The 5 biggest takeaways from the Collision 2021 conference for Kayan Health

One of Ontario, Canada’s delegates shares their experience at the Olympics of tech

Guest blog by Kayan Health, an Ontario delegate at the 2021 Collision Conference. Kayan Health is an artificial intelligence-powered health communication platform built on top of a proprietary framework that helps doctors streamline communication with patients and remotely monitor them. Kayan allows patients to schedule virtual consultations with their physicians and communicate with them through chat, audio and video calls. It integrates with wearable devices and diagnostic tools that deliver greater visibility into the patient’s health and provides proactive, automated alerts. Their goal is to democratize healthcare. All data is stored in a holistic patient profile integrated with the clinic’s electronic health systems—ensuring patients’ health records are up to date and accessible by all—helping deliver better care and enabling clinics to generate more revenue.

Filled with some of the brightest minds in the industry, Collision wasn’t just another tech conference for Kayan Health. Collision allowed us not only the opportunity to attend “the Olympics of tech” but also gave us the opportunity to be delegates for Ontario on an international stage and network with like-minded entrepreneurs around the world.

At Collision, we were among a select few of Ontario’s talented companies representing our province’s robust tech ecosystem. Ontario boasts nearly 24,000 tech firms, and we were one of 65 in attendance and among a privileged few to present their latest innovations.

Here, we’re sharing our five biggest takeaways from this year’s Collision experience.

We were among some of the biggest celebrities in media and tech
As serial entrepreneurs focused on the business and development of technology in the healthcare space, attending Collision allowed Kayan Health to enter a competitive landscape of innovators looking to transform the way people use tech. The star-studded roster of speakers was comprehensive and contained experts from several different industries from companies including, the Vice President of YouTube, Chris Jaffe; Actor and Owner of Mint Mobile, Ryan Reynolds; Environmentalist at Patagonia, Rick Ridgeway and CEO of Shopify, Töbias Lutke.
Adapting to the conference virtually was an innovative experience
Collision faced a new challenge this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic; they had to adapt and figure out how to bring a large tech community together virtually. The organizers did so through the Collision 2021 app. Collision’s “Mingle” feature allowed us to meet other companies that would pair well within the healthtech space but also meet others that weren’t top of mind. Mingle was similar to speed dating and got us out of our comfort zone to hear other great tech developments that are going on in the industry. The ability to schedule one-on-one meetings with companies that share similar interests was extremely beneficial to conference delegates, ourselves included.

Collision’s panels were five to 20 minutes long and had up to 1,000 attendees. This time model allowed attendees to see a multitude of speakers. Each panel wrapped up with a Q&A session, allowing the audience to understand the companies further. If attendees wanted to connect with another tech industry member, they could continue their conversation through a personal message feature allowing for a more personal and effective way to interact with contacts beyond Collision.
Having a digital tech conference bolstered our presence
Collision, well known for bringing in thousands of individuals interested in the tech industry, brought a new perspective to Kayan’s platform. We were able to gain stronger name recognition and discuss with interested attendees how Kayan is helping to improve accessibility in healthcare. The platform also enabled us to meet and potentially partner with other tech companies that would benefit from having the Kayan platform implemented into their business model. Some of the people we met with included investors interested in both the digital health space and partnering with Kayan Health, supporting our growth and becoming a part of our journey.
It became clear that the future of healthtech is collaborative
The future of healthcare lies in the hands of companies around the globe working tirelessly to ensure that the healthtech space lives up to the expectations for a healthier tomorrow. With that in mind, when we started Kayan, our initiative was to build a platform that helped healthcare organizations streamline communication between patients but also expand the technology that general medicine provided outside of the clinic walls. Collision broadened our scope on what industries we can collaborate with. It was no longer “What health-related companies are out there?” Instead, it was “How can other areas of tech software and expertise align with ours?”
Ontario is leading the way in healthtech innovation
Ontario’s tech landscape is rich with expertise and skills, and this was made clear at Collision. Ontario is leading a shift in the healthcare landscape from normalcy to a patient-centred healthtech revolution. Being a delegate at Collision, representing Ontario, it was a privilege to be among the best and brightest in the province. We are amid a burgeoning sector. At the conference, many minds came together and our technologies played off one another to build an interconnected, collaborative approach to innovation. It’s evident that to stay competitive, you must play the game, and fast. That includes adapting to new protocols and technologies but also adopting new opportunities as they come.