The timing is perfect for the Invest Canada Conference to land in Halifax, says Benjamin Bergen, because Atlantic Canada excels at enterprises that are front and centre in the national economic agenda.

The new CEO of the Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association, or CVCA, which is hosting the conference in Halifax on May 26-28, says his organization is now studying ways to “recapitalize Canada”. It is part of the national effort to improve and diversify the economy, and key sectors in the nation-building initiative will include defence, dual-use enterprises and ocean technology – all of which are strengths in Atlantic Canada.

“The timing actually couldn’t be better for the region given the geopolitical reality the world now finds itself in,” said Bergen in an interview on Wednesday.

The CVCA announced last month that Bergen, who was then the President of the Council of Canadian Innovators, would succeed Kim Furlong as the top executive at the national association for private capital. Now 24 days into the job, Bergen is touring the country to solicit opinions on what the private equity and venture capital communities need to do to maximize the success of innovation-driven companies.

“We’re at a moment where we have to think of new strategies,” said Bergen. “The most exciting thing for me is, how do we recapitalize the country?”

He added that Canada has risen to such challenges before in its history. In the early years of the confederation, it found the financial and engineering capacity to build a transnational railroad. And in the 1980s, the country’s need for larger engineering concerns spawned the creation of such global companies as SNC-Lavalin (now AtkinsRéalis).

Asked what the conference will mean to founders in Atlantic Canada, Bergen said Invest Canada will bring together the leading investors in Canada and beyond, and they will see what’s going on in Atlantic Canada. The 2025 conference in Calgary was sold out and attracted 700 senior investment professionals. The 2026 conference will offer this group the chance to witness the unique organizations in the regional ecosystem, said Bergen, who began his university career at Dalhousie University before transferring to University of Toronto. For example, he said they’d learn about such “great facilities” as COVE, the Dartmouth-based oceantech hub that is one of the principal sponsors of the event.

For founders, he said, it will be a perfect opportunity to develop connections and mingle with leading investors.