We Are Wearables

What We Are Wearables does

We Are Wearables was a community-driven organization that operated as the largest wearable technology and XR (AR/VR/MR) community platform in North America. Founded by Tom Emrich in December 2013 as Wearable Wednesdays, it was rebranded to We Are Wearables in 2014 and grew to a claimed community reach of over 120,000 members across four chapter locations: Toronto (flagship, with average event attendance of 400 at MaRS Discovery District), Ottawa, Chicago, and Montreal. The platform hosted over 50 events, featured 200+ speakers, and provided a showcase for 200+ startups and organizations to demo wearable and XR technologies, serving entrepreneurs, tech enthusiasts, investors, and corporations exploring wearable tech.

The company's core product was a community event platform built around physical meetups, presentations, tech demos, and networking. Supporting infrastructure included a website, blog, video archive (60+ recordings), email newsletter, and active social media presence across Facebook, Twitter/X, YouTube, and LinkedIn. The business model was sponsorship-driven: named sponsors included MaRS Discovery District, Super Ventures, TechNexus, Proto3000, NeuronicWorks, YXV, RNMKR, and BetaKit, with no direct product sales or publicly disclosed pricing. Key partners included MaRS Discovery District (venue), OMERS Ventures and IDEABOOST (investor/incubator), Best Buy Canada (retail), and CFC Canada Film Centre (media lab).

In November 2017, We Are Wearables was acquired by AWE (Augmented World Expo), a global XR community founded by Ori Inbar through AugmentedReality.org. Following the acquisition, the Toronto chapter was rebranded to AWE Nite TO in 2018, while the Chicago, Ottawa, and Montreal chapters were closed to consolidate operations around Toronto. The We Are Wearables brand no longer operates as an independent entity.

Name

We Are Wearables

Legal name

We Are Wearables

Website

https://wearewearables.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

We Are Wearables was a community event platform for wearable and XR technology founded by Tom Emrich in 2013, operating meetup chapters in Toronto, Ottawa, Chicago, and Montreal for entrepreneurs, startups, investors, and tech enthusiasts. The organization was acquired by AWE in November 2017 and ceased independent operations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Sponsorships: Revenue generated through sponsorship opportunities for companies looking to connect with the wearable tech community. Sponsors included MaRS DD, Super Ventures, TechNexus, Proto3000, NeuronicWorks, YXV, RNMKR, and BetaKit.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

We Are Wearables operated a chapter-based community platform that organized in-person meetup events across North American cities (Toronto, Ottawa, Chicago, Montreal) to foster adoption and innovation in wearable technology. Events featured presentations from thought leaders, hands-on tech demos from startups, and networking opportunities for entrepreneurs, investors, and tech enthusiasts. The organization also produced the annual WEST (Women and Wearables) Conference and maintained a video archive of recorded talks.

Product overview

We Are Wearables was a community platform for wearable technology, operating as a series of local chapters across North America (Toronto, Ottawa, Chicago, Montreal) that hosted events, presentations, tech demos, and networking opportunities. The platform included its flagship Toronto chapter (WWTO), the annual WEST Conference celebrating women in wearable tech, a video archive of event recordings, and photo galleries documenting community events. In November 2017, We Are Wearables was acquired by AWE (Augmented World Expo), with the Toronto chapter rebranded to AWE Nite TO, transitioning the community's focus to augmented reality (AR) within AWE's global XR network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AWE Nite TO: Toronto chapter rebranded from We Are Wearables Toronto to AWE Nite TO after acquisition by AWE

Products and services

• We Are Wearables Community Platform A community platform for wearable technology enthusiasts, hosting meetups, presentations, tech demos, and networking events across North America to foster adoption and facilitate innovation in wearable tech.
• We Are Wearables Toronto (WWTO) The flagship Toronto chapter of the We Are Wearables community, hosting regular events at MaRS Discovery District featuring presentations, tech demos, and networking for wearable tech professionals and enthusiasts.
• We Are Wearables Ottawa (WWOTT) The Ottawa chapter of the We Are Wearables community, organized by Jen Greenberg and Tom Emrich, hosting events to build a local wearable tech ecosystem.
• We Are Wearables Chicago (WWCHI) The Chicago chapter of the We Are Wearables community, organized in partnership with 1871 and TechNexus, hosting events for the Chicago wearable tech community.
• We Are Wearables Montreal (WWMTL) The Montreal chapter of the We Are Wearables community, organized by Meryeme Lahmami and Tom Emrich with support from Desjardins Labs.
• WEST Conference (Women and Wearables) An all-female speaker and exhibitor lineup conference celebrating women in wearable technology, including a nationwide startup competition presented with IDEABOOST.
• AWE Nite TO

Quantifiable outcome

• Community grew to over 120,000 members
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• MaRS Discovery DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2017Primary venue partner for We Are Wearables Toronto events. Provided consistent home for the wearable tech community with auditorium and lower concourse hosting average 400 attendees per event. Team included Karen Schulman Dupuis, Janet Grant, Salim Teja, Sue McGill, and Katrina Heisz.
• AWE (Augmented World Expo)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWe Are Wearables was acquired by AWE in November 2017. The merger combined the largest wearable tech community with the global XR (AR/VR/MR) community. AWE produces conferences in USA, Europe, and Asia and hosts meetup chapters. The Toronto chapter was rebranded to AWE Nite TO.
• Super VenturesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead sponsor and strategic partner. Tom Emrich served as partner at Super Ventures. Co-presented events including AR+VR Investor Panel and April 2018 industry event partnership.
• OMERS VenturesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInvestor partner featured in AR+VR Investor Panel at events. Co-presented AWE Nite TO launch event with Super Ventures and AWE in April 2018.
• IDEABOOSTmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with CFC IDEABOOST for startup support including Canadian Female Founders Hardware Cup competition and nationwide startup competition supporting female founders.
• Best Buy CanadamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for pet wearable events and fashion tech events. Hosted first pet wearables event in Canada and fashion tech showcase featuring Electric Runway.
• BetaKitminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner providing coverage of events and wearable tech ecosystem news. Featured in BetaKit coverage including WWTO panels and event announcements.
• MobileSyrupminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partnership for Canadian ARKit demos showcase. MobileSyrup covered and promoted AR/VR events.
• 1871 (Chicago)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorChicago chapter venue and partner with TechNexus. Mike and Catriona Harris at Uproar PR facilitated Chicago expansion.
• Desjardins LabsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMontreal chapter partner with Meryeme Lahmami. Facilitated French-speaking community expansion.
• Proto3000minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsor and partner for 3D printing and prototyping topics. Featured in panel on 3D-ification of computing.
• CFC (Canada Film Centre)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with CFC Media Lab and IDEABOOST for Women & Wearables events and diversity in tech initiatives. Ana Serrano, CDO of CFC, presented at events.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Consumer Technology Association (CES): CES, organized by the Consumer Technology Association, is the world's largest consumer electronics trade show. It serves a comparable role for the broader consumer tech industry as We Are Wearables did for the wearable-tech subset.
• Web Summit: Web Summit is one of the world's largest tech conferences with events across multiple geographies and sponsorship-driven monetization. Comparable to We Are Wearables as a global event-led community platform serving tech entrepreneurs and investors.
• TechCrunch Disrupt: TechCrunch Disrupt is a flagship tech conference with a startup-competition format and dedicated AR/VR/wearable coverage. Comparable as a media-backed community platform with sponsorship-driven revenue and founder/investor networking.
• SXSW: SXSW is a major annual conference and festival covering technology, music, film, and culture with significant wearable/AR/VR programming. Comparable as a community-driven event platform with strong sponsor relationships and tech-startup visibility.
• Slush: Slush is a major tech event and startup community with global presence and strong founder/investor networking focus. Comparable to We Are Wearables as a community-building organization targeting emerging-tech verticals.

Direct peers

• AWE (Augmented World Expo): AWE is the world's largest AR/VR/XR industry community and event organizer, hosting conferences in the USA, Europe, and Asia. AWE acquired We Are Wearables in 2017, making it both the parent and the most direct peer in the XR community-building and event-monetization space.
• VR/AR Association: The VR/AR Association is a global industry association with city-based chapters that host events, networking, and education for XR professionals. Highly comparable to We Are Wearables' chapter-based community and event model for the wearable/XR industry.

Emerging players

• Road to VR: Road to VR is a long-standing VR news and community platform with events and developer coverage. Comparable to We Are Wearables in building a dedicated XR enthusiast community and hosting industry-facing events.
• UploadVR: UploadVR is a leading VR/AR news and community platform covering industry events, hardware launches, and developer resources. Comparable to We Are Wearables as a community-driven platform serving the XR enthusiast and developer ecosystem.

Others

• Meetup.com: Meetup.com was the underlying community platform that hosted each We Are Wearables chapter page (Toronto, Ottawa, Chicago, Montreal). Comparable as the broader infrastructure enabling community-driven tech meetups at scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WeAreWearables
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/AugmentedRealityOrg
• Facebookfacebook.com/AugmentedWorldExpo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/we-are-wearables

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about We Are Wearables