Ontario Centres of Excellence Discovery 2016

Discovery 2016 represents the eleventh edition of Canada's premier innovation conference, previously named Canada's Best Trade Show in 2010 and 2011. The two-day event attracts over 3,200 attendees and 500 exhibitors, creating Ontario's largest gathering of innovation stakeholders across multiple technology sectors. This year's headline attraction is Tesla Motors co-founder and CTO JB Straubel, appearing in his first engagement with Ontario's innovation community in conversation with RBC Senior Vice President John Stackhouse on May 9.

The conference focuses on showcasing leading-edge technologies and best practices across key market sectors including energy, environment, advanced health, digital media, information and communication technologies, and advanced manufacturing. Attendees include the best and brightest minds from industry, academia, investment community, and government, creating unprecedented networking opportunities for entrepreneurs and established companies alike. The timing coincides with OCE's launch of a new $74 million Cleantech Innovation Initiative, making energy and clean technology particularly relevant themes.

Straubel's keynote presentation will cover his experiences in energy innovation and business opportunities in clean technology and climate change solutions. His unique perspective on disruptive technologies and energy storage systems, combined with his role in developing Tesla's battery technology, Gigafactory, and energy storage business, provides invaluable insights for Ontario's growing clean technology sector. The conversation format with journalist and RBC executive John Stackhouse promises to deliver both technical insights and business strategy perspectives that attendees can apply to their own innovation initiatives.