Toronto’s rising tech stars have one big thing in common: they worked at Uber
Some of Toronto tech’s most ambitious leaders share a common trait in their Linkedin profiles: working experience at Uber Canada. Since first setting up shop in Canada in 2012, Uber’s focus has been building products to get people closer to where they want to be. From UberX to Uber Eats, Uber has sought to change […]
AppDirect’s acquisition spree heats up as it reveals plans to purchase vCom Solutions
Canadian-founded, San Francisco-headquartered AppDirect is set to acquire San Ramon, Calif.-based IT lifecycle management software vCom Solutions for an undisclosed amount. AppDirect, which develops software aimed at simplifying how companies buy, sell, and manage recurring tech services, said the deal will broaden its set of existing solutions. “AppDirect has a powerful ecosystem, and the vCom […]
Shopify posts 26 percent revenue growth in Q3 and forecasts strong holiday season
Canadian e-commerce giant Shopify has posted strong third-quarter revenue growth, a sizable profit, and an upbeat forecast for the upcoming holidays. Shopify’s sales climbed 26 percent year-over-year to $2.16 billion USD in Q3, according to its latest earnings report. In a statement, Shopify CFO Jeff Hoffmeister highlighted that this marks Shopify’s sixth consecutive quarter of […]
Armed with $1.6 million CAD, runQL wants to take the chaos out of data query management
Kitchener-Waterloo-based runQL has revealed $1.6 million CAD in pre-seed funding as it looks to improve how data and development teams document and manage queries. The round, which consisted of simple agreements for future equity (SAFE) and closed in late May, was led by Mistral Venture Partners with participation from MaRS Investment Accelerator Fund, Inovia Capital, […]
Neo Financial takes aim at Canadian banks with $360-million Series D
Calgary and Winnipeg-based challenger bank Neo Financial has secured $360 million CAD in Series D financing as the scaleup looks to build on its growth and offer Canadians more competitive alternatives to traditional banks. The financing, which closed last month, consists of $110 million CAD in equity and $250 million CAD in debt. In addition […]
4AG Robotics, Daanaa return to Foresight’s 50 “most investible” cleantech ventures list in 2024
Foresight Canada has highlighted the 50 cleantech ventures it dubs Canada’s “most investible” in the fourth rendition of its annual Foresight 50 list. Foresight, a Port Coquitlam, BC-based cleantech accelerator, said that companies on the list are selected by a panel of cleantech investors who evaluate the investability, potential economic impact, leadership team, environmental impact, […]
ImaginAble Solutions founder Lianna Genovese recognized at 11th annual Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Awards
Lianna Genovese, 25, who founded the Hamilton-based assistive technology company ImaginAble Solutions in 2019, was recognized for her humanitarian work alongside several other recipients including NBA hall-of-famer Shaquille O’Neal at the 11th annual Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Awards (MAHA) this past weekend. The ImaginAble Solutions Guided Hand. Image courtesy ImaginAble Solutions. While still a student at […]
As Google and Cohere expand multilingual AI offerings, experts warn of “plausible BS”
Translation experts at tech companies and certified translators in Canada are concerned about the fallout of machine-translated content being used in important documents without expert oversight. Canadian businesses are increasingly incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) into their day-to-day operations, often to automate tasks currently being performed by humans. Statistics Canada data shows that 6.1 percent of […]
Meanwhile, in Canada
The first and only time I’ve found myself part of a front-page story in The Globe and Mail was Monday, January 30, 2017. It was the day after a small contingent came together over a weekend to draft and publish an open letter in rapid response to then-President Trump’s travel ban preventing citizens of seven […]
Addressing Canada’s speed of financial innovation
We have a podcast double feature for you this week, featuring two different conversations from the recent Elevate FinTech stage, which was programmed by BetaKit. Combined, I think they provide a pulse check on the state of financial innovation in Canada, and where it intersects with competition, government policy, and the nation’s underbanked. For both […]