Dual-Use Demystified: Could Your Tech Serve Both Commercial and Defence Markets?
Understanding dual-use, defence opportunities, and procurement basics
Canada is increasing investment in technologies that serve both commercial and defence and security applications. If you’re building in AI, cybersecurity, sensing, geospatial, robotics, advanced materials, simulation, or critical infrastructure software, your product may already qualify as dual-use — even if you’ve never considered defence markets before.
Join us for a practical, founder-friendly session designed to help you:
- Identify credible defence and security use cases for your technology
- Understand the technical, data, and capability characteristics that typically trigger dual-use considerations
- Learn what does — and does not — change when engaging with defence-adjacent customers
- Gain a clearer picture of how defence procurement works and where startups can realistically engage
Who should attend: Founders, product leaders, CTOs, and business development leads.
Speaker: Shelby Eyre
Shelby Eyre is an Economic Policy and Planning Analyst with FedDev Ontario’s Defence Services Team. She works closely with small and medium-sized firms and post-secondary institutions in southern Ontario, helping them understand opportunities within Canada’s defence ecosystem and connect with global defence primes. With prior experience at Innovation Canada within the Department of Innovation, Science, and Economic Development, Shelby brings a strong perspective on emerging technologies and their defence applications.
Speaker: Karim Sallaudin Karim
Dr. Karim Sallaudin Karim is a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo and a leader in translating advanced research into real-world, dual-use technologies. Most recently, he served as Associate Vice President of Partnerships, Commercialization and Entrepreneurship, where he focused on industry collaboration and technology transfer. He is the co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of KA Imaging, which develops novel spectral and phase-contrast X-ray imaging systems used across medical, industrial, and defense/security applications. Technologies originating from Dr. Karim’s research are deployed globally, including ultrasonic fingerprint sensor components now used in over 200 million mobile devices. He is a Fellow of both the Engineering Institute of Canada and the Canadian Academy of Engineering.
Speaker: Cameron Waite
Cameron Waite is the Founder and CEO of Real Life Robotics (RLR), a Waterloo-based company delivering real-world automation solutions across commercial, municipal, and defense sectors. With over 15 years of experience in robotics and automation, he has led deployments spanning last-mile delivery, IoT-integrated automation, and secure, scalable orchestration of autonomous systems through RLR’s flagship platform, PASSENGER.
Prior to founding RLR, Cameron held senior roles at Canadian robotics leaders Avidbots and Aeryon Labs, where he worked directly with clients including the U.S. military, Canadian law enforcement agencies such as the OPP and RCMP, and a broad network of government and defense contractors to deploy tactical robotics for ISR, public safety, and critical infrastructure support.
Cameron serves on the Canadian Robotics Council’s Outdoor Robotics Advisory Group, contributes to federal smart mobility initiatives, and is active in Canada’s dual-use innovation ecosystem, working closely with organizations such as OCI, IRAP, CENGN, and the Waterloo Dual-Use Consortium. He is a vocal advocate for sovereign robotics infrastructure and frequently collaborates with global partners on security-conscious automation strategies for domestic and allied markets.
Moderator: Ruth Casselman
Ruth Casselman is the CEO for the Accelerator Centre, and the Co-Chair for the Waterloo Dual-Use Technology Consortium (dualusetech.ca). Ruth’s leadership is rooted in her own entrepreneurial experience and her deep understanding of the challenges founders face in scaling technology ventures. Ruth was the founding Chief Operating Officer at Alert Labs – an IoT technology manufacturing and data analytics company specializing in reducing wasted water and CO2 emissions in commercial properties. She stewarded Alert Labs through a successful acquisition by a Fortune 500 organization, giving her first-hand experience in fundraising, scaling, and navigating complex exits.
At the Accelerator Centre, Ruth champions programs that accelerate innovation across sectors, including the Aerospace Accelerator, a collaboration with the Region of Waterloo, that supports aerospace and aviation startups by providing tailored programming and industry connections.
Before Alert Labs, Ruth held senior technical, communications, and crisis leadership roles at BlackBerry, including serving as public relations lead for BlackBerry Government and Enterprise Security. In this capacity, she worked closely with Fortune 500 corporations, global enterprises, and government agencies worldwide, supporting secure communications, cybersecurity positioning, and mission-critical technology. She also led crisis management for BlackBerry’s Network Operations Centers globally, operating at the intersection of secure infrastructure, real-time operations, and high-stakes stakeholder communication. This experience gave her deep exposure to the operational, regulatory, and reputational complexities of enterprise security and government technology environments.