Tech Thursday – What’s Holding us Back? A Candid Look at Productivity, Policy, & Tech

• In-person event
• 292-A Elgin St , Ottawa , ON , K2P 1M3

• Contact
• darryl@vuvp.vc

What is Tech Thursday? 

Tech Thursday is a weekly event series that connects the boldest builders in Canadian tech—from founders and engineers to investors and policymakers. It’s like a live, in-person podcast meets high-impact networking, designed to spark meaningful collisions, share actionable insights, and grow the ecosystem city by city, coast to coast. We’re not just hosting events—we’re building the infrastructure for Canada’s next wave of innovation.

What’s Holding us Back? A Candid Look at Productivity, Policy, & Tech

For our third event in the Tech Thursday Ottawa series, we’re tackling a pressing national issue: Is there a productivity crisis in Canada?

​In 2024, the Bank of Canada broke the glass on what it called Canada’s deepening productivity challenges—warning that our lagging output per worker threatens long-term growth, competitiveness, and living standards. But what does this mean in real terms? For tech? For capital? For policy?

​This panel will bring together voices from government, venture, and industry to explore the root causes and what can actually be done about it. Is it a question of innovation? Talent? Regulation? Or all of the above?

​We’re excited to welcome:

• ​Adriana Vega, VP of Government Affairs at CVCA – bringing a policy and capital markets lens to the issue
• ​Hendrik Brakel, Director at Sussex Strategy Group
• ​Ruwan Hapuarachchi, Managing Director, BP&M Consulting
• ​Moderated by: Dr. Paul Newton, Master Storyteller and Entrepreneur

​Tech Thursday is a space for real conversations—no sales, no fluff. Just smart people talking about what actually matters in tech and business, especially for those building in Canada.