This talk will address the current state of the Canadian Blockchain ecosystem. As the technology is approaching its teenage years, we’ll look back at its formative years highlighting the development of the industry in Canada and the formidable contributions made by Canadians on the global stage. Today, the Canadian blockchain ecosystem consists of over 280 companies employing 1600 workers, predominantly in the financial services and the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sectors. This young industry has withstood the uncertainties and the test of “Crypto Winter”. What isemerging is a more mature business ecosystem that is striving to compete in a global economy.

We’ll discuss the findings of the recent ICTC study, including

● Use cases and application of Blockchain technology

● Canada’s blockchain advantage versus other jurisdictions

● Sector, type and company size

● Workforce skills in demand

● Emerging Trends for a maturing industry

● Organizational strategies supporting innovation readiness and the realization of a competitive advantage

ICTC is a not-for-profit national centre of expertise for the digital economy. With over 25 years of experience in evidence-based research, practical policy advice, and innovative capacity building solutions, ICTC’s goal is to strengthen Canada’s digital advantage in the global economy.

Bio: Marc Lijour is the Vice-President leading Capacity and Innovation Readiness initiatives at the Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC), a national centre of expertise on the digital economy. Marc started his career as an Educator, teaching Mathematics and Information Technology across Europe and the Americas. He played a leading role at the Ontario Ministry of Education during the revision of the Technological Education curriculum in 2009, and the launch of the Ontario e-learning Strategy. In recent years, Marc worked for top IT companies leading the 4th Industrial Revolution, such as Cisco Systems, Savoir-faire Linux, and ConsenSys, before launching his own consulting practice focusing on Blockchain for the Financial sector. For the last 15 years, he worked closely with startups in a variety of roles to create exponential business value driving economic and social growth. Marc is passionate about new technologies and (more importantly) about helping people and organizations extract the value of innovative tools, processes and methodologies. He chairs the industry program advisory committee for the Blockchain Developer Certificate at George Brown College, which he helped develop, the first of its kind in Canada. Marc holds degrees in Mathematics, in Computer Science, and in Management (MBA in Technology and Innovation). He serves on the board of multiple not-for-profit organizations in the Tech industry, such as TechConnex and the Toronto French Business Network. His writings have been published by CPA Canada and industry journals.