According to a recent study of the world's top cities for innovation (by Innovation Cities™ Index) New York is ranked #1, San Francisco #9 and Toronto #10. For context, Norway (Oslo) is ranked #42 on this list. With increasing levels of investment in innovation (i.e., artificial intelligence, fintech, blockchain, mobile applications), world-class talent and smart immigration policies, these cities are at the forefront of large-scale change. What are some best practices that can be leveraged to influence us here at home?

However, when it comes to advancing gender equality, Norway is ranked #2 in the Global Gender Gap Index by the World Economic Forum. Canada and the USA are #19 and #53, respectively. We aim to build bridges between a country that is a beacon of hope related to gender equality to ones that require potentially deep systematic overhaul. 

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In each city, you will hear from some of the world’s best founders, companies that have gone to scale, from policy and government advisors and investors in these geographies. Each destination will be focused on three major themes:

• General tech ecosystem innovation 

• Investing in gender equality 

• Connections between Norway and North America 

At the end of this program, you will come away with a deeper understanding of each geographic area and what makes them wholly unique. In addition, you may find yourself asking, what can we learn from what they are doing in those geographies, what can we apply here back at home, and most importantly what can we do to build stronger connections between Norway and North America?