Canaccord Genuity’s 42nd Annual Growth Conference Wrap-Up
Canaccord Genuity’s Annual Growth Conference is one of the leading events for entrepreneurs, innovators, and investors, bringing them together from across the globe with some of the world’s most promising growth companies. This year the 42nd Annual Growth Conference and was held in Boston, Massachusetts.
Growth Conference attendees took part in presentations from growth companies over four days in core sectors across multiple tracks, including technology, healthcare and life sciences, sustainability, industrials, and consumer and retail.
To talk more about the 42nd Annual Growth Conference, here is International Deal Gateway’s CEO, Elizabeth Priestman.
Who attended this year’s event?
Firstly, it was exciting to be back in person at the Growth Conference after three years of being virtual. The event welcomed back over 1,600 attendees, including leading institutional investors and 390 presenting companies.
Most impressive were the 9,300 one-on-one meetings held throughout the four-day event connecting investors directly with entrepreneurs. This really highlights Canaccord Genuity’s commitment to providing its clients with world-class services and innovative opportunities for the global markets.
What were some of the highlights?
It’s obviously difficult to narrow down just a few highlights with so many innovative companies presenting new ideas and exciting solutions to global problems, from electric vehicles to healthcare and the environment.
Standout themes for me included the research and trials being done with psychedelics to support mental health. The progress and early results in this area are promising for PTSD, depression, and anxiety—definitely a category to keep your eyes on.
A second highlight was learning just how much environmental damage is done by the textile industry.
Very, very little of what’s manufactured is recycled, meaning it has to be incinerated or die a slow death in our landfills. On top of that, the move from cotton to synthetic fibres, like polyester, is one of the leading sources of microplastic pollution, which is harmful to marine life.
A Swiss entrepreneur showcased a revolutionary continuous cellulosic filament yarn made out of cellulosic biopolymers. In layman’s terms, this is a fabric made out of everyday garbage like coffee grounds, banana peels, etc. This is a new kind of fabric that can be recycled eternally without loss of performance and is biodegradable. A true game changer!
The event featured leaders from several different sectors like tech, healthcare, sustainability, industrials, and retail, but did any common themes overlap across these industries?
Certainly. Common themes were sustainability and the environment. It’s hard to be an innovator in any field and overlook the global call to focus on your company’s impact on the environment and wider society.
Coming off two years of living through a global pandemic reminds us of a collective calling to take care of each other as well as the planet. With the conference attracting so many creative and courageous entrepreneurs in growth sectors, it’s not surprising that so many companies are integrating more corporate responsibility regardless of their industry.
Tell us about the keynote delivered by Tony Dwyer, Canaccord Genuity’s Chief Market Strategist.
When an expert like Tony delivers a keynote, you can bet the room will be absolutely packed with standing room only, especially with the state of the current markets. There wasn’t an inch of space when Tony took the floor to share his highly sought-after insights on what drives the global economy.
His presentation style is confident, energetic, and almost conversational in the way he engages with the audience in such a personable manner. His hour-long macroeconomic outlook flew by. I would be doing a disservice trying to capture Tony’s keynote presentation, given he has over 30 years of market experience.
