"We're very social creatures, so human-to-human connection is ultimately what we're craving even if we are working in a digital-by-design or remote-first environment."
Shawn Hewat, CEO and co-founder of Wavy, joins to discuss burnout and talent churn in the new remote & hybrid world, and how tech companies are trying to manage and measure culture.
"Potentially it does have the opportunity to create thousands of jobs here in Canada."
CCI president Ben Bergen and VP Dana O’Born join to tackle the big talent changes that pre-empted #Budget2022, before channelling our inner Paul Wells to investigate the light on details Canadian Innovation and Investment Agency and Canada Growth Fund.
"That kind of gives me a brain boner. I get pretty excited."
Changes to the Competition Act are coming. Can a "whole of government" approach break Canada's oligopolies? Policy wonk Vass Bednar joins to read the tea leaves from Budget 2022.
BetaKit Associate Editor Meagan Simpson joins for her second AMA episode to answer a complex bunch of listener questions: what did the New York Times get wrong about Toronto tech? Is the Globe anti-competition? What should the banks do with their excess profits? What are the dangers of troll capital?
"What’s it like when an app doesn’t just connect you to a doctor… it’s the medicine?"
A4i's Amos Adler and Dr. Sean Kidd join to discuss the difference between telemedicine and digital therapeutics, supporting complex mental health challenges with an app, and the struggles of Canada's healthcare system.
Sponsored by Cisco.
Ilya Brotsky (CEO of VanHack) and Daryna Kulya (co-founder and COO of OpenPhone) discuss Ukraine tech, connections to Canada, and ways to help Ukrainians fleeing war.
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"Here's something that I didn't anticipate when we began doing these conversations across provinces: they don't talk to each other."
CCI's Ben Bergen and Bronte Valk walk through Alberta and BC's latest budget commitments before answering two key questions: what impact can provincial governments have on tech, and how do local tech ecosystems impact their governments?
RBCx's Director of Venture Capital, Anthony Mouchantaf, joins to discuss the current Canadian tech boom, and explain why "all that glitters is not gold."
Sponsored by RBC Ventures and Venture for Canada.
"League of Innovators is trying to solve this problem of how we identify and accelerate young entrepreneurs."
LOI Venture founder and GP, Ryan Holmes, discusses investment in youth entrepreneurship, the changing eras of Canadian tech, and life after Hootsuite.
Sponsored by the University of Toronto and Venture for Canada.
"What is your vibe right now about Canadian tech?"
Co-hosts Douglas Soltys and Rob Kenedi are joined by BetaKit associate editor Meagan Simpson to answer listener questions submitted LIVE during a special Twitter Spaces AMA edition of the BetaKit Podcast.
Sponsored by Pocketed.
"Has this podcast been fact-checked?"
Josh O'Kane (The Globe & Mail) and Katie Jensen (Vocal Fry Studios) join to discuss what the Joe Rogan Experience controversy means for podcasters, tech platforms, and the rise of misinformation coinciding with the democratization of media.
Sponsored by Float.
"We're proving that we can build these massive businesses in Canada. I think the confidence level has never been higher."
Mike Potter (Rewind), Stephany Lapierre (TealBook), and Lloyed Lobo (Boast.ai) discuss building tech companies in Canada, and why their companies may soon be unicorns. Recorded live at SAAS NORTH.
Sponsored by Float.
"There's now a new premium on company culture that didn't exist before."
Kelly Schmitt (Benevity) and Mike Murchison (Ada) discuss their company's journey to a $1 billion valuation, scaling and keeping talent in Canada, and how mo' money can lead to mo' problems. Recorded live at SAAS NORTH.
Sponsored by Float.
“I don’t know why we continue to make the same mistakes.”
The Canadian Shield made 16 million face shields at the start of the pandemic. And then they stopped. Why did they stop? What stopped them?
President Jeremy Hedges joins to explain the procurement issues that prevented the company from selling their product to hospitals, LTC facilities, and the average consumer when they needed them.
Sponsored by Float.
"When you design for the edges, you get the middle for free."
Maayan Ziv (AccessNow) and Samuel Proulx (Fable) discuss the process of improving accessibility in both the real and virtual worlds.
BetaKit associate editor Meagan Simpson leads a panel conversation with JD St-Martin (Lightspeed) and Joost Ouwerkerk (Hopper) about the desire (or need?) for SaaS companies to offer new financial services.
Recorded live at SAAS NORTH.
"Imagine that the bank is a program."
Conduit co-founder Kirill Gertman joins to explain why he's so excited about the prospects of decentralized finance, what's still missing in the DeFi stack, and the open question of what happens when banking becomes pure software.
Sponsored by SVB and Innovate BC.
"This episode is going to get a little bit SaaS-y."
A highlight of BetaKit's interviews at SAAS NORTH, featuring: Alexandra Sukin (Bessemer Venture Partners), Steve Munford (Trulioo), Irene Zhou (Plaid), Anthony Mouchantaf (RBCx), Tamara Grominsky (Unbounce), and Leo Lax (L-SPARK).
Listen to the full interviews on BetaKit.com or SoundCloud.com/BetaKit.
Sponsored by SVB and Innovate BC.
"We think we need to get to 14 $1 billion revenue companies."
New Communitech CEO Chris Albinson outlines the Waterloo Region tech hub's new True North strategy, its goals, and what that has to do with Shopify and the Olympics.
Sponsored by SVB and Innovate BC.
"This is a Web3 podcast now."
Co-hosts Douglas Soltys and Rob Kenedi are joined by producer Kattie Laur and BetaKit associate editor Meagan Simpson to answer listener questions about the 'anti-growth' movement, Shopify's blockchain team, and what's holding #CDNtech back.
Sponsored by SVB and Innovate BC.
“We have really no programming to teach mentors, it’s all tribal.”
Brice Scheschuk (Wind Mobile, Globalive) explains the motivation behind his new initiative to improve the craft of mentorship and create more resilient entrepreneurs, MindFrame Connect.
Sponsored by SVB and Innovate BC.
"I like to think that Peloton is the equivalent to Facebook."
Wheelhouse co-founder and CEO Kyle Gibson shares how his small company plans to take on giants with a hybrid fitness approach, and the switch from a lifestyle to a venture-backed business.
Sponsored by SVB and CLOUDSEC 2021.
Sponsored by SVB and CLOUDSEC 2021.
"It was a day-by-day gut-check. You close your eyes and jump onto the concrete head first."
SAAS NORTH co-founder David Tyldesley explains how Cube Business Media plans to bring Canada's top SaaS conference back as an in-person event this November.
Sponsored by Silicon Valley Bank and Innovate BC.
"There has always been an entrepreneurial side of my brain. I've always been involved in the business."
Juno Award-winning musician and Side Door co-founder Dan Mangan explains his plans to scale an "Airbnb for gigs."
Sponsored by SAAS NORTH and Innovate BC.