Hard Tech Venture Summit

Toronto

October 20-21, 2026
MyantX @ Toronto, Ontario - Canada

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Free to apply. Limited spots.
Applications reviewed by hard-tech investors.

Where the Hard Tech ecosystem comes together. A premier, IEEE curated event connecting early-stage Hard Tech founders with pre-seed, seed, and Series-A Hard Tech investors and critical service providers from the Hard Tech innovation ecosystem.

Hard Tech = Startups building technology rooted in hardware innovation.

Summit Chairs

Joanne Wong, REDDS Capital
Hassan Jaferi, Myant

Investors’ Committee

Cassandra Carothers, Departure Capital
Sabrina Sasaki, Monozukuri Ventures
Omar Zahr, Tandem Launch
Lisheng Wang, TSV Capital

We connect Hard Tech startups with selected investors and resources to accelerate growth.

Hard Tech Startups

Hard Tech founders raising pre-seed to Series A funding who need specialized pitch frameworks and direct access to investors with hard tech expertise.

Hard Tech Investors

VCs, Corporate VCs, and Angels seeking curated Hard Tech deal flow with deep technical context, early insight into the path to commercialization, and opportunities to gain visibility and network with other Hard Tech investors.

Who Should Also Attend

Service Providers

Select providers supporting Hard Tech startups in manufacturing and commercialization.

Talent & Experts

Industry experts and professionals seeking roles with Hard Tech startups—as board members, advisors, or hands-on team members.

Enterprise Innovation Teams

Corporate innovation teams seeking partnerships or acquisitions with Hard Tech startups to drive growth and innovation.

Ecosystem building

All attendees are vetted by Hard Tech investors, ensuring a community of innovators who understand and can share the Hard Tech realities and challenges.

Meaningful engagement

We keep the audience limited to ensure meaningful interactions. At the 2025 Summit, a 2:1 startup-to-investor ratio enabled great networking.

Collaborative Network

Hard Tech innovators—IEEE and non-IEEE—connect with peers and resources, accelerating startup growth and technology development.

Join Us in
Toronto

Event Fee

Register today.

$555 + 13% HST Early Bird

$455 + 13% HST IEEE member rate

(until Sept 18)

October 20

Morning:

Afternoon:

Roundtable networking discussions are curated matches of Hard Tech startups, investors, and service providers, organized by our Investors Committee based on domain and funding stage.

Visit booths in the summit expo area to see the startups demos and service providers kiosks.

October 21

Engineering Design to Manufacturing Workshop

For Hard Tech startups scaling beyond prototyping. Learn essential information to successfully navigate vendor relationships, manufacturing challenges, and regulatory compliance on the path from prototype to production with guidance from experienced manufacturing experts.

Morning:

Visit booths in the summit expo area to see the startups demos and service providers kiosks.

Mentors:

coming soon

Agenda subject to change.

Definition of

Hard Tech

Startups building technology rooted in hardware innovation, including:
Advanced Materials • Communications • Electronics • Photonics • Sensors • IoT • Robotics • Semiconductors • ClimateTech • SpaceTech • Defense

Can IEEE and non-IEEE members attend?

YES! The entire Hard Tech community — IEEE and non-IEEE — is welcome to participate and engage with investors and startups. IEEE members get a discount.

Which investors will be attending?

Confirmed investors include: ...coming soon

We are adding new firms daily, so please check back regularly for the most up-to-date list.

Is the Summit about pitching to investors?

No. The pitch sessions are just a brief “Hi, I’m here” — a way to introduce yourself and provide context. The real value is the full day of interaction, where a group of carefully vetted startups and investors spend the day chatting and sharing opinions in structured roundtables, plus informal networking during coffee breaks and lunch.

The Summit a full day building key relationships, not transactional pitching.

QUESTIONS?

Email:
[email protected]