Tech investors flock to Vancouver for Web Summit

Officials have been touting a days-long conference for its potential to bring uplift B.C.’s economy. But are investors biting?

Investors from across Canada and the globe are making the most of Web Summit, holding meetings and attending events outside the Vancouver technology conference—and they’re ready to make deals.

CTV News spoke with several who describe the event as fertile ground for companies worth investing in, insisting it lives up to the hype as a place for networking and deal-making.

“It’s a real thing, but I would say the (key performance indicators) that really reflect the success of Web Summit 2026 will be after several years,” said Mohammed Elhabibi, CEO of METI Ventures Studio.

He described his Alberta-based company as getting a big boost from Web Summit’s Portugal event nearly a decade ago, and for propelling his own company to the point he’s now returned to the event as an investor who knows what it takes to go from a startup to having the international presence to market domestic companies overseas.

“We’re not just cutting cheques, but actually to bringing the whole experience, the whole package to the companies (we invest in),” Elhabibi said. “There are a lot of opportunities in the alpha and beta rounds, but once you come to the growth sector, I would say there is a gap and we’re trying to contribute to fill this gap.”

• Related: B.C. companies encourage ‘reverse brain drain’ at Web Summit tech conference

There’s an Okanagan investor contingent as well, all of whom have gone though a multi-week entrepreneur training program called Angel Summit and hosted by Accelerate Okanagan.

“They learn how to assess a good deal, what it means to write a cheque, how to assess, ask ‘Does it align with my investor thesis?’ and then how to actually deploy that capital,” said AO CEO, Brea Lake. “A lot of these individuals have had successful journeys where they’ve been successful entrepreneurs or have retired and are wanting to give back and start to invest in the next wave of entrepreneurs.”

On Monday evening, NorthX Climate Tech teamed up with four local venture capital firms to host the first Canadian Climate Capital Summit with international investors keen to put their money into green technologies.

“That drew in investors from across North America, Japan, Europe to have those conversations and many of those investors wouldn’t have come to a summit like that if they weren’t also coming to Web Summit,” said CEO Sarah Goodman. “We are looking to grow beyond Canada, look beyond the U.S., and really attract a different customer and investor base.”