“How do we collect data so that we give it in the hands of the government in an efficient way? We’re in a democratic country. Isn’t this data supposed to inform the government?”
Raesetje Sefala, research fellow at The Distributed AI Research Institute (DAIR), joins to discuss her work analyzing the impacts of South African apartheid using computer vision techniques and satellite imagery. Recorded live at ALL IN in Montréal.
The BetaKit Podcast is presented by Motion: one of Canada's fastest-growing tech companies. Motion is hiring, so check out its careers page. And read The Comeback, a three-part series on how the team’s early experience taught them the importance of solving the right problems, and helped Motion close a $30-million USD financing round.
“This is a technology that now is directly impacting society every day and is impacting people's lives. And if we're going to help continue its development in a positive way, we actually need to be involved—not just on the technical side, but also on the policy and the societal impact side as well.”
Elissa Strome, executive director of the Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy at CIFAR, joins for an open-ended discussion on what that strategy has achieved and where it needs to go next in the face of GenAI, compute crunch, and the stalled Bill C-27. Recorded live at ALL IN.
The BetaKit Podcast is presented by WonderFi. Don’t miss BetaKit Talks: You Don’t Know Crypto on September 24th!
Discover the latest in Canadian blockchain innovation at our exclusive in-person event. Join us on September 24th for an evening of learning and networking.
“This was mine. This was done. I was going to be the next Steve Jobs, I was going to be rich—everything was happening. And now they took it away.”
As the young co-founder of Ottawa-based Gymtrack, Pablo Srugo had one goal: “become insanely rich.” Now a partner at Mistral VC, he joins the podcast to share what went wrong and caution founders against becoming their own worst hypebeast.
The BetaKit Podcast is presented by Shakepay: Canada’s easy way to buy and earn bitcoin. Visit shakepay.com/betakit and join over 1 million Canadians shaking for bitcoin.
“Using Canada as an excuse for why you didn’t get funding, you didn’t get to hire the right person … I think that’s bullshit.”
Shopify president Harley Finkelstein joins for a brand refresh on Canadian entrepreneurship, pushing back against doom-and-gloom narratives before digging into his real issues of concern and offering proactive tips for entrepreneurs looking to scale globally.
Presented by AWS Startups: accelerate your innovative ideas with AWS credits of up to $100,000 through the AWS Activate program.
"Verticalized AI applications right now are available, right now accelerating industry after industry."
AI is moving so fast it can be hard to keep up. The BetaKit Podcast has you covered with vantage points on AI from: Dr. Sasha Luccioni (Hugging Face), Reid Robinson (Zapier), Solon Angel (stealth startup), Darian Shirazi (Gradient Ventures), Joella Almeida (MedEssist), Chris Walker (Untether AI), and Eric Duffy (Tenstorrent). Rob and Douglas do their best to keep up.
The BetaKit Podcast is presented by Google Cloud: scale your startup faster and smarter with the Google Cloud credits, technical training, startup experts, curated resources, plus AI and Web3-specific benefits.
Get up to $350k in cloud credits over two years, plus access to hands-on technical training, mentorship from startup experts, and connections with a thriving community.
Visit startups.google.com/betakit to learn more and apply today!
“The world is loopy. Everything is a cycle. Everything is a product of compounding changes.”
Summer is almost over, so hear from these Canadian tech leaders as you prepare to get back to work in September. Featuring insights from Michael Katchen (Wealthsimple), Daniel Eberhard (Koho), Dax Dasilva (Lightspeed), Stuart Lombard (Ecobee), and Tobi Lütke (Shopify).
Presented by AWS Startups: accelerate your innovative ideas with AWS credits of up to $100,000 through the AWS Activate program.
“I think it's really important for Canadians to speak to their public officials and remind them that this is an important industry. They should be taking it seriously. They should be putting in the time to speak with industry and learn about it.”
Live from the Blockchain Futurist Conference, award-winning BetaKit reporter Josh Scott moderates two important conversations: a year in review with Coinbase Canada CEO Lucas Matheson; and a Canadian Web3 regulation check-in with Dan Nuñez Cohen (Crypto.com), Kunal Bhasin (KPMG), Morva Rohani (Canadian Web3 Council), and Suzanne Lasrado (CIRO).
The BetaKit Podcast is presented by Google Cloud: scale your startup faster and smarter with the Google Cloud credits, technical training, startup experts, curated resources, plus AI and Web3 specific benefits.
Get up to $350k in cloud credits over two years, plus access to hands-on technical training, mentorship from startup experts, and connections with a thriving community.
Visit startups.google.com/betakit to learn more and apply today!
“If you want to succeed and build an enduring and large business for Canadians, that has to be your focus. Nothing else. If you want to focus on Canada as an additional market or a secondary market, it’s not going to work out.”
Three years after its bold expansion strategy, Revolut has a banking license in the UK, but not much to show in the US or Canada. The company’s former North American Head of Strategy & Operations, Saud Aziz, joins the podcast this week to discuss what went wrong and the lessons he’s taking forward with his new FinTech startup, Vault.
The BetaKit Podcast is presented by Google Cloud: scale your startup faster and smarter with the Google Cloud credits, technical training, startup experts, curated resources, plus AI and Web3 specific benefits.
Get up to $350k in cloud credits over two years, plus access to hands-on technical training, mentorship from startup experts, and connections with a thriving community.
Visit startups.google.com/betakit to learn more and apply today!
“If you're an emerging manager on your first or second fund, you need to find winners. But realistically, the vast majority of funds here in Canada are still emerging managers.”
Sand Hill North Partner Ryan Henry joins to share his family office’s unique perspective on deal activity on both sides of the border, before unpacking what feels true for Canadian VCs and founders, and how far those feelings are from reality.
Presented by AWS Startups: accelerate your innovative ideas with AWS credits of up to $100,000 through the AWS Activate program.
“It was a seller's market during the pandemic … They were staffing up in the anticipation of growth that never actually materialized. It's now a buyer's market.”
For our 350th episode (!) of The BetaKit Podcast, the gang once again attempts to survive an overstuffed mailbag of listener-submitted questions regarding: the fediverse, federal cleantech tax credits, disappeared Alberta investor tax credits, and interesting Indeed job numbers.
“I deeply want to solve the challenges in education. I think what we have is a current educational system is really not working.”
Mobius Math Club co-founder Steven Woods (ex-Eloqua, Oracle, and Benevity) explains how video games are actually a great educational tool, and why taking venture capital won’t help him scale. Original air date: March 31, 2024.
Presented by Mantle: next-level equity management, powered by AI. Visit withmantle.com/betakit to get started with your first 12 months free.
“To be competitive with American startups—or Israeli startups, or European startups—we need that push. That push … comes with a bureaucratic cost, because the government wants to know what's happening with their money.”
MAIN Executive Director Louis-Felix Binette joins live from Startupfest in Montréal to discuss the state of tech entrepreneurship in the city and province, including Québec Tech’s new name and mission.
Presented by Mantle: next-level equity management, powered by AI. Visit withmantle.com/betakit to get started with your first 12 months free.
"When we unveiled the company and the product to the world, the hope was 'people are going to be excited.' Or maybe we're completely wrong."
Can a ragtag team of ex-BlackBerry employees and fanboys bring mobile keyboards back with Clicks? Clicks' Kevin Michaluk (CrackBerry) and Jeff Gadway (BlackBerry) join to explain what prompted them to build an iPhone keyboard in 2024. The answer may surprise you as much as the gadget's target customer.
Presented by Float, co-hosts of In the Black: Building Enduring Businesses. Learn what’s top of mind for Canada’s fastest-growing companies, including Xanadu, Wealthsimple, and Float.
“In Canada today … if you look at the inventory of 20,000 great technology companies, 60 percent of those have never met an investor. Because they’re really busy at meeting customers.”
Jolt Capital managing partner Jean Schmitt joins to discuss why he made Montréal his deep tech private equity firm's North American HQ, and the opportunities for investment he sees across Canada.
Presented by AWS Startups: accelerate your innovative ideas with AWS credits of up to $100,000 through the AWS Activate program.
The BetaKit Podcast is also sponsored by Float: sign up for early access to Float's new Bill Pay and Reimbursements product by June 30, 2024, and you will be entered to win 2 tickets to see Taylor Swift live!
“Is this Collision, is this RISE, is this Web Summit? I’m very confused.”
Web Summit co-host Casey Lau joins the podcast from the show floor of the last Collision to evaluate its impact, what Web Summit Vancouver will do for the city, and what the reimagined tech conference might look like when it arrives next year.
Presented by Mantle: next-level equity management, powered by AI. Visit withmantle.com/betakit to get started with your first 12 months free.
"OpenAI has nothing to lose and Apple had to move. They are the last player in this space, they had to do something."
The gang reviews the latest announcements from Apple’s WWDC event, including a major partnership with OpenAI, before handing out grades for Big Tech’s AI progress. Also evaluated: whether or not Apple killed any tech companies this week, 1Password included.
Presented by Mantle: next-level equity management, powered by AI. Visit withmantle.com/betakit to get started with your first 12 months free.
"Fiscal '25 is the year we turn 20, and it's the year we cross a billion in revenue and we become a profitability story."
Once again back in the CEO chair, Lightspeed's Dax Dasilva discusses why he stepped down, then returned, as the company he founded approaches its 20th birthday.
The BetaKit Podcast is presented by Innovate BC: a Crown Agency of the Province of British Columbia. Visit innovatebc.ca to learn more about Innovate BC’s programs, initiatives and ongoing work across British Columbia’s innovation ecosystem.
“We’re not in the business of selling food, we’re in the business of behaviour change.”
New School Foods founder Chris Bryson joins to discuss his plans to commercialize a pet R&D project into a Canadian plant-based meat competitor. Can he do the impossible better than... Impossible?
The BetaKit Podcast is presented by Innovate BC: a Crown Agency of the Province of British Columbia. Visit innovatebc.ca to learn more about Innovate BC’s programs, initiatives and ongoing work across British Columbia’s innovation ecosystem.
“We’ve been offered or at least suggested, ‘Why don’t you move your headquarters to the US?’ The only way we’ll move our headquarters outside of Toronto or Canada is if I get fired.”
Christian Weedbrook, CEO and founder of Xanadu, joins to discuss his optimism in building a quantum unicorn in Canada, his hope of raising an all-Canadian round, and how it will help him get one step closer to a quantum data centre.
Presented by the Master of Business Administration in Technology Leadership (Tech MBA) at Schulich School of Business. Gain a Competitive Edge. Design the future with Schulich’s Tech MBA.
“I think that there are two types of investors right now. There are ones that are being thoughtful about it and steering clear of investments that could cause harm. And then there are some that are wading into them and don't care at all.”
General partner Darian Shirazi joins to identify the AI moat, match the progress of AI with other tech eras, and differentiate Gradient Ventures from AI VCs who “don’t care at all.”
Presented by Mantle: the Canadian-made, AI-powered equity management solution designed for modern founders and operators. Visit withmantle.com/betakit to get started.
“I think ambition is a problem… Canada is a go-for-bronze culture, and that sucks.”
Kinda. Presenting BetaKit chair Satish Kanwar’s fireside chat and AMA with Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke at the BetaKit Town Hall. The pair discuss the state of Canadian innovation, government and policy, and what comes next. With special guests from CDL, Ada, Knix, and Version One Ventures.
Presented by the Master of Business Administration in Technology Leadership (Tech MBA) at Schulich School of Business. Gain a Competitive Edge. Design the future with Schulich’s Tech MBA.
“When you think about that shark American ethos, playing to win … but then also having the Canadian kindness, I think that’s where Canada and Canadians have a really big opportunity.”
Simple Ventures CEO joins to discuss the motivations behind the launch of the venture studio, the power of geographical arbitrage, and the structural, cultural, and economic impediments to Canadian entrepreneurship.
The BetaKit Podcast is presented by Osler, Hoskin and Harcourt LLP. Osler, the leading law firm for startups, high growth companies and investors in Canada, has released its third annual study of 486 anonymized Canadian venture capital and growth equity financings.
“I think it would be a mistake if we make Canada even less competitive at such an incredibly important moment in time for us to embrace competition and productivity.”
Michael Katchen (Wealthsimple) and Daniel Eberhard (Koho) join BetaKit editor-in-chief Douglas Soltys for a wide-ranging conversation on Canada’s productivity, entrepreneurship, and competition crises. Financial innovation, open banking, Real-Time Rail, and capital gains taxes might also come up. Recorded live at INNOVATEwest.
The BetaKit Podcast is presented by Osler, Hoskin and Harcourt LLP. Osler, the leading law firm for startups, high growth companies and investors in Canada, has released its third annual study of 486 anonymized Canadian venture capital and growth equity financings.
“The reality is this government cannot execute.”
Sound the alarm! Matt Roberts (CMD Capital) and Ben Bergen (CCI) join for an emergency #Budget2024 podcast to discuss the capital gains tax increase, Minister Freeland’s Friday meeting with tech leaders, and the level to which politics are intersecting with innovation policy.
The BetaKit Podcast is presented by Osler, Hoskin and Harcourt LLP. Osler, the leading law firm for startups, high growth companies and investors in Canada, has released its third annual study of 486 anonymized Canadian venture capital and growth equity financings.
“I think what we're trying to do here is maybe celebrate and acknowledge all pathways into tech. Whatever sparked the inspiration.”
Co-hosts Rob and Douglas peel back the curtain to reveal the gadgets, media, and moments that inspired their love of tech. Come, witness the retelling of their Immaculate Tech Conceptions while reliving your own on this full-blown nostalgia pod!
The BetaKit Podcast is presented by Osler, Hoskin and Harcourt LLP. Osler, the leading law firm for startups, high growth companies and investors in Canada, has released its third annual study of 486 anonymized Canadian venture capital and growth equity financings.