The Waterloo Advantage from Building to Scaling
There's a myth that if you want to build something great, you have to leave Canada. We're here to change that.
Join Mary Wells, Dean of Engineering, and Jochen Koenemann, Dean of Mathematics, for an evening with Waterloo alum and Executive Chairman of the Board of 1Password, Jeff Shiner (BMath '92) and Chris Albinson, Managing Partner of True North Fund, two leaders who are proof that you can build world-class companies and strengthen a world-class ecosystem right here in Canada.
Through honest conversation and real experience, you'll hear:
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What it actually takes to build and scale from Canada
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What today's top companies are looking for in talent
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How the local ecosystem is growing to support the next generation of founders.
Come ready to be inspired, ask questions, and leave with a new perspective on what it means to build in Canada.
Space is limited, so register today.
Chris Albinson
With over 26 years of experience in the global tech sector, Albinson is passionate about supporting and empowering Canadian tech founders and firms to achieve breakaway growth and global impact.
Albinson is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of True North Fund, a growth & secondary fund focused on the highest performing global companies - 0.3% highest performing tech companies in North America.
Albinson leverages his expertise in innovation, leadership, venture funding, and strategy to invest in and mentor and support founders of the globally most successful private firms based in Canada. He has been an early investor in companies that have created over $85 billion in value, including Arctic Wolf, Pinterest, DocuSign, Turo, Newbridge Networks, and Juniper Networks. I am currently on the board of Senso.ai, and an investor in 21 other companies, ranging from consumer to enterprise, from AI to fintech. I am also a mentor and advisor for several tech organizations and events, such as TechStars, Garage Capital, Partners for Growth, and TiEcon.
Previously, he was CEO of Communitech, a partner at JP Morgan Partners & three other venture capital firms based in San Francisco, and co-founder of the C100.
Jeff Shiner
Jeff Shiner is the Executive Chairman of the Board of 1Password, a leader in identity security and extended access management. Since joining in 2012, Jeff has grown 1Password from a 20-person team into a global organization of 1,400 employees valued at $6.8 billion. Today, 1Password enables millions of individuals to navigate the digital world securely and over 165,000 businesses to protect their modern workplace by securing every sign-in to every app on every device—whether managed or unmanaged. Under Jeff's leadership, 1Password has earned recognition on the Forbes Cloud 100, Fortune Cyber 60, and Canada’s Top 100 Employers lists and has received Fast Company's Innovation by Design and Brands That Matter awards.
Prior to joining 1Password, Jeff held leadership roles at IBM Canada and Rosetta and has a demonstrated history of growing technology companies. Jeff also currently serves on the Board of Directors of GenomOncology, a company that provides the healthcare community with data-driven insights to improve cancer care.
Jeff is a noted speaker at global industry events like Web Summit, Collision, and the C100, and regularly provides commentary in publications like Bloomberg, Fast Company, Forbes, The Globe and Mail, Dark Reading, and TechCrunch, among others.
When he’s not busy being a CEO, Jeff enjoys watching the 49ers, spending time on his tractor, and adding to his LEGO collection with his son – he’s the proud owner of more than 1,000 pounds of bricks.