On Thursday, April 30, 2026, 165 founders, investors, builders, educators, and industry leaders filled 570 Dunsmuir for AI Innovation Night — the inaugural launch of the Alexander Innovation Centre and the start of a new monthly series for BC's AI community.
One Roof. Five Pillars.
AIC was built to connect and collaborate through applied research, industry collaboration, corporate training, education & incubation, and Canadian AI infrastructure— five pillars under one connected ecosystem.
Innovation Night was the first public proof of that vision.
By the end of the evening, the room had moved through food and introductions, four substantive talks, and the kind of unscripted conversations that don't happen at traditional conferences.
Alebex Makes Its Public Debut
The Speakers
Justin Hinchcliffe
The AIC Vision
Opened the night with the AIC vision and what's coming next for BC's AI ecosystem.
Roy Li
Live Alebex Demo
Gave a real-time demo of Alebex's voice engine — a conversational AI showcase that stopped the room.
Earl Flormata
Practical AI for Small Business Content Marketing
Built a complete content strategy live on stage, showing the audience exactly how AI tools work in practice.
Ronnie Savage
Robotics for Environmental Restoration & Security
Showcased autonomous AI units already being deployed to restore ecosystems, clean coastlines, and protect critical sites.
"That's not a tech meetup. That's an ecosystem forming. Vancouver has been waiting for a center of gravity for its AI community, and AIC looks like it wants to be that."
The Atmosphere
Innovation Nights are designed to feel more like a dinner party than a conference. No pitch competitions, no formal presentations.
Just good food and the kind of room where a researcher ends up talking to an investor who ends up talking to a founder who leaves with a new collaborator.
Thank You
A huge thank-you to our MC Robert (Rob) Arthurs, our venue sponsor Alexander College, and every one of the 165 people who showed up to build something with us.
We couldn't have asked for a better start.
What's Next
The next AI Innovation Night is June 23, 2026.
We're actively looking for speakers, sponsors, and partner organizations to shape what comes next — and AIC is hiring across multiple roles.
Join Us on June 23rd
The next Innovation Night is June 23, 2026. Free admission, downtown Vancouver. Come build something with us.