But between appearances from AI leader Geoffrey Hinton and executives from Airbnb, Amazon Web Services and Google's AI researcher Deep Mind will be another hot topic: the value and future of the event itself.
“We'll kind of figure it out over the next nine months," said Paddy Cosgrave, Collision’s chief executive. “It would be great to stay here for the long term.” Given the same amount of money as Collision or WebSummit, Telio argues Startupfest could also bring in flashy guests, but he ultimately feels that amount doesn't even need to be spent on a successful conference.
The group confirmed it has received a proposal and is continuing to work with Collision to keep the event in Toronto, but did not offer fundraising specifics. The office of Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry François-Philippe Champagne directed a query about Collision to Global Affairs Canada, which said it does not provide funding for Collision and has not made agreements to do so in the future.
Cosgrave said that amount is “an indefensible lie” but wouldn't say how much funding Collision does want, or name what city tops his wish list.