The City of Markham is home to over 1,500 technology companies, including IBM, AMD, ESET Canada, Microart, and The Six Semiconductor. These companies employ over 34,000 knowledge workers who have made their homes in Markham, from mechanical and software engineers to artificial intelligence and machine learning experts.
But the city’s tech landscape wasn’t always this rich.
In 1981, Markham mayor Don Cousens saw the growing potential of tech to transform Markham from an agricultural community to a destination for global tech leaders. Cousens led the creation of TechConnex, a non-profit organization that fosters tech business growth across Markham.
TechConnex was created shortly after IBM chose Markham for its first Canadian office. Ryan Ellis, Membership Director at TechConnex, says Cousens wanted to build on that momentum and attract more technology companies to the city.
“From what I hear, it was a ‘Field of Dreams’ approach. If I build it, they will come. It was guerilla tactics when it came to marketing. Cousens had road and maintenance workers hand painting signs that read “Tech Capital of Canada. He was 40 years ahead of the curve,” Ellis says.
Now in its 43rd year, TechConnex continues its mission to create connections and foster growth. The organization offers its members opportunities through peer-to-peer meetings, forums, networking, and social events. Over 200 events are held each year, and its team continually looks for innovative ways to create connections.
“We’ve grown from offering a member directory to 18 peer-to-peer groups. We’re always looking to see what else we can offer that can help tech companies succeed. There are peer groups for sales, marketing, Women in Tech, and HR. It’s an amazing group of people talking shop, facilitating conversations, making introductions, and helping each other out,” Ellis says.
TechConnex’s programs and events are designed for small and medium-sized companies. Ellis says TechConnex members include almost every role at a company, from CEOs to office managers.
“We're always trying to provide value and different outlooks to help companies keep ahead of trends. We recently launched an AI-focused peer-to-peer group, and we started a cyber resilience group last year. We try to provide as much knowledge as possible to keep people safe,” he says.
While TechConnex focuses on small and medium-sized businesses, its team works like a scrappy tech start-up. Ellis is one of two full-time staff members and a crew of volunteers who serve the TechConnex community.
“There could be 10 to 20 staff in other organizations like ours. We wear multiple hats, from managing the website and event calendar to scheduling programming up to three months out. I was just in Vaughan to kick off their small business week while Kelley was in Richmond Hill for an event. We’re trying to have as many touchpoints with our members as possible,” Ellis says.
From networking to education, TechConnex continues to find ways to bring the Markham tech community together. Membership pricing is based on the number of employees, and Ellis says the returns are realized almost immediately.
“You probably will get 10x ROI from attending peer groups alone. You will come back with nuggets that you can implement; you will start building relationships. We're just looking to help anybody that's looking to connect or come to York Region,” he says.
Visit techconnex.ca to learn more about TechConnex membership and events and attend a complimentary Peer Group.
