InnovateNB Brings Conversations of Innovation in New Brunswick to Fredericton – Huddle.Today

FREDERICTON – On Wednesday, May 31st, InnovateNB and Ignite presented The State of Tech and Innovation in New Brunswick at the Cyber Centre in Fredericton, bringing in presenters from some of the province’s leaders in tech and innovation.

Sarah Corey Hollohan of Ignite says that InnovateNB started in November of 2022. The goal was to get conversations of tech and innovation going not just one day a year, but all year round.

This year, they have already hosted three events around the province, including this one in Fredericton. Hollohan says Wednesday’s event was designed to not only give some of the latest updates in tech but to connect job seekers to local employers through networking.

“Tonight’s meant to be inspirational, it’s meant to be informative, and for some of you who are looking for employment, we want you to meet some employers,” she says.

At the event, there was a brief presentation from the four founding partners of InnovateNB. These include Cathy Simpson of TechImpact, Kathryn Lockhart of Propel, Paul Thornton of NBIF, and Ginette Gautreau of The McKenna Institute.

Each presenter had spoken for roughly five minutes on the latest updates in tech and innovation. Having the event held at the Cyber Centre, the atmosphere was unlike any other. The common theme that surrounded the whole presentation though, was encouragement towards those who were seeking a platform for their ideas on innovation.

Following the presentation, those who had attended the event spent the rest of the night networking and making connections. With over 150 individuals present, the night was full of conversation. Alex Weaver Crawford, marketing and communications manager of TechImpact, followed up the event by discussing with me a little more on what InnovateNB is.

“So really it’s just about promoting the innovation in New Brunswick, and that could be so many different things,” says Weaver Crawford. “Sometimes we think it’s tech, but it’s also social innovation, education, research, meeting newcomers, finding new talent, it’s all kinds of different things.”

InnovateNB is not just about recognizing innovation in New Brunswick, but also about celebrating it. Last year, they had given ten different awards within the field, with this year being their second year celebrating and encouraging innovation in New Brunswick.

Weaver Crawford says that InnovateNB is targeted not just towards recent college graduates who are interested in working in tech, but towards anyone who might be interested in playing the part.

“So, there’s a lot of different demographics,” she says. “It’s broad, but the line that pulls through really is an interest to push innovation forward.”

On October 12th of this year, InnvoateNB will hold their second annual awards ceremony in Fredericton. Weaver Crawford says that they plan to have this year’s event be very different from last years, and that they are all very excited to host it yet again.

Ryley Roach is a Huddle student intern, based in Fredericton. Send her your feedback and story ideas: [email protected]