Tuesday, September 22, 2026
4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Victoria, BC (open in Google Maps) (address shared on registration)
Free Event
Presented by Osler, RBCx and Cindicates
Hosts: Jacques Du Plessis on LinkedIn, Shelly Badhesha on LinkedIn, John Austin on LinkedIn
The AI boom has rewritten the rules of startup fundraising – valuations, deal structures, and investor expectations are all moving faster than ever. But how do founders actually navigate this new landscape, from first check to eventual liquidity? Join Osler, RBCx, and Cindicates for a candid conversation with investors who are actively writing checks in this environment. Co-moderated by Jacques Du Plessis (Osler) and Shelly Badhesha (RBCx), this session brings together a panel of investors to unpack: • What's actually changed (and what hasn't) in startup financing since AI became the market's obsession • How investors are evaluating deals and setting terms in this cycle • What founders need to know about the path to liquidity and how to plan for it years in advance Who should attend: Founders planning to raise capital in the next 12 months — whether this is your first round or you're navigating a later stage, this session will give you a clearer view of what to expect, straight from the people making the decisions. 4:00 - 5:00 p.m. PT | Fireside and Q&A 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. PT | Social
Anu's Take
Worth the afternoon if you are raising in the next twelve months, and the reason is the second half. The panel runs an hour, the social runs ninety minutes, and a room built by a national law firm, a bank and a local fund is one you want the extra time in. The advertised subject is how the AI boom moved valuations and terms, which is genuinely unsettled. The part about planning liquidity years in advance is the advice everybody gets free and takes late.
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Published Thursday, August 6, 2026 by Anu Jolliffe on LinkedIn
Rooms like this one are where AI capital gets allocated, and I have written about where it does not land: Ottawa's strategy says 'invest' 55 times and 'small business' once.