Archives

NCC commits $22.8 million to 37 cybersecurity projects

The federally-funded National Cybersecurity Consortium (NCC) has committed $22.8 million to 37 cybersecurity projects from various Canadian academic institutions, companies, and nonprofits.  The NCC is funded through the Government of Canada’s Cyber Security Innovation Network.  The funding is part of the NCC’s second annual call for proposals, which looks to financially back the commercialization, research […]

Fable raises $25-million USD Series B round from Five Elms Capital to tackle accessibility in AI

Toronto-based accessibility tech startup Fable has raised $25 million USD ($33.8 million CAD) in Series B funding as it looks to further address inclusivity in digital products, including artificial intelligence (AI).  “We bring the voices of those impacted into the conversation and into the decision-making process.”  Kate KalcevichFable The sole participant of the round was […]

Bitcoin infrastructure unicorn Blockstream raises $289 million CAD to boost mining operations

Montréal Bitcoin infrastructure firm Blockstream has raised $210 million USD ($289 million CAD) in convertible note financing to expand its capacity as a Bitcoin treasury and innovate its layer-2 technology offerings.  Delaware-based Fulgur Ventures, which typically invests in Bitcoin and layer-2 technology startups at the early stage, led the convertible note round. It had previously […]

Ontario launches second phase of life sciences strategy to bolster research and funding

The Government of Ontario launched the second phase of its life sciences strategy this week as the province looks to establish itself as a global biomanufacturing and life sciences hub. The new phase will see $146 million in provincial commitments towards boosting research capacity, increasing access to specialized lab space, speeding up health trials, launching […]

Information VP forgoes fourth fund in favour of SPV-style investing

After 10 years and three funds, Information Venture Partners (Information VP) has announced a shift to single-asset, special-purpose vehicle (SPV) investing. Since it was spun out of RBC 10 years ago, the Toronto-based venture capital (VC) firm has focused on early-stage North American business-to-business (B2B) FinTech and enterprise software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies across three funds. After […]

Montréal-based Trustii raises $2.8 million CAD to boost employee risk management software

Montréal-based startup Trustii has raised a $2.8-million CAD seed round to grow its risk management software, which combines automated background checks with personalized risk scoring.  The all-primary, all-equity $2.8 million CAD seed round closed at the end of September, co-led by Montréal-based AQC Capital and Accelia Capital with backing from Boréal Ventures. Undisclosed investors also […]

SAAS NORTH puts AI’s impact under the microscope

Has artificial intelligence truly made software platforms smarter? What results is it driving for Canada’s SaaS companies? And, most importantly, can it be trusted?  These are just some of the questions next month’s SAAS NORTH 2024 will tackle head-on. This year, SAAS NORTH will focus on how AI is working for businesses in real life, […]

Untether AI, Tenstorrent headline ventureLAB’s 2024 HardTech Summit 

ventureLAB’s HardTech Summit returns on November 6 and 7 to explore Canada’s hardware and semiconductor ecosystem. Back for its fourth year, HardTech Summit will convene Canadian deep tech founders, investors, and innovators, with global industry stakeholders for two days at the Toronto Marriott Markham. Like in years past, BetaKit is a proud media partner of […]

Meet the BetaKit Town Hall: Vancouver speakers

Taking place on October 22, BetaKit Town Hall: Vancouver will feature a fireside chat and Q&A between BetaKit editor-in-chief Douglas Soltys and Jack Newton, CEO of Vancouver-based Clio, which recently raised the largest funding round in Canadian history. One week before the event, BetaKit is happy to announce the five additional BC leaders who will […]