Year: 2024

The one role companies are struggling to fill

Hiring managers across industries are finding it difficult to hire qualified digital marketers, with the use of AI tools emerging as the technical skill most frequently missing from candidates’ resumes, according to a new report by the Digital Marketing Sector Council (DMSC). The Digital Marketing Skills Gap Survey, which surveyed nearly 100 stakeholders across various […]

The DOJ wants to take Google Chrome away, Rob Kenedi wants to decelerate tech

For weeks, The BetaKit Podcast has been crisscrossing the country, podcasting live from Elevate in Toronto, ALL IN in Montréal, SAAS NORTH in Ottawa, and our very own Town Hall in Vancouver. It has been one hell of a roadshow, and we hope you’ve enjoyed our recordings from the field. But I’d be lying if […]

Montréal tech marks year’s successes and struggles at sixth Startup Community Awards

Last night marked the sixth edition of the Startup Community Awards (SCA) Gala in Montréal—an evening that reflected a turbulent year of change for Québec’s innovation ecosystem.   Over 400 people attended the gala at Maison Alcan on Nov. 28, organized by MTL NewTech in collaboration with Startupfest. The awards spanned 10 categories, with individuals, initiatives, […]

Shareholders file proposed class action alleging Exro misrepresented revenue projections

Calgary-based electric vehicle (EV) tech firm Exro Technologies is the target of a potential class-action lawsuit from a group of shareholders alleging the company misrepresented revenue projections related to its acquisition of SEA Electric earlier this year.   On Nov. 27, 2024, Ontario resident Allan Crosier filed a statement of claim in the Court of the […]

Major Canadian news orgs sue OpenAI for copyright infringement

Canada’s largest news media companies have teamed up to file a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging that the San Francisco-based artificial intelligence (AI) company infringed on their copyright to train the model that powers its massively popular chat bot ChatGPT.  The plaintiffs include Torstar, Postmedia, The Globe and Mail, The Canadian Press, and CBC/Radio-Canada. Combined, they […]

Firestarter program goes national with funding from BDC Thrive Lab

An Atlantic Canadian pilot program aimed at supporting women and non-binary founders is officially going national thanks to funding from the Business Development Bank of Canada’s (BDC) Thrive Lab. Firestarter, created by angel investment network The Firehood, offers founders networking, resources, and mentorship to support their ventures’ success as they scale. The national virtual program, […]

Canada’s Competition Bureau targets Google for anti-competitive practices

Canada’s Competition Bureau is suing Google for what calls anti-competitive conduct in Canada’s online advertising technology services.  In a statement, the Bureau said it found Google had unlawfully tied its adtech tools together to maintain its market dominance and leveraged its position across these adtech tools to “distort auction dynamics.” The Bureau says Google owns […]

With new name, FleetOps secures $30.8-million CAD Series A round

Toronto-based trucking data startup FleetOps has rebranded to Class8 and secured a $30.8-million CAD ($22 million USD) Series A round.  Company says it currently processes data from 227,000 trucks. The round predominantly featured US investors, led by Xplorer Capital with participation from Commerce Ventures alongside return investors Inspired Capital and Resolute Ventures. The round also […]

The painkiller for pharmaceutical reps

It’s a common situation that’s often invisible to patients: a pharmaceutical rep stands with a doctor in the hallway between exam rooms, explaining a new drug or medical device.  The sales rep often has just minutes to accurately distill pages of information, including clinical data, dosing guidelines, regulatory requirements, and patient eligibility. And according to […]