Scaling an AI startup often feels like building the plane while flying it, especially when early traction begins to level off and operational bottlenecks emerge. You’ve built the product and found your first users, but the path to sustainable growth is rarely a straight line. Traditional speaker-led sessions can offer inspiration, but they often miss the specific, messy reality of your day-to-day hurdles. Join us for the AI Founders Forum: Peer-to-Peer Hot Seat, a session designed specifically for founders to move past the noise and solve what actually matters. This isn’t a passive presentation; it is a curated, founder-only space where you can actively contribute to and learn from a community that understands the unique pressures of the AI landscape. Whether you are struggling with user retention or navigating the complexities of hiring for a technical team, this session provides the honest, actionable feedback you need to move forward.

What you’ll learn

This interactive hot seat session is designed to provide immediate, collective problem-solving for your most pressing scaling hurdles. In this session, you’ll:

• Identify and deconstruct common operational bottlenecks that slow down growth after initial market traction.
• Explore proven strategies for converting early users into long-term, paying customers to build a sustainable revenue model.
• Gain practical insights into managing churn and improving retention through peer-tested methods.
• Apply real-world advice on hiring and team scaling from founders who have successfully navigated these transitions.
• Access a supportive network of peers to receive honest, real-time feedback on your specific business challenges.

For startups in the scaling phase, the ability to pivot and solve problems quickly is the difference between stagnation and success. At Innovation Factory, we believe that the strongest insights often come from those walking the same path. By participating in this peer-to-peer forum, you leverage the collective intelligence of our innovation ecosystem to find solutions that a single speaker might overlook. This collaborative approach fosters a stronger community of founders who are better equipped to overcome technical and operational obstacles together.

Who should attend:

This session is exclusively tailored for leaders within the AI and technology sectors who are currently facing growth hurdles.

• Early-stage founders who have achieved initial traction and are now looking to scale operations.
• Technical co-founders and CEOs focused on solving product bottlenecks and optimizing team performance.
• Entrepreneurs seeking a confidential, founder-only environment to discuss real business challenges.

Meet the Speakers:

While the room is the expert, we are pleased to welcome seasoned founders from the Innovation Factory community to kick off the conversation:

• LiveSens: An iF client that has navigated the complexities of sensor-based AI technology and scaling within industrial markets.
• OneChart: A growth-stage startup bringing insights on navigating highly regulated environments and converting users in the healthcare AI space.

Accessibility and accommodation requests

We are committed to providing accessible event spaces. Please see our Accessibility Information for details on our Hamilton and Halton locations. If you require additional accommodations, please contact [email protected].