Vancouver AI Community Meetup & The Squatchie Awards
It's dark December in Vancouver. The solstice approaches.
Two years ago, we started gathering trying to figure out what AI meant for the work we make and the communities we serve.
3,300+ people have moved through this space. Hundreds have demoed projects, spoken, hacked through the night, or contributed in ways that pushed the whole thing forward. At the darkest point of the year, we light up the work that mattered most.
The Squatchies
Celebrating human-machine collaboration, homegrown intelligence, and the creative rebels shaping our shared future.
Six awards for the people who moved the needle this year.
The organizers who held space. The Indigenous technologists building sovereignty through code. The artists integrating AI into their practice. The builders who shared their work so others could build.
We're calling them The Squatchies named for something that's always been here, in the trees and the stories. These awards belong to BC, made by the community that's building here.
Why This Matters
The AI story is being shaped by centralized power, but here we're cultivating something else: community-driven intelligence rooted in ethics, imagination, and impact.
BC is a biome of intelligence... ecological, emotional, ancestral, and algorithmic. These awards recognize the minds and movements shaping our province's distinct AI culture.
Hosted by the Kris Krüg, Vancouver AI & community-driven BC + AI industry association, the awards are a ritual of recognition, a call to gather, and a statement of values for an ecosystem growing in the shadow of Big Tech yet dreaming its own dream.
Special Holiday Performance by Alex, Zaro & Professor Patrick Parra Pennefather
Join us early for a unique holiday sound experience led by Patrick and the crew. We’re doing a live, interactive performance that captures the festive energy of the room and turns it into something special. It’s the perfect way to connect and celebrate another year of building this ecosystem together.
The Night's Agenda
Here's how we're marking the moment...
The Squatchies Awards — Six recognitions for people and projects that pushed BC's AI ecosystem forward
Patrick Penfather's AI Musical Performance — Holiday-themed, interactive, legendary
Year-End Wrap-Up & 2025 Roadmap — Where we've been, where we're going
Doors Open: 6pm
Food, networking, open bar: 6-7pm
Program Begins: 7pm
Program Ends: 9pm
Desert, drinks, astronomy: 9-10pm
Event Ends: 10pm
Where: H.R. MacMillan Space Centre — 1100 Chestnut St, Vancouver
Hosted by: Kris Krüg · Vancouver AI × BC + AI Ecosystem
Capacity: 200 humans (we always sell out)
Tickets: Earlyworm $40 · Standard $60 · BC + AI Members get 25% off.
Slap’d Treats is a Vancouver-based dessert brand serving handcrafted, over-the-top cookies that actually slap. Started by two high schoolers, we’re all about delicious flavors and fresh-baked cookies. We’re excited to be catering Vancouver AI.
Learn more at slapdtreats.ca
** No experience required. Curiosity is the only prerequisite.
Want to Help?
2026 bring many opportunities for collaborators, curators, sponsors, performers, and visionaries. If this speaks to your spirit, come build it with us.
British Columbia is building its own AI story. Come help us tell it.
See you under the dome.
THE BC + AI ECOSYSTEM
Vancouver AI was just the start. BC's AI Ecosystem continues to grow, with new community hubs emerging in Surrey, Victoria, Kelowna, and beyond—each contributing unique perspectives to a thriving, interconnected network.
BC + AI represents a collective, province-wide effort to democratize AI knowledge, innovation, and opportunity. Become a Member → Grow Community Infrastructure: Join BC + AI
ABOUT VANCOUVER AI
Vancouver AI is a neural network of curious humans mapping the terrain between technology and consciousness.
Since 2023, we've been building a different kind of tech community: one that questions as much as it creates, that bridges art galleries and research labs, corporate towers and garage workshops.
We run monthly gatherings where you'll find the unexpected: AI researchers jamming with musicians, developers debating ethics with philosophers, and entrepreneurs finding inspiration in indigenous wisdom.