Midtown x TO - My Experience

Hi everyone! My name is Olamide Dinah and I am a Grade 10 student at Upper Canada College. Today, I had the pleasure to attend Illuminate x MidtownTO’s regional conference. Here are my thoughts highlighting what I learned about The Future of Technology.

A Photo from the conference.

One of the main focuses of the conference was Fintech - or Financial Technology. I really deepened my understanding of Fintech, its importance, and how it can impact the future of both Business & Technology. One of the key reasons behind this was a wonderful presentation from Salim Naran.

Mr. Naran went in-depth into Fintech, specifically in regards to its application in the Banking world. He mentioned the areas that Fintech is currently growing in i.e.(Payments), as well as what is hampering further growth in the Fintech area. Something else I found very interesting was when he addressed the culture in Canada, managing to link it to the lack of innovation in a very thoughtful manner.

I was also inspired by Razor Suleman to remember something very important. when creating a business, you shouldn't really be chasing money, rather, you should be focusing on something you enjoy doing - this will make the process far more enjoyable.

All in all, this was a fantastic experience, and I'm glad I attended. What I enjoyed the most would have to be the case competition, as it was great to work with colleagues and brainstorm creative ideas. I felt that it was similar to a more detailed and realistic Deca presentation.

The skills I built in terms of my creativity will certainly be applicable in the future, and I'm also glad I developed my teamwork and management skills (as a captain).