher-education institutions, strong startup ecosystems, and nearly 2,000 knowledge-based businesses. But, it takes more than that to stand out on the global stage.Invest Ottawa –the city’s leading economic development agency –recently completed its new strategic plan, which focuses on the city’s need to create local capability to be competitive in global markets, with the ultimate goal of cementing Ottawa’s status as a global technology hub.

With this goal in mind, ISPIM Connects Ottawa will highlight three local innovation challenges that are also of global importance:

Scaling Startups

• How can we design and sustain a startup ecosystem in a way that enables new ventures to grow early, rapidly, and securely?
• How can we help startups quickly reach a scale where they can make a real impact on the local economy and in global markets?