APEX Forum: Cross-Border Ready; IP, AI, and Growing Beyond Canada

Growth exposes you. The moment you hire in another country, sign a distributor, license your product, or let an AI tool into your operations, you've created risk you didn't have last year. Most owners find out what they should have protected after they needed it protected. But entering a new market is not only about protecting what you've built. It is also about relationships, networks, and finding the right doors into that market. That is where this forum connects two conversations that matter for Canadian businesses looking beyond Canada: being cross-border ready and creating cross-border opportunity. Intellectual property and artificial intelligence shape what your business is worth, what a buyer or investor will pay for it, and whether you can defend your position when you enter a new market. At the same time, major international platforms like the FIFA World Cup create relationships between cities, businesses, institutions, and countries that can open commercial opportunities long after the event itself is over. Catapult Startups is organizing this forum with the U.S. Consulate General in Calgary and the Consulate of Mexico in Calgary, with Fasken as Presenting Sponsor. The morning brings together legal counsel, cross-border trade representatives, business leaders, and members of the soccer community to look at both sides of international growth: how to protect your business and how to build the relationships that help you enter new markets. Panel 1 — Protecting What You Built: IP and AI Across Three Countries How intellectual property is protected and how AI is regulated differs meaningfully between Canada, the United States, and Mexico. A Fasken Associate, consulate trade representatives from the United States and Mexico, and an independent AI governance advisor walk through where filings actually need to happen, where companies most often get caught out, and what to have in place before you sign a distributor, license your software, or deploy a model in a new market. Panel 2 — After the World Cup: Impact and Opportunity The 2026 tournament is over and the numbers are in. This panel closes the loop on the economic impact across the three host countries, the cross-border relationships the tournament built between cities and companies, and how businesses can turn that goodwill into real market entry while the door is still open. Who this is for: Business owners and founders whose companies are growing and whose exposure is growing with them Small and medium-sized enterprises exporting, expanding, hiring, or licensing into the U.S. or Mexico Companies adopting AI and unsure what it means for their data, their contracts, and their ownership Owners thinking about capital or exit, where unprotected IP quietly reduces what the business is worth You do not need a legal background. You need a business with something worth protecting. Please note: This session focuses on intellectual property, AI, and data ownership across the three countries. Tariffs, customs, and rules of origin are not covered. Capacity is limited to 330 seats. ORGANIZED BY Organized by Catapult Startups with the U.S. Consulate General in Calgary and the Consulate of Mexico in Calgary. Catapult Startups — Calgary-based advisory firm helping Canadian business owners launch, grow, scale, enter new markets, raise capital, and plan for exit. U.S. Consulate General in Calgary — Supporting trade and commercial ties between the United States and Alberta, Saskatchewan, and the Northwest Territories. Consulate of Mexico in Calgary — Advancing commercial, cultural, and community ties between Mexico and southern Alberta. PRESENTING SPONSOR Fasken is a leading business and litigation law firm with a strong presence in Alberta. From supporting entrepreneurs with startup ventures to assisting global corporations in accessing Canadian markets, we reflect the province's vibrant marketplace and are here to help you turn complexity into opportunity.

Register Now