tech Connect _

Bridging Manitoba’s Tech Community with Canada’s Leading Minds 

This event is SOLD OUT! Thank you for your interest in attending.

For questions, contact: 
Shaelynn – sstimpson@techmanitoba.ca 
Marie – mhacault@techmanitoba.ca 

About tech Connect_

tech Connect_ is Tech Manitoba’s signature member appreciation event, bringing together senior leaders, innovators, and decision-makers from across industries to celebrate achievements, share ideas, and strengthen relationships. 

This year, we are thrilled to welcome a can’t-miss keynote from John Weigelt, National Technology Officer, Microsoft Canada, who will share exclusive insights into the future of technology and innovation. 

Enjoy an evening of meaningful conversations, light food stations, and a cash bar as we raise a glass to you our valued members; for your engagement, leadership, and support in driving Manitoba’s tech community forward. 

Sponsorship opportunities available 

Featured Keynote 

John Weigelt, National Technology Officer, Microsoft Canada 
Pioneering Prosperity: How Technology and Innovation Forge Canada’s Economic Future 

Canada is at a defining crossroads. The choices we make today about technology and innovation will shape not just our industries — but our national prosperity for decades to come.  

In this keynote, John brings a uniquely insider perspective on how emerging technologies are transforming the way we work, build, and compete on the global stage. Drawing on real-time case studies from both the private and public sectors, he breaks down how artificial intelligence, data strategies, cybersecurity, and sustainable innovation are creating entirely new pathways for growth — and what’s required to fully unlock them.  

But this isn’t just a tech talk. It’s a call to action for leaders across sectors to build the policies, talent pipelines, and digital cultures needed to seize this moment. With Canada’s economic resilience on the line, John shares tangible steps organizations and policymakers can take today to ensure we don’t just keep up — we lead.  

Whether you’re shaping strategy for a multinational, building local infrastructure, or navigating the shifting regulatory landscape, this session will challenge and equip your audience to think bigger, act faster, and position Canada as a powerhouse of innovation in the years ahead.  

Whether you’re shaping strategy for a multinational, building local infrastructure, or navigating the evolving regulatory landscape, this session will challenge and inspire you to think bigger, act faster, and position Canada as a global powerhouse of innovation. 

Moderating the fireside chat we welcome:

Joel Semeniuk
President and CEO of Primal
Primal is a Canadian neuro-symbolic AI company with over 170 patents, focusing on governing AI behaviour in high-trust environments.
Over the past 30 years, Joel has built and exited ventures, co-authored four books, led a global innovation studio, advised organizations across North America, Europe, and Asia, and served as Chief Strategy Officer at Communitech, running national open innovation programming. For over two decades, Microsoft has recognized him as a Global Microsoft Regional Director, an honour awarded to global tech leaders driving impact across industry, innovation, and community.