For four days last week, something shifted in Vancouver's tech ecosystem. Web Summit descended on our city like a controlled burn, clearing away years of accumulated doubt about whether this rain-soaked corner of Canada could ever be more than Silicon Valley's polite northern cousin.
The numbers tell part of the story: 15,727 attendees packed the Convention Centre, transforming our typically reserved city into a buzzing hive of ambition. But numbers don't capture the electricity I witnessed in conversations between founders who'd been building in isolation, or the spark in investors' eyes as they discovered startups they'd never heard of—companies working on everything from repurposing EV batteries to autonomous mobility solutions right here in Vancouver.
Vancouver has always had the ingredients for a thriving tech scene. We have world-class universities churning out talent, a quality of life that keeps people here, and a culture that values substance over flash. What we've lacked is what every ecosystem needs to truly ignite: density, serendipity, and the kind of magnetic energy that makes ambitious people want to stay and build rather than flee to San Francisco or Toronto.
Web Summit gave us a taste of what that energy feels like.
I spent those four days watching something profound unfold. Founders who'd been grinding alone in co-working spaces suddenly found themselves pitching to investors over dinner. Developers who'd been debugging in isolation discovered others solving adjacent problems. The barriers between ideas and execution, between ambition and opportunity, temporarily dissolved.
For years, Vancouver's tech community has been like a collection of talented musicians playing in separate rooms. Web Summit didn't just put us in the same concert hall; it reminded us we could create something symphonic together.
The real test comes now. Events create moments, but ecosystems require momentum. The conversations that started over late-night drinks need to continue in our local cafes and restaurants. The partnerships sketched on napkins need to become term sheets and product launches. The investors who flew in from around the world need reasons to keep paying attention to what we're building here.
Vancouver is at an inflection point, but inflection points are fragile things. They require intentional nurturing. The startups working on next-generation infrastructure—whether that's sustainable materials, autonomous systems, or the blockchain-powered commerce platforms that could redefine how we transact—need more than just a moment in the spotlight. They need sustained support, patient capital, and a community that believes in the audacity of their visions.
What excites me most isn't just the deals that might emerge from Web Summit's networking, but the cultural shift it represented. For four days, Vancouver felt like a city that expected to win. That's a feeling worth protecting.
The scenic backdrop will always be part of our identity, but it doesn't have to define our limitations. Some of the world's most transformative technologies are being developed in places that prioritize quality of life alongside quality of code.
Web Summit proved Vancouver can command global attention. The question now is whether we have the collective will to keep the fire burning. The oxygen is still here—in our talent, our ideas, and our increasingly connected community of builders.
The spotlight is ours to lose.
Alex Uamai is founder of Grubchain.
