Dual-Use Defence 101 Day | June 15, Barrie | Free | Application Required
Event Announcement
On June 15, 2026, Sandbox Centre, in partnership with PerceptX, the City of Barrie (Invest Barrie), and supported by Simcoe County, is hosting Dual-Use Defence 101 Day in Barrie, Ontario.
This is a free, curated, closed, full-day session designed to give growth-stage companies and scaling SMEs a practical, honest introduction to the Canadian defence and dual-use sector. Speakers and partners are joining from Singapore, the United States, and from across Ontario.
The day
The morning covers the global and Canadian defence market, procurement pathways, and what it realistically takes to enter and grow in this space. The afternoon shifts to application and connection, with expert panels, a commercialization session, and dedicated one-on-one sessions for selected companies with our defence practitioners.
One-on-one sessions
As part of the application process, we will be pre-selecting 10 companies for private one-on-one sessions with our defence practitioners. This is a direct conversation about where your organization fits and a chance to go deeper on the complexities, opportunities, and risks specific to your situation. The application also allows us to connect each business to the programming, mentor supports, demo day opportunities, and larger projects we have coming down the pipeline. Our goal is to provide as many free supports as possible to companies that are serious about entering this space, and the application is how we make sure those supports land in the right hands.
Speaker lineup
We have an exceptional group joining us, including Troy Crosby (Former ADM Materiel, National Defence), Andre Filion (Former ADM Defence and Marine Procurement, PSPC), Darcy Byrtus (Former President, BMT), Mark Shoniker (VP Corporate Finance, CIBC), Mike Petric (Managing Director, PerceptX), Darian Harris (Fuse Ventures), Frank Taylor (Former JTF2 Operator), and Adam Varey (Ballistics Expert, Former Military Police). More to be announced.
Apply to attend
This event is designed to fill the room with business owners and founders who are at exactly the point where they are starting to take this sector seriously and need the right context, connections, and resources to move forward. Attendance is by application only.