Event category: Tactical Breakouts

Events

November 06, 2025

02:05 PM - 02:35 PM EDT

Room 214 2025-11-06 30 MINS

From Spam to Scale: Unlocking the Power of Email Deliverability

Email remains the workhorse of SaaS growth — but only if it reaches the primary inbox. In this session, we’ll explore how successful SaaS companies ensure their emails are delivered where it matters most: to capture 100% of their email marketing value, design the best transactional email experiences that build trust and engagement, and leverage deliverability as a driver of the highest sales growth. You’ll walk away with actionable strategies your team can implement immediately to transform email into a reliable and scalable channel for retention and revenue.

Pierre Pignault

CEO & Founder

MailSoar

11:20 AM - 12:10 PM EDT

Room 210 2025-11-06 50 MINS

The SaaS Founders Path from Vision to Growth

Join BDC for an exclusive conversation with the CEOs of Trellis Corporation and Identos Inc, Fahim Sheikh and Mike Cook, two Canadian SaaS leaders redefining growth through purpose, resilience, and innovation.
From early funding choices and bootstrapping strategies to evolving customer profiles, shaping culture, and embracing AI, this session dives into the real stories behind building and scaling tech businesses.

Moderator

Rita Kasparian

Director, Growth & Transition Capital, Tech

BDC

Mike Cook

CEO

IDENTOS Inc.

Fahim Sheikh

Co-Founder & CEO

Trellis

02:05 PM - 02:35 PM EDT

Room 213/215 2025-11-06 30 MINS

SEO in the Age of AI: How to Work the System with LLMs

SEO is shifting from 10 blue links to AI-generated answers. This session unpacks how LLMs are influencing buying decisions and teaches you how to ensure that your brand is visible, accurately represented, and recommended when your ICP asks important, late-stage buying decision questions to ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Perplexity, and other AI search platforms. Learn practical strategies to influence what LLMs say about you so prospects get the right information when it matters most.

Steve Toth

CEO & Chief Strategy Officer

Notebook Agency

02:05 PM - 02:35 PM EDT

Room 210 2025-11-06 30 MINS

From Experiment to Scale: Building Your AI Infrastructure Right the First Time

As AI adoption accelerates, many companies are moving from early experiments to real-world implementation. But scaling successfully takes more than promising results — it demands the right infrastructure, data governance, and IP protection from day one.
This founder-focused session explores the shift from prototype to production, with insights from operators, infrastructure experts, and legal advisors. Learn how to avoid common pitfalls, reduce both technical and legal debt, and build scalable systems that support long-term innovation, revenue, and defensibility.
Attendees will walk away with practical tips for smart infrastructure planning, responsible data use, and locking down ownership of their AI — so their SaaS products are not just flashy, but fundable and future-ready.

Moderator

Rade Kovacevic

Co-Founder & CEO

PolarGrid

Rami Abielmona

CTO

Larus Technologies

Liat Mendelson Honderdors

Principal Product Manager- AI Portfolio

Leaseweb

11:20 AM - 11:50 AM EDT

Room 213/215 2025-11-06 30 MINS

Finding Your Killer Differentiator

What makes a killer differentiator? How do you cut through market noise? How has positioning and differentiation changed in the era of AI? Messaging expert Andrew Jackson, founder of 5D Differentiation™️, will reveal how to distil your greatest possible differentiators, rise above the competition, and unleash the true value of your company.

Andrew Jackson

Investor and Chief Growth Officer

ColdStart

November 05, 2025

11:05 AM - 11:45 AM EDT

Room 210 2025-11-05 40 MINS

3 Steps, 30 Days to AI Integration

While the industry debates AI's potential, smart SaaS leaders are already implementing it. In this session, Doneyli De Jesus, Principal AI Architect from Snowflake, will teach you the three essential steps to integrate AI into your business in just 30 days—no theory, just execution. Drawing on real implementations from enterprise environments, this tactical session provides a clear roadmap for moving from pilot to production, whether you're enhancing customer experience, building internal tools, or launching AI-powered features. Walk away with a 30-day implementation plan you can execute immediately—turning AI from hype into competitive advantage.

Doneyli De Jesus

Principal AI Architect

Snowflake

November 06, 2025

11:20 AM - 11:50 AM EDT

Room 214 2025-11-06 30 MINS

AI’s Hidden Debts: The Risks That Can Kill Your Valuation 

As SaaS founders rush to embed AI into their products, they may be racking up hidden liabilities ranging from privacy and data governance gaps, to compliance oversights and operational missteps. These risks accumulate quietly until they surface during funding rounds or exits, threatening valuations or even derailing deals. In this candid conversation, a governance strategist, an investor, and a SaaS founder break down how these AI debts show up, what investors actually look for in due diligence, and how founders can balance speed with responsibility to scale successfully.

Neil Grunberg

Co-Founder & Managing Partner

Storytime Capital

Samara Starkman

Co-Founder and Managing Principal

INQ Consulting

10:40 AM - 11:10 AM EDT

Room 213/215 2025-11-06 30 MINS

AI Unleashed: This is How We Do It!

This wasn’t theory—it was a show and tell for the AI era. Three SaaS executives pulled back the curtain on real-world AI solutions they built to solve pressing business problems. Each walked through their challenge, the AI-powered solution, and the measurable ROI that followed.
From workflow automation to people operations and rapid product development, these case studies cut through the buzzwords and delivered tactical insights, lessons learned, and frameworks you can apply in your own company—starting Monday.

Moderator

Nick Quain

Vice President, Venture & Entrepreneurship

Invest Ottawa

Céline Maasland

Head of People and Culture

RVezy.com

Kailin Noivo

Co-Founder & President

Noibu

Sukhpal Saini

CEO & Founder

Engyne

10:40 AM - 11:10 AM EDT

Room 214 2025-11-06 30 MINS

AI-Powered, PLG-Driven – A SaaS Blueprint for 2026

AI is reshaping how SaaS products are built, priced, and sold—but are you ready for what’s next? In this tactical, no-fluff panel, experts unpack the real-world moves founders must make to align product, pricing, and legal strategy in the AI era. You’ll leave with actionable insights you won’t find on Google—just smart, founder-tested blueprints to build, grow, and stay sellable.

Moderator

Shane McLean

Managing Partner

LaBarge Weinstein

Wes Bush

Founder & CEO

ProductLed

Monique Moran

CEO & Founder

Growth Assembly

Alvaro Pombo

CEO & Founder

TrueContext Corporation formerly ProntoForms