NextGEN Business Summit

NextGen Business Summit 2026 is BC's first curated one-day founder and entrepreneur summit, bringing together 250 BC founders, SMB owners, investors, and business leaders for a full day of programming in the heart of New Westminster.

Confirmed speakers include Hon. Rick Glumac, Minister of State for AI and New Technologies, BC Business Council CEO Laura Jones, venture capitalist Praveen Varshney, Keith Ippel of Spring Activator, Joslyn Young of the Surrey and White Rock Board of Trade, and several other BC business leaders.

Sessions cover AI and government policy, BC's economic landscape, building and financing great companies, franchising, market positioning, sales strategy, and BDC business resources.

**Who should register:**
- Founders and entrepreneurs at initial stage of business
- Small and medium business owners
- Investors and capital allocators
- Solopreneurs ready to scale
- Professionals considering entrepreneurship
- Franchise seekers and buyers
- Entrepreneurship students and recent graduates
- Corporate leaders in innovation and business development
- Anyone who wants direct access to government, capital, and BC's business community in one room

The Day Experience: Beyond the programming NextGen is a full-day immersive experience. Attendees enjoy morning coffee and refreshments, a networking lunch, an afternoon coffee break, four structured engagement activities, door prizes and draws throughout the day with winners announced live on stage, and an evening networking reception from 5:15 PM to 7:00 PM.

The vendor exhibition area runs throughout the entire day, giving booth holders continuous access to attendees beyond their scheduled networking moments.

Founders, investors, and business owners who want to go deeper with your team have the space and the time to do exactly that. This is not a walk-past exhibition. It is a day-long conversation.