Velocity Student Start-up Panel - Waterloo Tech Week

Agenda 6:45 p.m. – Arrival 7:00 p.m. – Welcome and panel discussion 8:00 p.m. – Audience Q&A 8:30 p.m. – Networking reception Artificial intelligence is advancing rapidly, creating extraordinary opportunities while raising urgent questions about safety, security and responsible use. Join experts from the Faculty of Mathematics, University of Waterloo, the Balsillie School of International Affairs and the Waterloo Region AI Coalition for an accessible public conversation about what today’s AI systems can and cannot do, the risks associated with increasingly autonomous AI agents and the safeguards available to manage them. Through expert presentations, a moderated panel and audience Q&A, the event will examine where the benefits of AI are compelling, where stronger protections may be needed and where society may need to draw clear boundaries. Topics will include AI security and alignment, technical safeguards, public policy, geopolitics and the responsible use of AI in high-stakes settings. Designed for a general audience, this event will provide participants with a clearer understanding of AI’s current capabilities and limitations, emerging security concerns and the choices facing businesses, governments and the public. Speakers: Dr. Richard Florizone, Special Advisor, Global Futures to the President of the University of Waterloo Dr. Ann Fitz-Gerald, Director of the Balsillie School of International Affairs Maura R. Grossman, J.D., Ph.D., Research Professor in the School of Computer Science, cross-appointed to the School of Public Health Sciences, at the University of Waterloo Dr. Jochen Koenemann, Dean of the University of Waterloo’s Faculty of Mathematics and a Professor in the Department of Combinatorics and Optimization. Jimmy Lin, David R. Cheriton Chair in the David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science at the University of Waterloo. Bessma Momani, Professor of Political Science at the University of Waterloo and the Balsillie School of International Affairs an

The software landscape is undergoing its most radical transformation in decades. The role of the engineer is moving from syntax to system review, reasoning architectures, and orchestrating autonomous agent networks. Simultaneously, intelligent tools are turning product managers, designers, finance leads, and operators into high-velocity solution builders. Gartner projects that 80% of technology products and services will soon be built by people outside traditional software engineering roles. In a world where anyone can build, adopting a secure-by-default mindset, mastering core theory, and fiercely debating how domestic infrastructure is governed matters more than ever. Who Gets to Build, Own, and Define the Future? unites engineers, researchers, founders, and cross-functional builders for an immersive full-day summit organized across two dedicated tracks and four physical environments. 🌟 Featured Keynotes & Plenary Headliners Jim Balsillie (Retired Chairman & Co-CEO of BlackBerry / RIM; Chair, Council of Canadian Innovators)Scaling BlackBerry from an idea into a $20 billion global tech giant, Jim is Canada’s foremost authority on IP strategy, data sovereignty, and technology governance. He joins us to break down the geopolitical stakes of the agentic era: sovereign compute, who owns foundational knowledge assets, and how builders protect domestic prosperity in an intangibles economy. The Hon. Vijay Thanigasalam (Associate Minister of Artificial Intelligence Adoption, Ontario)Serving as Ontario’s first-ever Associate Minister of Artificial Intelligence Adoption, Minister Thanigasalam is driving provincial policy to accelerate practical AI deployment, support local tech builders, and modernise economic infrastructure across Ontario. He will speak directly to the builders shaping the future of Canadian enterprise innovation. ⚡ Event at a Glance Format: 2 Parallel Tracks across 4 Specialized Environments (The Lab, The Academy, The Studio, The Commons) High-Impact Plena