Today was the first day of Collision. There was so much happening on the floor, and it was really great to see Toronto as the centre of the Tech universe.

Here are some general themes I noticed:

• Tech is dealing with Trust issues. More so, the lack thereof. Companies are operating in environments where trust is no longer implied but an earned currency. This came up in many contexts - discussions about social media companies and their role in distributing trusted news, or millennials relationship with traditional banks. Also amongst ourselves in the tech community- especially towards the central powers of FANG.
• Workforces on demand especially for engineering talent. Hiring is the biggest issue facing most startups and can be the main reason why many don’t get off the ground. There are a number of startups solving this problem especially for the early stage of shipping a V1.
• Technology and higher order problems. I’m biased because I’m also interested in this space. I saw a number of really interesting startups on the floor working on a range of solutions to psychological and social issues - everything from mental health to creating empathy through software.

I was overwhelmed with the first day, perhaps because I was surprised at how much is happening. I’m looking forward to seeing what themes emerge in the next few days.