This week's BetaKit Podcast is the final in our annual series of fireside chats from SAAS NORTH: we're ending with a bang with #AI minister @evansolomon.bsky.social. He takes C100's Michael Buhr through gov't commitment to #CDNTech, and where they stem from.

❓💡 This week's BetaKit Quiz features 400 ways the Canadian government is using AI, and "Canadians with funny accents." Plus: 📖 #Crypto for kids 🍔 The #AI scam plaguing food delivery apps 👓 @utoronto.ca's new research chair

AI minister @evansolomon.bsky.social got #CDNTech talking when he told a gov't committee his #AI strategy wouldn't come until 2026. This is not new news: BetaKit reported on the shifting timeline a month ago when we caught up with Solomon at @oneeleven_111 betakit.com/minister-sol...

#CDNTech startup ConstructionClock has raised $2M to scale its location-based labour tracking app. Read the full story to learn how founder David Peters stopped feeling like a "charlatan," and what it takes to grow a tech startup from Winnipeg. betakit.com/from-sawdust...

In The BetaKit Newsletter, Jim Balsillie warns about the new US national security strategy and its dark implications for Canada. Plus, a roundup of the biggest stories from #CDNTech: 🪖 Ottawa's $358-million defence investment initiative 🏛️ Clio takes Alexi to court 🧑🏾💻 Forum Ventures bets on Toronto

@cohere.com and Thales Canada are teaming up to deploy "secure, sovereign AI solutions" to support Canada’s naval fleet. This is one of the 1st deployments of Cohere's #AI tools to the @canadianforces.bsky.social.

Montréal’s seventh Startup Community Awards got a new home, and a new tone, this year. Presenting from the brand-new Ax.c innovation hub, the awards highlighted founders, mentors, and behind-the-scenes operators.

Lightspeed Commerce will pay $11 million CAD and admit no wrongdoing as it settles a class-action lawsuit that alleged the retail technology company misrepresented financial reports.

More on this morning's defence investment announcement: 📌 Funding will come through 7 RDAs over the next 3 years 📌 Projects will be pushed to source under Buy Canadian strategy 📌 Most funding will come from zero-interest loans Full story here:

💡 The BetaKit Quiz this week features #crypto for kids and 400 ways the gov't is using #AI💡 Plus: 🤔 The startup with a "no selling" rule 🛍️ Shopify's Black Friday outage 🦿 A robot lamp with "feelings"

Prince Edward Island isn’t exactly a tech hub, but Charlottetown-based Tracktile is sticking to the island as it scales. The B2B SaaS company just closed a $1.25-million seed round at what its founder calls an “inflection point” for the company.

The Government of Canada is putting up nearly $358 million to strengthen the country’s defence supply chain through its new Regional Defence Investment Initiative. More on this developing story here:

JD Saint-Martin will join Montréal VC firm Boreal Ventures as co-managing partner, after announcing in March he was stepping down as president of Lightspeed.

Xposure Music uses #AI to dig into streaming platforms' data and uncover long-term profit potential in indie artists' music catalogues. It just raised $42.5M in debt and equity to help it predict even more future streaming stars.

In a tough time for Canadian #VC activity, Conexus Venture Capital is doubling down on local innovation. It just hit its $30M target and launched a second fund heavily dedicated to early-stage tech in Saskatchewan.

🏦 Deal done: EQBank acquires PC Financial for $800M, carving out more market share after the end of a "difficult" year that included staff cuts and a revenue decline.

For The BetaKit Podcast, our editor-in-chief @trondizzle.bsky.social sat down with @opentext.bsky.social's Shannon Bell to learn exactly how one of Canada’s largest tech companies went all-in on #AI. This chat was recorded live at @SAASNORTH, but you can listen now for free.

ATTN budding founders in BC: the province has launched an early-stage demonstration call that will cover as much as $500,000 for SMEs to build pilot-scale, made-in-BC technology. Applications close Dec. 21. More information here 👇🏽

With funding from Google, U of T establishes #AI research chair to recruit the next Geoffrey Hinton. #CDNtech

Today, MaRS Discovery District and Definity publicly debuted the Adaptech Accelerator, which will fuel ventures building adaptation and resilience solutions. The first cohort aims for 8-10 companies tackling real-world climate challenges.

A lawsuit from Fastcase (owned by Clio) alleges Alexi used its Fastcase data to build a competing legal platform in violation of a data-licensing agreement. Clio bought Fastcase’s parent company vLex—and access to its proprietary research database—in November for $1 billion USD.

Revolut launched a beta version of its banking, crypto, and stock-trading offerings in Canada in 2019, only to retreat in early 2021. Now, it's brought in seasoned FinTech executive Jan Pilbauer as its Canadian CEO as it eyes a return to the market.

The Nod is reimagining Black Friday not as a race to the cheapest deal but a chance to bolster Black-owned small businesses. Its "Real Black Friday" tour is mobilizing communities across 10 cities to support Black-owned businesses.

Human Computer Lab's Shahvir Sarkay is building the iPod of home robots: instead of a humanoid butler that tries to do everything, he's tried to nail emotional resonance, and nothing else, with a "companion" reminiscent of Pixar's iconic hopping lamp.

McMaster University's (@mcmasteruniversity.bsky.social) DeGroote School of Business has introduced a suite of new AI programs designed for professionals looking to integrate the technology into their careers. Read a breakdown of each one, and who it's for. betakit.com/schooling-ca...

Conquest Planning CEO Mark Evans is transitioning to the company's board as CRO Brad Joudrie steps in to lead the organization. In June, the company announced it had raised $80 million USD in Series B funding.

The BetaKit newsletter this week features the feds' so-called "toxic" approach for Canadian tech and Faire's IPO musings. Plus: 🚧 Dozr: from boom to asset sale 🛍️ Shopify layoffs "removed layers of complexity" 🧑Another fund partner leaves BDC

In a world where people are inundated with stuff, Partage Club is selling itself as an opportunity to turn social connections into a positive economic force. Can it execute its mission while keeping investors happy?

Shopify posts another record-breaking Black Friday, Cyber Monday despite partial outage. $SHOP #CDNtech

Montreal-based biotech Morphocell Techologies has rounded out its Series A at $50 million USD thanks to new commitments from Investissement Québec and Italy’s CDP Venture Capital.

What do AI agents do on QuickBooks on the Intuit platform? We asked.

Is it possible to keep your elbows up and still get your hands on some of the coolest tech products of 2025? We think so--so we've put together a list of homegrown #CDNTech products you can actually buy this year.

How does Employment Hero plan to corner the Canadian market now that it's acquired Humi? “You're trying to make your product as cheap as possible, as affordable as possible," CEO Ben Thompson says. Read more about his strategy 👇

NordSpace’s first satellite launch into space will hitch a ride on a rocket from Elon Musk’s SpaceX in 2026.

💡 In The BetaKit Quiz this week 💡 🥃 Alberta's #AI-generated liquor law 🛍️ @Shopify warned for selling this product 👩🏽 A surprising trend in Canadian #VC leadership. Test your #CDNTech knowledge now

As giant #AI companies like OpenAI and Cohere face legal action around alleged copyright infringement, Versos AI is betting that companies want to buy training material that's firmly outside of any legal grey areas.

A $45-million commitment from the federal government to upgrade computing infrastructure at the University of Toronto will help researchers across the county dive into more advanced #AI research.

US VC firm Forum Ventures established an AI-focused venture studio in Toronto in 2023. On the heels of the final close of its 2nd fund, Forum says the tech market is in the midst of “a platform shift" as #AI changes how B2B SaaS solutions are built, sold, and adopted betakit.com/us-firm-foru...

.@Ben_Bergen of @CADInnovators will be the next CEO of the @cvca. Bergen led CCI since its inception, first as executive director, then as president.

ICYMI: DOZR was once valued at $75M. Now, its assets have been unceremoniously sold to help a stiffed lender recoup capital. Read about the company's nearly successful journey back to profitability, a merger that never quite happened, and a bank's supposed refusal to play ball.

This week's BetaKit Quiz features an #AI-generated liquor law and some pointed toothbrush slander. PLUS: 👀 Tobi Lütke said WHAT about Nokia? 📈 A surprising DEI trend among Canadian #VC ❓ What is furble? Take the quiz now 👇🏾

Two years ago, BetaKit lost a colleague and dear friend to cancer. Charles Mandel was a passionate, fiery, and talented journalist whom we were proud to work beside. Today, we honour his memory in the best way we know how: by sharing stories.

#CDNTech company Dcbel recently unveiled bi-directional EV charging partnerships with Volvo and its sibling brand Polestar that can turn EV batteries into home power backups.

Augmentt, co-founded by former N-able leaders Derik Belair and Gavin Garbutt, has closed an $18M Series A round. The #SaaS company specializes in security automation for managed service providers.

MedReddie, which helps to streamline hospital procurement, has raised $2M to help take its platform global.

Guillaume Mercier has stepped away from BDC's Industrial Innovation Fund as leadership churn at the bank continues.

Healthtech company FluidAI Medical is acquiring Emmetros Limited, the company behind SparxConnect, to enhance its #AI-powered patient recovery platform Stream Inara.

ICYMI: Nokia just broke ground on its Ottawa campus expansion. Gov't has pledged $72M to fund the project and tout it as a key part of sovereign #AI initiatives. But critics like Shopify's Tobi Lütke and CCI's Ben Bergen question a sovereignty strategy that cuts checks to multinationals.

Most CFOs know their people and rent costs. The cloud bill is harder. Leaky EBS volumes. Quiet Lambda creep. AI workloads that spike without warning. According to Éric Pinet of Unicorne, FinOps makes cloud spending something teams can actually control.

This week's BetaKit Newsletter features Questrade's new investor tools and Manzil's halal ETF on the Nasdaq. Plus: 🤖 Ottawa's experiment with an #AI-powered help desk 🎧 "Valley or bust" for Canada's young entrepreneurs 📌 Leadership churn at BDC