What's more, our neighbours to the south continue to lead the way in innovating venture finance. New models of technology incubation and seed finance seem to emerge in the United States every day, as those on the hunt for opportunity continue to explore how best to develop it. Indeed, there is now a move afoot in the U.S. to change immigration law to create a "Startup Visa" that would create new opportunity for immigrant entrepreneurs to remain in the U.S.

Where should entrepreneurs in Canada turn now? We have a national record of innovation that is unrivaled, and our universities are among the best in the world, but without a rich financial ecosystem to sponsor innovation, opportunity will certainly migrate elsewhere. Many Canadians involved in these areas believe we need to act now. In its recent budget, the Federal Government announced revisions to certain aspects of Canadian income tax law that many believe have impeded foreign investment in Canadian innovation. This is a welcome development, but arguably of little relevance to home-grown sources of innovation capital.

Today we turn to an exploration of these issues, and invite you to join with us. We've assembled a diverse group of talented and experienced entrepreneurs, investors, and strategists to give us their thoughts on the challenges we face in venture capital. We hope you'll take part.