CUTC 2026 TRANSFORM

VIRTUAL

Canada's longest-running student-led technology conference closes its 2026 season with a free virtual day of talks, live Q&A and conversations with founders and builders, streamed live to students anywhere in the world on October 3.

What is CUTC?

Founded at the University of Waterloo in 1999, the Canadian Undergraduate Technology Conference has grown into one of Canada’s longest-running student-led technology communities.

CUTC relaunched in 2025. Since November we’ve run events across Canada and reached more than 3,500 students.

Today we reach students through conferences, hackathons, workshops and community events hosted in Waterloo, Toronto, Montréal, Vancouver and St. John’s.

  • 3,500+ STUDENTS REACHED
  • 1999 FOUNDED AT WATERLOO
  • 5 CITIES ACROSS CANADA
  • 20+ SPEAKERS THIS SEASON

Meet the speakers

Over twenty founders, builders, and creatives for the 2026 season!

Saturday, October 3

One day, three rooms: keynotes and panels on the main stage, hands-on workshops, and social rooms to meet everyone else.

ALL TIMES EASTERN (ET)

  1. 10:00
  2. 10:15
  3. 11:00
  4. 11:45
  5. 12:15
  6. 1:00
  7. 1:45
  8. 2:15
  9. 2:45
  10. 3:15
  11. 3:45

The 2026 season

  1. Transform Virtual

    VIRTUAL · OCTOBER 3, 2026

    The season closes in Montréal with keynotes, workshops, startup showcases and a full afternoon of recruiting.

    GET FREE TICKETS →

  2. Connect & Create: Intern Picnic

    CORONATION PARK, TORONTO · AUGUST 29, 2026

    An end-of-summer social at Coronation Park bringing together interns, students, builders and young professionals from across Toronto: snacks, board games, spikeball, a giant game of hide and seek, and plenty of time to actually meet people.

  3. CUTC: Transform Hackathon

    VIRTUAL · AUGUST 8 – 15, 2026

    A week-long virtual hackathon open to everyone, at every skill level. Teams of up to four competed across five tracks: media, apps, workflows, hardware and design. Mentors were on hand around the clock and speaker sessions ran all week.

  4. Transform Toronto

    TORONTO, ON · SPRING 2026

    A full day of keynotes, panels and recruiting that brought students together with founders and operators from across Canadian tech.

  5. Codescape

    WATERLOO · MARCH 21, 2026

    A one-day AI-powered competition in Waterloo where teams solve digital puzzles using prompt engineering to unlock real-world campus challenges in a fast-paced scavenger hunt experience.

  6. AI Unlocked

    QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY · FEBRUARY 25, 2026

    A one-day AI workshop and networking event at Queen's University that brings together students and industry leaders to explore practical, real-world applications of AI tools across disciplines.

  7. Hello, AI :)

    ONTARIO TECH UNIVERSITY · JANUARY 31, 2026

    A one-day, hands-on AI workshop at Ontario Tech University where students actively explore real-world AI tools and applications through guided, beginner-friendly sessions designed to build practical skills and confidence.

    Hello, AI :) — Opening ceremonyHello, AI :) — Alumni panelHello, AI :) — CUTC and BITSoc organizersHello, AI :) — Ontario Tech's FBIT DeanHello, AI :) — Nodalli workshop speakers

  8. Codemas

    VIRTUAL · DECEMBER 24, 2025 – JANUARY 3, 2026

    A virtual coding challenge where participants tracked their coding time through WakaTime to earn tokens, with ML/AI projects receiving bonus tokens. These tokens could be redeemed for prizes in an online shop.

    Codemas — Codemas dashboardCodemas — Codemas leaderboardCodemas — Codemas gift storeCodemas — Codemas home screenCodemas — Codemas giveawayCodemas — Meta Quest prize

  9. CUTC x Caffeine.ai

    SHOPIFY TORONTO · NOVEMBER 22, 2025

    A one-day prompthathon hosted at Shopify Toronto where participants build and demo AI-generated apps using Caffeine.ai’s conversational vibecoding platform, learning prompt engineering and rapid prototyping through hands-on workshops and team challenges.

    CUTC x Caffeine.ai — Opening ceremonyCUTC x Caffeine.ai — Shopify Toronto venueCUTC x Caffeine.ai — Caffeine.ai demoCUTC x Caffeine.ai — Lunch breakCUTC x Caffeine.ai — Participant demosCUTC x Caffeine.ai — Closing ceremonyCUTC x Caffeine.ai — Caffeine.ai judgesCUTC x Caffeine.ai — Event winners

Backed by our sponsors

CUTC relies on the companies and communities that show up for Canadian students. Thank you!

Interested in sponsoring?

SPONSOR CUTC →

Frequently asked questions

Everything you need to know about CUTC and Transform Virtual.

What is CUTC?

The Canadian Undergraduate Technology Conference is Canada's longest-running student-led technology conference. Founded at the University of Waterloo in 1999, CUTC has brought together generations of students, founders, researchers and industry leaders. Since relaunching in 2025 it has reached more than 3,500 students across the country.

What is Transform Virtual?

Transform Virtual is the closing conference of the 2026 season, on Saturday, October 3. It's a full day of talks, panels and live Q&A with founders, builders and researchers, streamed live so students anywhere can attend. It caps a season that ran hackathons, workshops and Transform Toronto.

Who speaks at CUTC?

Founders, executives and researchers at the front of Canadian and global tech. This season alone the lineup includes leaders from Shopify, Google, IBM, Microsoft and OpenText alongside the founders of some of Canada's fastest-growing startups. See the Speakers section for the full lineup.

Who is it for?

Undergraduate students first, but you don't need to study computer science or engineering. Students in business, design, science and other disciplines attend, as do recent graduates and early-career builders. If you're curious about where technology is going, you belong here.

What's it like to attend?

Not a sit-and-watch conference. Every session has live Q&A, speakers stick around for conversation, and there's dedicated time to meet other attendees, founders and sponsors. People leave with new ideas, new contacts and, often, their next internship or co-founder.

How much does it cost?

Nothing. Tickets to Transform Virtual are free. We're planning for around 250 attendees, and there's no cap, so bring your friends.

How do I get in?

Register with your name and email through the Get Tickets button. Everyone with a ticket receives the link to join, along with the schedule, by email before October 3. Keep an eye on your inbox (and your spam folder) in the week leading up to the conference.

What do I need on the day?

A laptop or phone, a stable internet connection and your ticket confirmation email. Headphones help. There's no dress code.

Can I actually talk to the speakers?

Yes. Interaction is the point of CUTC. Every talk ends with live Q&A, and we build in time for conversations between attendees, speakers, founders and sponsors throughout the day.

How can my company get involved?

CUTC is backed by companies that want to meet Canada's next generation of builders, from Shopify and IBM to early-stage startups. Sponsorship puts your team in front of thousands of students across the season. Reach us at team@cutc.ca and we'll send the sponsorship package.

STILL HAVE QUESTIONS? REACH US AT TEAM@CUTC.CA

Meet the organizers

CUTC is planned and run entirely by students. This is the crew driving the 2026 season.

  • CUTC
    SINCE 1999
    TRANSFORM
    EXPRESS
    CAR 01 OPERATIONS
    CAR 02 OUTREACH
    CAR 03 TECHNOLOGY
    CAR 04 MARKETING/DESIGN