Executives, founders, and investment leaders
People who allocate resources, approve adoption, and set direction for organizations and the people inside them.
VancouverPresented by
Partner with the room where AI meets public life.
Bring your people. Contribute something useful. Leave with a sharper read on what matters, in a deliberately small Space Centre room.
Photo: Michelle Diamond - Vancouver AI Meetup - 2026
Current sponsors and open positions
Standing behind the festival
Still open
- Presenting SponsorCA$25,0001 available
- Anchor SponsorCA$10,0003 available
- Supporting SponsorCA$5,0005 available
Audience and fit
Who you'll meet. Who fits.
This is not access to a list. It is access to a room.
We recruit for influence, not titles: executives, senior professionals, and decision-makers across business, creative and cultural leadership, technology and research, and public and community institutions. The useful part is the mix, asking better questions of one another while the answers are still open.
Who we recruit
Creative and cultural leaders
Studio heads, producers, publishers, creative directors, and artists shaping what gets commissioned and which stories reach the public.
Technology, product, and research leaders
CTOs, AI and product leads, technical founders, and researchers deciding what gets built, deployed, and evaluated.
Public, educational, Indigenous, and community leaders
Senior public servants, educators, Indigenous and community leaders, and heads of civic institutions shaping policy, procurement, learning, and knowledge stewardship.
First edition, real roots
The festival is new. The community is not.
Futureproof Festival 2026 is the first edition. The live roster and three-day format describe what is coming. The record below belongs to BC + AI and the programs it has already run.
Current 2026 edition
Where the 2026 festival stands today.
- announced speakers
- 31
- Public voices already joining the 2026 conversation.
- As of September 9, 2026
- Public speaker roster →
- named collaborators
- 8
- Community, academic, creative, and venue relationships shown by name.
- As of July 23, 2026
- See who we work with →
- connected days
- 3
- Opening night followed by two full program days at the Space Centre.
- As of 2026 edition
- Festival overview →
BC + AI community track record
People were showing up before the festival had a name.
These are BC + AI community numbers. They are not past Futureproof Festival attendance, sponsor outcomes, or a promise about what happens next.
- Meetup #25 attendees
- 250
- Vancouver AI filled the Space Centre for its January gathering.As of January 2026Vancouver AI recap →
- Hackathon rounds run
- 4
- Data storytelling rounds judged in Vancouver from May 2024 through October 29, 2025, each with its winner named.As of October 29, 2025Round history →
Ways to collaborate
Four useful ways to show up.
Start with what the partnership should do. The right tier or contribution shape follows from that job.
Supporting or Anchor Sponsor
Bring your people
Give staff, clients, or collaborators Festival Passes, useful preparation, and a reason to compare notes after the room comes together.
Compare passes and accessAnchor or Presenting Sponsor
Stand behind the room
Take a prominent position across the festival while the editorial line and speaker choices stay independent.
Compare anchor packagesStartup Exhibitor · CA$2,000
Put a working product in the room
Pair two full Festival Passes with a startup table on Thursday and Friday through the separate Startup Exhibitor Package.
Explore startup exhibitingCommunity, institutional, or in-kind
Make a useful contribution
Bring knowledge, reach, place, hospitality, access, or care. Custom contributions are scoped only after a fit call around a real need.
Start a partner conversation2026 sponsorship
Choose how deeply you want to participate.
Pricing stays plain. Every package combines Festival Passes, visible credit, introductions only when both sides say yes, and useful context before and after the room comes together.
1 available
Presenting Sponsor
CA$25,000
An organization standing behind the whole festival and bringing a prepared crew into the room.
Passes
- 8 Festival Passes
At the festival
- Lead credit on shared festival sponsor signage
Online
- Top linked logo and short profile on the sponsor page
- Lead placement in the homepage partner strip
People
- 4 invitations to the speaker and partner gathering
- Up to 2 introductions, with everyone's okay
Before and after
- A private briefing for your festival crew
- A private debrief and selected photos after the festival
See what is included
Passes
- 8 Festival Passes
At the festival
- Lead credit on shared festival sponsor signage
Online
- Top linked logo and short profile on the sponsor page
- Lead placement in the homepage partner strip
People
- 4 invitations to the speaker and partner gathering
- Up to 2 introductions, with everyone's okay
Before and after
- A private briefing for your festival crew
- A private debrief and selected photos after the festival
3 available
Anchor Sponsor
CA$10,000
A team that wants visible, credible participation and a useful way into the wider conversation.
Passes
- 5 Festival Passes
At the festival
- Anchor Sponsor credit on shared festival signage
Online
- Prominent linked logo on the sponsor page
- Placement in the homepage partner strip
People
- 2 invitations to the speaker and partner gathering
- Up to 1 introduction, with everyone's okay
Before and after
- A shared partner briefing before the festival
- A shared partner debrief and selected photos after the festival
See what is included
Passes
- 5 Festival Passes
At the festival
- Anchor Sponsor credit on shared festival signage
Online
- Prominent linked logo on the sponsor page
- Placement in the homepage partner strip
People
- 2 invitations to the speaker and partner gathering
- Up to 1 introduction, with everyone's okay
Before and after
- A shared partner briefing before the festival
- A shared partner debrief and selected photos after the festival
5 available
Supporting Sponsor
CA$5,000
A small crew that wants to attend, learn, and be clearly connected to the festival.
Passes
- 2 Festival Passes
At the festival
- Supporting Sponsor credit on shared festival signage
Online
- Linked logo on the sponsor page
People
- 1 invitation to the speaker and partner gathering
Before and after
- A short festival guide before the event
- A festival follow-up with selected photos and links
See what is included
Passes
- 2 Festival Passes
At the festival
- Supporting Sponsor credit on shared festival signage
Online
- Linked logo on the sponsor page
People
- 1 invitation to the speaker and partner gathering
Before and after
- A short festival guide before the event
- A festival follow-up with selected photos and links
| Compare the offer | 1 available Presenting SponsorCA$25,000 An organization standing behind the whole festival and bringing a prepared crew into the room. | 3 available Anchor SponsorCA$10,000 A team that wants visible, credible participation and a useful way into the wider conversation. | 5 available Supporting SponsorCA$5,000 A small crew that wants to attend, learn, and be clearly connected to the festival. |
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Names, networks, place
The room has history and a pulse.
A public speaker roster, year-round communities, a Space Centre home, and real photographs tell a stronger story than a reach estimate.
Speakers announced so far
Meet all the speakers →Different relationships to the systems shaping our lives.
01Amber CaseFounder · Calm Tech Institute02Ana SerranoPresident & Vice-Chancellor · OCAD University03Lynda Brown-GanzertCEO · RxPx Inc04ZaroCommunity Futurist · Electronic Arts05Kris KrügFounder & Festival Director · BC + AI Ecosystem Association06Mayumi RollingsCEO & Co-Founder · Tiny Ghost Studios07Peter BittnerAI Trainer & Consultant · Independent08Kevin FrielFestival Director · BC + AI Film Club09Brewster KahleFounder & Digital Librarian · Internet Archive10Jos Duncan-AséFounder · Love Now Media11Sara BlenkhornDirector of Innovation · Buckminster Fuller Institute12Brett GaylorVP Creative · Hololabs13Sarah DowneyFounder · Sarah Downey Consulting14Philippe PasquierProfessor & Director · Metacreation Lab, Simon Fraser University15Simon HaworthCEO · Intellomx16Loki JorgensonCTO & Director, Innovation · Circle Innovation17Alexandra SamuelTechnology Journalist & Author · Independent18Sev GeraskinCo-Founder & VP of Engineering · PolarGrid · Economy of Wisdom Foundation19Stephanie DickAssistant Professor · School of Communication, Simon Fraser University20Taleeb NoormohamedMember of Parliament · Vancouver Granville21Michael Running WolfChair, Board of Directors · IndigiGenius22Shane GibsonFounder & Keynote Speaker · Professional Sales Academy23Kristen DelphosVice President, Communications and Public Affairs · UL Research Institutes24Kerris HougardySenior Vice President, People · Ting Internet · Tucows25Raj ParmarHR Leader and Business Partner · Tucows26Dean ShevCTO and co-founder · VHT.ai27Suzy EastonMusician and technologist · Independent28Ashley SmithAI Visibility Strategist · Show Your Proof29Ben ShneidermanEmeritus Distinguished University Professor of Computer Science · University of Maryland30Lane BeckerPresident, Wikimedia Enterprise · Wikimedia Foundation31Andrew ZolliChief Impact Officer · Planet
Community and venue collaborators
Built with communities, not around them.
Some collaborators bring people, knowledge, places, and trust. Their networks are shown in their own context, not added together as festival reach.
Presented by
community
1,600+ member volunteer network
community
200+ data governance professionals
academic
SFU research community + AI arts practitioners
community
Film + AI crossover community
community
AI filmmaking + creative-tech community
community
Vancouver creative and professional community
venue
250 at the January 2026 meetup
community
Youth, educators, and BC + AI education collaborators
From the community
What the room already feels like.
From the communityAuthentic photograph, not AI-generated
Sponsors meet the actual community, not a rented crowd.
Photo: Michelle Diamond.
Hackathon energyAuthentic photograph, not AI-generated
A prize moment with the room still in it. Builders get seen here.
Photo: Michelle Diamond.
Community minglingAuthentic photograph, not AI-generated
The reception before the reception. This is what a working room sounds like.
Photo: Michelle Diamond.
Courtyard crowdAuthentic photograph, not AI-generated
Another courtyard angle: architecture, daylight, and people who showed up.
Photo: Michelle Diamond.
The room talks backAuthentic photograph, not AI-generated
Sponsor money landing somewhere real, with the room cheering it on.
Photo: Michelle Diamond.
Vancouver
Vanier Park, Granville Island, mountains, water: the festival has a real geography.
Vancouver, BC
Before anyone signs
We ask what a partnership costs the room before we ask what it's worth.
That question is why the editorial line stays independent no matter the package size.
Support the room, not the editorial line.
Your support helps make Futureproof Festival possible. It does not buy a keynote, speaking slot, attendee or speaker contact list, editorial control, or guaranteed access to any one person. Introductions happen only when everyone involved says yes. BC + AI presents Futureproof Festival.
Start the conversation
Twenty minutes is enough.
We lead these conversations ourselves. Tell us who you want to bring, what you want them to learn or contribute, and roughly where the budget sits. If there is a fit, we send back one clear proposal.
Kris Krüg · Executive Director, BC + AI · Expect a human reply within 3 to 5 business days