CUTC

Canadian Undergraduate Technology Conference

May 23 & Oct. 3, 2026

CUTC Robot
Toronto Montréal
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About CUTC

Founded in 1999, the Canadian Undergraduate Technology Conference (CUTC) is Canada's longest-running student-led tech conference. We bridge academia and industry by bringing together innovators, dreamers, and doers from across the country to learn, network, and collaborate.

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Attendees

2026

Speakers

Sara Du

Sara Du

Founder @ Ando

Made possible by our amazing Sponsors & Partners

More sponsors coming soon!

Interested in Sponsoring?

Event Schedule

TIME

General

Main Stage

Sponsor Room #1

Sponsor Room #2

Sponsor Bay

Maker Fair

10:00 AM
11:00 AM
12:00 PM
1:00 PM
2:00 PM
3:00 PM
4:00 PM
5:00 PM
6:00 PM
7:00 PM
8:00 PM

Registrations

Registrations (9:30 - 11:30)
9:30 AM – 11:30 AM

Lunch + Networking

Lunch + Networking (12:30 - 1:45)
12:30 PM – 1:45 PM

Snacks

Snacks (3:15 - 4:00)
3:15 PM – 4:00 PM

Snacks

Snacks (5:30 - 6:00)
5:30 PM – 6:30 PM

Opening Ceremony

Opening Ceremony (10:15 - 10:45)
10:15 AM – 10:45 AM

How to Become Delicious (and Wise)

What separates the founders, operators, and leaders who make great decisions from everyone else? It's not intelligence, credentials, or experience alone — it's taste. In this talk, Roger explores the idea of developing genuine judgement: the rare ability to know what's good, what matters, and what to do next — even when the answer isn't obvious. Drawing from building companies, leading teams, and watching AI reshape how businesses operate, Roger makes the case that in a world where information is infinite and AI can generate answers instantly, the most valuable thing a person can cultivate is the wisdom to know which answers are worth acting on.
Roger Kirkness CEO & Co-Founder @ Convictional
10:45 AM – 11:15 AM

How I Hit $1M ARR in 42 Days

Matt Espinoza built his first startup at 18, got acquired at 19, and hasn't slowed down since. At Clover Labs, he did what most founders spend years trying to do — hit $1M ARR in 42 days. In this talk, Matt pulls back the curtain on exactly how it happened: the distribution playbook, the AI growth agents, the decisions that worked, and the ones that almost didn't. No theory. No frameworks. Just the raw, unfiltered story of what it actually takes to move at startup speed when you're young, resourceful, and completely unwilling to wait.
Matt Espinoza Co-founder @ Clover Labs
11:15 AM – 11:45 AM

Fireside Chat: Andrew D'Souza

Andrew D'Souza has been at the frontier of Canadian tech twice — first building Clearco into a fintech unicorn that deployed $2.5B into 10,000+ startups, and now with Boardy, an AI superconnector that's already facilitated millions in deals by understanding people better than most humans do. In this fireside chat, Andrew goes deep on what it means to build in the age of AI: what's real, what's hype, and why the founders who understand human connection will always have an edge over the ones who don't.
Andrew D'Souza Founder and CEO @ Boardy
11:45 AM – 12:30 PM

Innovating with AI in a Trust-First Industry

Interac processes 18 million transactions every day. When you're operating at that scale, in an industry where trust is literally the product, you can't move fast and break things. But you also can't afford to stand still while AI reshapes everything around you. In this talk, Nimrah Umar shares what it's really like to drive AI strategy inside one of Canada's most trusted institutions — the tensions between innovation and accountability, the frameworks for deciding where AI belongs and where it doesn't, and why the most important skill in the age of AI isn't technical at all. A must-attend for anyone who wants to build with AI in the real world, not just the startup world.
Nimrah Umar Data & AI Strategy Lead @ Interac
1:45 PM – 2:15 PM

Lessons From Building CoLab

AI is transforming how the world's most complex products get built — from cars to aircraft to medical devices. Taylor Young has spent years sitting across from engineering teams at some of the world's largest manufacturers, helping them navigate the gap between where technology is heading and where their organizations actually are. In this talk, Taylor shares what AI adoption really looks like on the ground in engineering and manufacturing — and why the future belongs to teams that combine human judgment with intelligent tools, not ones that replace one with the other.
Taylor Young Chief Strategy Officer @ CoLab Software
2:15 PM – 2:45 PM

Be The Bridge: Why The AI Doom Narrative Is A Lie

The headlines say AI is coming for your job, your privacy, and maybe civilization itself. Jonathan Murray isn't buying it. In this talk, Jonathan makes the case that the real opportunity in AI isn't being feared by it — it's being the person who bridges the gap between what AI can do and what humans actually need. Drawing from his experience building foundational AI infrastructure at Backboard.io, Jonathan argues that the builders, translators, and connectors who lean into AI will define the next decade — and that the doom narrative is the biggest distraction standing between you and your future.
Jonathan Murray Co-founder @ Backboard.io
2:45 PM – 3:15 PM

Rave

This isn't a DJ set. This isn't a lecture. This is something CUTC has never done before. Auditorium AI transforms music into a medium for storytelling — weaving live narrative, soundscapes, and an immersive rave experience into a single unforgettable moment. At some point during the day, the lights change, the music drops, and you stop being an attendee and start being part of the story. We're not going to say more than that. You'll just have to be there. 👀
3:30 PM – 4:00 PM

Build More With Less - Supported by Startup Ecosystem Canada

The best founders don't wait for more resources — they build empires with what they have. This panel brings together builders who know what it means to do more with less: less funding, less time, less certainty, and more pressure than anyone on the outside can see. Kazzy Khazaal (Co-founder & CEO, Dreamwell AI), Sultan Akif (Startups Account Executive, Microsoft), Ben Gigone (Co-founder, Chexy), and Jason B Ramsay (Co-founder, Nodalli), get real about the scrappy decisions, unconventional moves, and hard-won lessons that separate the founders who make it from the ones who don't. If you're building something — or thinking about it — this is the panel that will make you believe you can start right now, with exactly what you have.
Eleni Belete Manager @ Startup Ecosystem Canada
Kazzy Khazaal Co-founder and CEO @ Dreamwell AI
Sultan Akif Startups Account Executive @ Microsoft
Ben Gigone Co-founder @ Chexy
Jason B Ramsay Founder @ Nodalli
4:00 PM – 4:45 PM

PMing in the Age of AI

The product manager's job has always been to sit at the intersection of business, users, and technology. But what happens when the technology starts making its own decisions? This panel brings together PMs from across the industry — consulting, fintech, SaaS, gaming, and digital health — to explore how the role is evolving in real time. From managing agentic workflows to navigating the shift toward more technical, data-driven decision-making, they'll get into what skills matter now, what's becoming obsolete, and what it means to be a great PM when your product might be partially building itself. Whether you're already a PM, aspiring to be one, or just trying to understand where the role is heading — this conversation will reshape how you think about the job.
Johnny Libenzon Product Manager @ Unyte Health
Iris Guo ML Product Manager @ Zynga
Elisa Chu Product Manager @ Deloitte
Katrin Barilo Product Manager @ Totango
Shalini Mohan Product Manager, Digital Health @ Loblaw Digital
Wendy Foster Principal Data Scientist @ Disco
5:00 PM – 5:45 PM

Putting AI to Work for Business

We are living through one of the most significant economic shifts in history — and AI is at its center. This keynote traces the arc of technological revolutions to show why the Generative AI era is different, and what it means for how businesses compete, operate, and grow. From the hype of early adoption to the hard work of real-world deployment, we'll explore what it actually takes to put AI to work: navigating bias, building trust, and moving from experimentation to measurable impact. Whether you're a founder, a future PM, or an engineer, you'll leave with a clearer picture of where the opportunity is — and what it demands of you.
Ashwin Balu Principal Canada Leader @ IBM
6:30 PM – 7:00 PM

Creator in the Age of AI: Building an Audience When Everyone Has a Robot

AI can write your captions, edit your videos, generate your thumbnails, and clone your voice. So what's left for creators? Everything that actually matters. Join Sahas Chopra in conversation with some of the sharpest creator-entrepreneurs in the game — Shane Barakat and Jack Price — as they get real about building audiences in an AI-saturated world. What does authentic content mean when synthetic content is everywhere? How are they using AI to move faster — and where do they draw the line? If you've ever thought about building a following, a brand, or a business online, this is the panel that will change how you think about all three.
Sahas Chopra Content Creator and Founder @ Squid Media
Shane Barakat Co-founder @ Polarity
Jack Price Growth @ Chatbase
7:00 PM – 7:30 PM

Closing Ceremony

Closing Ceremony (7:00 - 7:30)
7:30 PM – 8:00 PM

IBM - Introduction to WatsonX, Bob, Langflow

IBM - Introduction to WatsonX, Bob, Langflow (12:30 - 1:00)
12:45 PM – 1:15 PM

IBM - Resume Roast

IBM - Resume Roast (1:15 - 1:45)
5:45 PM – 6:15 PM

Rocket Innovation Studio

Rocket Innovation Studio (1:15 - 1:45)
12:45 PM – 1:15 PM

Framer

Framer (5:45 - 6:15)
5:45 PM – 6:15 PM

Sponsor Bay

10:45 AM – 7:00 PM

Maker Fair

5:30 PM – 6:30 PM

Mini Events

Join us for a series of exciting lead-up events across Canada.

Codescape

Waterloo

March 21, 2026

A one-day AI-powered competition in Waterloo where teams solve digital puzzles using prompt engineering to unlock real-world campus challenges in a fast-paced scavenger hunt experience.

AI Unlocked

Queen's University

February 25, 2026

A one-day AI workshop and networking event at Queen's University that brings together students and industry leaders to explore practical, real-world applications of AI tools across disciplines.

Hello, AI :)

Ontario Tech University

January 31, 2026

A one-day, hands-on AI workshop at Ontario Tech University where students actively explore real-world AI tools and applications through guided, beginner-friendly sessions designed to build practical skills and confidence.

Opening Ceremony
Alumni Panel
CUTC ands BITSoc Organizers
Ontario Tech's FBIT Dean
Nodalli Workshop Speakers
Opening Ceremony
Alumni Panel
CUTC ands BITSoc Organizers
Ontario Tech's FBIT Dean
Nodalli Workshop Speakers

Codemas

Virtual

December 24, 2025 - January 3, 2026

A virtual coding challenge where participants tracked their coding time through WakaTime to earn tokens, with ML/AI projects receiving bonus tokens. These tokens could be redeemed for prizes in an online shop.

Dashboard
Leaderboard 🏆
Gift Store 🎁
Codemas
Dashboard
Leaderboard 🏆
Gift Store 🎁
Codemas

CUTC x Caffeine.ai

Shopify Toronto

November 22, 2025

A one-day prompthathon hosted at Shopify Toronto where participants build and demo AI-generated apps using Caffeine.ai's conversational "vibecoding" platform, learning prompt engineering and rapid prototyping through hands-on workshops and team challenges.

Opening Ceremony
Shopify Venue 😍
Caffeine Demo
Lunch 🍕
Participant Demos
Closing Ceremony
Caffeine Judges
Event Winners 🏆
Opening Ceremony
Shopify Venue 😍
Caffeine Demo
Lunch 🍕
Participant Demos
Closing Ceremony
Caffeine Judges
Event Winners 🏆

CUTC 2026 FAQ

Everything you need to know before the conference.

About CUTC

What is CUTC?

The Canadian Undergraduate Technology Conference (CUTC) is Canada's largest undergraduate tech conference, established in 1999. It's a student-run, non-profit conference that brings together the most ambitious undergraduate students, founders, builders, and tech leaders in Canada for a day of high-energy talks, hands-on experiences, and real networking.

How long has CUTC been running?

Over 25 years. CUTC was founded in 1999 and has been growing ever since. Our alumni include founders of venture-backed startups, PMs at major tech companies, and investors reshaping Canada's tech ecosystem.

Who runs CUTC?

CUTC is entirely student-run and operated as a registered non-profit (CUTC Foundation Inc. / Fondation CUTC Inc.). Every organizer, volunteer, and team member is a student who believes in making tech accessible to the next generation.

What does CUTC offer attendees?

Your ticket includes:

  • Full-day access to world-class speakers and panels
  • Breakfast, lunch, and snacks
  • Sponsor booths and interactive activities
  • Networking with 500+ students, founders, and tech leaders
  • Real job and internship opportunities with hiring sponsors
  • Exclusive virtual speaker series May 24–29
  • A surprise experience you won't see coming 👀
  • Access to CUTC's 25+ year alumni legacy and community

Who attends CUTC?

Undergraduate students from universities across Canada: CS, engineering, business, and everything in between. Plus founders, investors, and tech leaders who come specifically to meet the next generation of builders.

Why should I attend CUTC over other tech events?

Most conferences are passive. You sit, listen, and leave. CUTC is built for real interaction. The speakers stay for conversations, the sponsors are actively hiring, the food is included, and the community you build here outlasts the day itself. Past attendees have found co-founders, mentors, first jobs, and seed investors at CUTC. All for $30 (which is much cheaper than similar events!).

Has CUTC had notable speakers in the past?

Yes! Past speakers include Chamath Palihapitiya, Mike Lazaridis (founder of BlackBerry), and Michael Katchen (founder of Wealthsimple), among many others. This year we're welcoming Harley Finkelstein (President, Shopify) and Andrew D'Souza (Founder & CEO, Boardy).

Tickets & Registration

How much are tickets?

Tickets are $30 for both Toronto (May 23) and Montreal (October 3). The virtual hackathon is free to join.

Where do I buy tickets?

Toronto → luma.com/cutc26tor · Montreal → luma.com/cutc26mtl

Are tickets refundable?

Tickets are non-refundable and cannot be transferred to another person. If something exceptional comes up, email team@cutc.ca and we will consider requests on a case-by-case basis.

Do I need to be an undergraduate student to attend?

CUTC is designed for undergraduate students, but we welcome anyone who shares our passion for technology and innovation. Graduate students, recent grads, high school students, and professionals are all welcome.

Can I buy a ticket for both Toronto and Montreal?

Yes. You will need a separate ticket for each city at the links above.

Is there a group discount?

Groups of 4 or more receive 20% off when using code GROUP at checkout.

Venue & Logistics

Where is the Toronto event?

Chrysalis, Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), Toronto, ON. Full address and directions will be shared with ticket holders closer to the event.

Where is the Montreal event?

Jean-Brillant Pavilion, Université de Montréal (UdeM), Montreal, QC. Full address and directions will be shared with ticket holders closer to the event.

Is the venue accessible?

Yes. Both Chrysalis at TMU and the Jean-Brillant Pavilion at UdeM are fully accessible. If you have specific accessibility needs, email team@cutc.ca and we will do our best to accommodate you.

Is there parking available?

Limited paid parking is available near both venues. We strongly recommend public transit. Both locations are well served by the TTC (Toronto) and STM (Montreal).

What time does the event run?

Doors open at 9:30 AM and programming runs until 8:00 PM. Session-by-session timings will be published with the schedule.

Will food and drinks be provided?

Yes. Food and refreshments will be available throughout the day. Specific details will be included in your ticket confirmation.

Virtual & Hackathon

What is the virtual hackathon?

The CUTC Virtual Hackathon runs May 23–30 and is open to 1,000+ builders worldwide. It is free to join and runs alongside both in-person events.

How do I join the virtual hackathon?

Registration details will be announced at cutc.ca. Stay tuned!

What is the virtual speaker series (May 24–29)?

Every ticket holder gets exclusive access to a curated virtual speaker series running May 24–29, bridging the gap between the Toronto and Montreal events with speakers you will not find anywhere else.

Do I need to attend in person to access the virtual content?

The virtual speaker series (May 24–29) is for ticket holders. The hackathon is open to everyone.

Speakers & Content

Who is speaking at CUTC 2026?

Our confirmed speakers include Harley Finkelstein (President, Shopify), Andrew D'Souza (Founder & CEO, Boardy), and many more. See the full list in the speakers section.

Can I meet the speakers?

Yes. CUTC is built for real interaction. Networking time with speakers is part of the day. This is not a sit-and-watch conference.

What topics will be covered?

Sessions cover AI, entrepreneurship, product management, venture capital, software engineering, content creation, and more. All through this year’s theme: TRANSFORM (and AI!).

For Sponsors & Partners

How can my company sponsor CUTC?

We would love to work with you. Email team@cutc.ca for our sponsorship package.

Can my company recruit at CUTC?

Yes. Sponsorship tiers include recruiting and talent access. Contact us at team@cutc.ca to learn more.

General

What should I bring?

Your ticket (digital), a valid student ID, a fully charged phone, and an open mind.

What should I wear?

Smart casual: comfortable enough for a full day on your feet, polished enough for a strong first impression with a future co-founder or employer.

Will there be WiFi?

Yes. WiFi will be available at both venues.

Is CUTC bilingual?

The Montreal event will feature primarily English content. The Toronto event is fully in English.

How do I stay updated on announcements?

Follow us on Instagram, X (Twitter), and LinkedIn, and check cutc.ca regularly. Speaker and schedule updates roll out weekly.

I have a question that isn't answered here.

Email team@cutc.ca and we will get back to you as soon as we can.

Meet the Team

Edward Drobnis

Edward Drobnis 🪑

Chair

Anwar Bounagui

Anwar Bounagui 🔒

Growth

Juan-Miguel Advincula

Juan-Miguel Advincula 😁

Growth & Tech

Jana Hussien

Jana Hussien 🌸

Design Lead

Anushka Kshirsagar

Anushka Kshirsagar 😛

Design

Sophia Chow

Sophia Chow 🩷

Design

Fiona Cai

Fiona Cai 🌱

Operations Lead

Ritvik Goyal

Ritvik Goyal 😶‍🌫️

Operations

Richard Li

Richard Li 🤯

Operations

Big things coming soon!

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