Collision wrapped up its three-day conference in grand style. With 36,000 + attendees from over 118 countries descending in Toronto for this massive event, I sat down with Paddy Cosgrave, the visionary behind this globally acclaimed Collision conference, to delve into the roots, the impact and future for this dynamic gathering of tech enthusiasts and innovators.
Considered the single-most important tech and deal-making event in the world, Collision has emerged as the fastest-growing technology event in North America, according to Forbes. Unravelling the genesis of Collision, Cosgrave acknowledged Collision is a product of a dedicated team of over 300 individuals, an event, which arose as a sibling to the widely successful Web Summit, which was initiated in Europe over a decade ago. The first Collision event took place in Las Vegas in 2014 and, in its first year, gathered 5,000 attendees, including Tony Hawk, and WordPress founder, Matt Mullenweg. In 2016, the event moved to New Orleans, growing from 11,000 to 25,000 in just four years. Encouraged by the City of Toronto and Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, Collision moved to Toronto in 2019 and found its current home.
One of the highlights of this event was fervent intention to change the level of participation. Cosgrave remarked,
“Women-founded startups are about 30% of the 1,500 exhibiting startups across our different programs, which is unbelievable, the highest by far that we’ve ever had. And over 30% of our speakers and over 40% of our attendees are women as well. Way back in the day, the figures were closer to 10%. And we’ve worked hard to try and change that.”
Cosgrave’s commitment has segued into championing initiatives beyond Women in Tech to Amplify, with over 130 startups in attendance from underrepresented communities. As well, the Indigenous Attendee Program, with an aim of increase opportunities and representation, included complimentary full access passes to attendees from the Intuit, Métis and First Nations.
“We’ve been running for almost eight years… and we’ve expanded the number of community partners we work with. There’s a particular emphasis on Indigenous groups and other less represented groups including Black entrepreneurs, both from Canada and the United States… But it is only scratching at the surface. In many cases you’re dealing with deep systemic and structural problems, and … a tech conference is not going to solve those and we do not pretend that we will. Nevertheless, I think there’s a sort of minimal threshold of what any conference should be doing.”
How was Collision 2023 different from previous years? Cosgrave drew attention to some of the evolving trends and themes at this year’s conference, more specifically the rapid transition from the crypto bros’ dominance a year previous to the renewed ascendance of AI. Generative AI, indeed, had taken center stage, generating discussion about its potential impact. And while the conference aimed to present diverse perspectives on AI, including voices like Geoffrey Hinton espousing his views about the existential risk of AI, there was a clear contradiction within the context of a tech disruption conference. Cosgrave acknowledged the dramatic nature of Hinton’s statements and while he personally remained skeptical about the existential threat of AI, he acknowledged the importance of considering expert opinions as this public debate continues to unfold.
As the event slowly wound down, speculation had been rife about Collision potentially moving to other Canadian cities or venturing to the United States. Cosgrave revealed that, amidst debates, Collision would remain in Toronto for 2024. The catalysts for this decision for Cosgrave was clear:
“Well [the decision to remain in] Toronto was down to two people. One was Sunil Sharma, who has spent years coming to our events and was constantly telling me that something was happening in Canada, and we should really do something there. And the second was former Mayor of Toronto, John Tory. He traveled to our event in Portugal, met with his peer equivalent, the Mayor of Lisbon and with the government of Portugal, and understood why they had attracted Web Summit and had kept Web Summit in in Portugal, and he was then instrumental in encouraging us to choose Toronto.”
Cosgrave and team were initially set on San Francisco as the venue, a move that received blowback. But inklings of moving to Toronto also seemed counterintuitive. Cosgrave noted,
“ A lot of Silicon Valley types had never been to Toronto, nor saw any reason to ever be in Toronto. But I think after the first year, people began to realize that Toronto is a great place to go, especially in June. There is a lot happening here. Canadian tech is going from strength to strength. And this is a country and a city where there are a lot of tech companies that can easily relocate or open offices. It is an incredibly welcoming city in Canada and run very well. I don’t want to disparage the United States, but they have got their own significant problems that I do not think Canada has, although Canadians are quick to beat themselves up and be a bit negative on themselves. Anyway, it’s been great here and hopefully we’ll stay here for the future.”
It has become evident that the impact of Collision needs to extend further beyond the conference walls, and long after the dynamic three-day event. It has become a platform for improved equity for startup founders, propelling the elevation of women and underrepresented groups towards recognition and success. Cosgrave and his team have proven to be the change agent, attempting to create more of the much-needed discourse on the opportunity and ethics of technologies, while beginning to rectify the key societal issues that have notably bled into tech.
Paddy Cosgrave’s vision has established an impending legacy that celebrates the power of collaboration, and forward-thinking. Through Collision, the tech industry can be guaranteed a platform for progress and driving positive change on a global scale.
Stay tuned for the Collision article series interviewing new and emerging tech founders at Collision 2023.
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