Wealthsimple Partners with Elon Musk’s X for Direct Stock Trading via Social Media
Wealthsimple announced a pilot integration with Elon Musk’s X that turns any stock ticker or Cashtag in a post into a direct link to the Wealthsimple app, allowing users to place trades with a single tap. Existing Canadian users are sent straight to the trade screen, while non‑customers are routed to a sign‑up flow. The rollout coincides with Wealthsimple’s recent regulatory approval to offer prediction‑market contracts, expanding its product suite beyond traditional robo‑advisory services. Valued at roughly $7.4 billion USD after a $10 billion CAD Series E round, the firm now serves over three million Canadians.
Cohere Exec Pledges AI Firm Will Stay Canadian-Headquartered Amid Merger Reports
Cohere’s chief AI officer Joelle Pineau publicly affirmed that the Toronto‑based AI firm will remain headquartered in Canada, even as media reports suggest a possible merger with Germany’s Aleph Alpha. Pineau’s X post emphasized Canada as the company’s “home” and...
TechJutsu Launches Browser Extension to Bring MFA to the Web
TechJutsu, a Calgary‑based identity‑access firm founded in 2015, unveiled its Caller Verify Universal Connector, a browser extension that embeds multi‑factor authentication (MFA) into any web application. The plug‑in works in Chrome and Edge and integrates with major CRM and collaboration...
AppDirect Acquires PartnerStack to Build Unified Platform for Partner-Led Growth
San Francisco‑based AppDirect announced the acquisition of Toronto‑originated PartnerStack, a partner relationship management platform with more than 138,000 B2B partners. The deal, whose financial terms were not disclosed, will merge PartnerStack’s network and PRM tools with AppDirect’s marketplace infrastructure to...
Community Event Platform Wygo Secures Nearly $1.6 Million Pre-Seed
Toronto‑based Wygo, an event‑planning app that encourages offline gatherings, announced a CAD 1.6 million (≈$1.2 million USD) pre‑seed round. The platform, launched by CEO Jocelyne Murphy and CTO Christopher Oka, has already sold more than 10,000 tickets for in‑person events. Investors such as Shopify...
How Zoho Is Rethinking AI Risk, Context, and Control in 2026
Zoho reported 16 billion AI API calls in the first half of 2025, a 50% year‑over‑year rise, as it expands its Zia large‑language model across the Zoho One suite. The company’s Managing Director, Chandrashekar Lalapet Srinivas Prasanna (LSP), outlined three 2026...
New App Think2Switch Lets Users Control Devices Using Their Thoughts
Calgary‑based Possibility Neurotechnologies launched Think2Switch, an app that lets users operate smartphones and IoT devices using brainwave signals captured by consumer‑grade EEG headsets. The service, built on research from the University of Calgary’s BCI4Kids program, aims to improve digital accessibility...
Hootsuite Founder Ryan Holmes Returns as Interim CEO
Hootsuite founder Ryan Holmes has stepped back into the CEO chair on an interim basis, replacing Irina Novoselsky who departed after three years. The board framed the transition as a move from a position of strength, noting the company is...
How to Fix Canadian VC
The BetaKit Podcast returned to dissect the sharp contraction of Canadian venture capital that began in 2023, erasing a decade’s worth of capital raised and deployed. A panel of senior venture figures attributes the slump to a thin limited‑partner base...
Former Alberta Innovates Exec Joins Toast as COO
Nicole Shokoples, former chief of staff and vice‑president at Alberta Innovates, has been named chief operating officer of Toast, a Calgary‑based recruitment platform that connects women with STEM roles. Toast, founded in 2022, recently launched the not‑for‑profit Toast Institute to...
PH7 Wraps Series B as It Readies to Bring Critical Mineral Extraction Tech to Mining
Vancouver‑based pH7 Technologies closed a near‑$32 million Series B round, adding $6.2 million and $7.5 million in venture debt to bring total financing above $39 million. The capital will fund the construction of critical‑metal recycling plants for platinum‑group metals and enable the company’s organic electrochemical...
Harmix Was a Profitable Music Startup, Before AI Tools Tempted Them to Build Something New
Toronto‑based Harmix Group, founded in 2018, built a profitable multimodal AI search engine for music, licensing its technology to brands like Red Bull and Sky TV. The company recently pivoted to a Proactive AI Manager (PAM) product that uses generative...
Jesse Wiebe Built Startup TNT’s Agri-Food Arm. Now He’s Leaving to Solve a Larger Problem
Jesse Wiebe is leaving Startup TNT after five years of building its agri‑food arm to take a national role aimed at fixing Canada’s early‑stage capital formation crisis. TNT has deployed roughly $15 million USD into about 130 pre‑seed Canadian companies and...
From Student to VP, Solace’s Ghaith Dalla-Ali Shows How Startups Can Grow Talent
Solace’s former student intern Ghaith Dalla‑Ali joined the company in 2013 as a QA engineer and has risen to Vice President of Engineering, overseeing a 250‑person team that includes about 20 former interns. The firm’s decade‑long partnership with the ICTC’s...
Hypertec Becomes Key Partner for Nvidia in Canada
Hypertec Group’s Ciara division has been named Nvidia’s first original equipment manufacturer (OEM) partner in Canada, granting the Montreal‑based firm early access to GPU silicon, engineering support, and joint marketing. The partnership elevates Hypertec’s visibility and credibility, allowing it to...
How New SR&ED Changes Could Supercharge Canadian Hard Tech and Manufacturing Startups
Canada’s Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) tax incentive program, which returned roughly $3.3 billion USD to over 22,000 firms in 2025, has been revamped to better serve hard‑tech and manufacturing startups. The refundable credit limit has doubled to $6 million CAD...
Canada’s Spotty Support for Innovation Is Grounding Its Space Ambitions
Canada’s space sector is contracting despite recent high‑profile achievements, as the government cancelled the $43 million Canadian Lunar Rover and paused the $1 billion Canadarm3 program tied to the stalled Lunar Gateway. The cancellations expose a systemic flaw: the Canadian Space Agency...
BDC Launches $150-Million Life Sciences Fund
The Business Development Bank of Canada’s venture arm, BDC Capital, has launched a new $150 million CAD (≈$111 million USD) life‑sciences fund. The vehicle will back 10‑15 seed and Series A companies developing therapeutics and medical‑device technologies, writing checks of $1‑3 million CAD at...
Blackline Safety to Go Private in $850-Million Deal
Calgary‑based Blackline Safety will delist from the Toronto Stock Exchange after agreeing to be taken private by an affiliate of Silicon Valley private‑equity firm Francisco Partners. The definitive agreement values the company at up to CAD $850 million (approximately US$630 million), offering shareholders...
Toronto Gets a New Hub for Accessibility Innovation
Access to Success (ATS) has launched its first physical Innovation Hub on Toronto’s eastern waterfront, providing a dedicated co‑working space for accessibility‑focused startups. The nonprofit, which runs a free zero‑equity virtual accelerator, has already supported 78 companies that have reached...
Neo Financial Becomes Second FinTech to Join Interac Payment System
Neo Financial, a Calgary‑based fintech with over one million users, has become the second Canadian fintech to join Interac’s e‑Transfer network as an official participant. The direct connection gives Neo control over payment‑rail integration, allowing it to launch new features...
How Sonibel Can Hear when a Welder Makes a Mistake
Sonibel, founded by UBC alumni, has developed an acoustic sensor that mounts on a welding torch and uses machine‑learning to flag weld defects in real time. The startup secured $1.6 million USD in pre‑seed funding to accelerate product plug‑and‑play development and...
GridBank Raises $6-Million Seed Round to Monetize the Videos in Your Camera Roll
GridBank, a Montreal‑based startup, closed a $6 million seed round led by StandUp Ventures to build a marketplace for user‑generated video clips. The app lets smartphone owners upload authentic short videos, which brands and ad agencies purchase for organic‑looking marketing campaigns....
Q&A: Clearpath Robotics’ Ryan Gariepy on Killer Robots and Canada’s Defence Strategy
Ryan Gariepy, co‑founder of Clearpath Robotics, now Rockwell Automation’s VP of robotics, discussed Canada’s burgeoning robotics sector and its role in the nation’s new Defence Industrial Strategy. He highlighted the country’s strong manufacturing base, educated workforce, and the need for...
Feds Invest $79 Million in Aspect Biosystems to Develop 3D-Printed Tissue Treatment
Vancouver‑based Aspect Biosystems secured $79 million CAD (≈$58 million USD) from Canada’s Strategic Response Fund for a $280 million CAD (≈$204 million USD) project to scale its 3D‑printed tissue platform. The company will fund the remaining $201 million CAD (≈$147 million USD) and aims to enhance...
The Women Most at Risk From AI Aren’t in the Rooms Designing It
Canada is a global AI leader, yet women face disproportionate risk from automation. ILO data shows 29 % of women’s jobs are AI‑exposed versus 16 % for men, and women are three times more likely to fall into the highest‑risk category. The...
NGen Announces Nearly $80 Million for Canadian Manufacturers to Adopt AI
Industry‑led non‑profit Next Generation Manufacturing Canada (NGen) announced a CAD 79 million (≈ USD 58 million) investment to support 20 AI‑driven projects across Canadian manufacturers. More than CAD 50 million (≈ USD 36 million) comes from private partners, with the remaining CAD 29 million (≈ USD 21 million) supplied by the federal Pan‑Canadian AI Strategy....
Feds Invest over $16 Million in Trio of Prairies-Based Cleantech Research Projects
Canada’s Natural Resources department has earmarked roughly $21 million USD for 12 clean‑energy projects, including more than $11.7 million USD directed to three Prairie‑based initiatives. Carbon Alpha in Calgary will receive about $7.3 million USD to develop seismic‑survey technology for carbon‑capture measurement in...
Lockheed Martin Canada Invests $3.6 Million Into Lemay.ai
Lockheed Martin Canada is committing CAD 3.6 million (about US$2.6 million) to Ottawa‑based AI specialist Lemay.ai. The funding launches a joint R&D effort aimed at AI‑driven predictive aircraft maintenance, supply‑chain optimization, and navigation in GNSS‑denied environments. The initiative fulfills Canada’s Industrial and Technological...
Relocalize to Build Fully Autonomous “Dark” Microfactory in Montréal
Montréal‑based Relocalize is set to launch its second autonomous microfactory, a fully “dark” facility that will operate without lighting or human shifts. The plant, slated for Q4 2024 near the Lachine Canal, will manufacture 100% water‑based cold packs for meal‑kit deliveries,...
Canada’s First Full-Stack, University-Owned Quantum Computer Comes to USask
The University of Saskatchewan will become the first Canadian university to own a full‑stack quantum computer, backed by roughly $1.43 million USD from Prairies Economic Development Canada and $0.30 million USD from Innovation Saskatchewan. The system, built with hardware from Rigetti Computing...
NACO Wants Feds to Use $750 Million in VC Funding to Back Startups Earlier
The National Angel Capital Organization (NACO) is urging the Canadian government to allocate its $750 million VC envelope – roughly $555 million USD – toward early‑stage seed funding. Its white paper proposes a $500 million Early‑Stage Matching Funds Program with a two‑to‑one public‑private...
ThinkLabs Secures $28-Million USD Series A to Help Power Grids Manage Data Centre Demand
ThinkLabs announced a $28 million USD (≈$39 million CAD) Series A round to accelerate its physics‑informed AI platform that helps utilities model and manage grid stress from rapidly expanding AI‑driven data centres. The company’s digital‑twin solution can shrink a typical six‑month grid study...
Venture Studio AXL Appoints Fellows From Nvidia, NASA, Samsung
Toronto‑based venture studio AXL has recruited nine senior scientists, all University of Toronto professors, as its inaugural Faculty Fellows. The cohort includes former leaders from Nvidia, NASA, Samsung, Intel, and Adobe, bringing deep AI expertise to the studio’s portfolio. Fellows...
The Small Saskatchewan City Putting Big Money Behind Rural Tech Founders
Saskatchewan’s Southeast Tech Hub (SETH) in the 10,000‑person town of Estevan is reviving its annual pitch competition, offering a $20,000 CAD (≈$14,800 USD) seed prize to rural entrepreneurs. The event, held April 16 at Southeast College and livestreamed region‑wide, showcases startups from...
Hopper’s Tech Will Power RBC’s Travel Reward Program
Hopper’s B2B arm, Hopper Technology Solutions, has secured a long‑term partnership with the Royal Bank of Canada to run the Avion Rewards Travel platform, replacing Expedia. The agreement is expected to lift Hopper’s annual revenue by hundreds of millions of...
Why SimplyCast Bet Early on Student Talent
Canada’s youth unemployment rose to 14.1% in February, the highest level since 2010. SimplyCast CEO Saeed El‑Darahali has built a hiring model that relies on student co‑ops, using the ICTC’s Work‑Integrated Learning (WIL) Digital program to offset salaries. The program...
More than $6 Million in Federal Defence Funding Bound for Alberta
The Canadian government announced more than CAD 6.1 million (≈ USD 4.5 million) in defence‑related funding for Alberta. The money is split between space‑data firm Wyvern (≈ USD 2.1 million) for hyperspectral maritime monitoring, the University of Alberta (≈ USD 2.2 million) to create the DEFENDS commercialization centre, and CANDO (≈ USD 111 k)...
Feds Reveal Streams Behind $1-Billion VC Initiative as Budget Becomes Law
Canada’s 2025 federal budget has become law, unlocking roughly $1 trillion CAD in five‑year investments and a $78.3 billion CAD deficit for 2025‑26. The budget earmarks a $1 billion CAD Venture and Growth Capital Catalyst Initiative, split into $700 million CAD funds‑of‑funds, $200 million CAD...
Canadian VCs Are Starting to Fear an AI-Driven “SaaSpocalypse”
Canadian venture capitalists are increasingly worried that generative AI could trigger a "SaaSpocalypse," threatening the traditional SaaS business model. 2025 was the worst year for Canadian VC fundraising since 2016, leaving funds under pressure to return capital. AI‑native startups...
Mila Teams up with Mozilla to Build Open-Source AI Tools
Mila, the Montreal AI research institute, announced a strategic partnership with Mozilla to develop open‑source artificial‑intelligence tools. Mozilla is committing an initial CAD $1 million (about $730,000 USD) and engineering support for the first project, which will focus on a portable memory architecture for...
Defence Tech Founder Warns Canada Is Getting “Wishy-Washy” About Defining Sovereignty
At the CIX Summit in Toronto, Sentinel R&D CEO Kath Intson warned that Canada’s definition of sovereignty is becoming vague, especially as the government pours record defence spending into the sector. She argued that merely on‑shoring foreign technology and labeling...
Opendoor Hiring in Canada as It Looks to Make Toronto a “Major Hub”
Opendoor, the U.S. iBuying platform, announced plans to hire up to 100 employees in Toronto, renting a floor on King Street and Spadina Avenue for the new hub. CEO Kaz Nejatian, a former Shopify COO, emphasized Toronto’s deep talent pool...
Wealthsimple Gets Regulatory Approval to Enter Prediction Markets
Wealthsimple, the Toronto‑based fintech valued at roughly $10 billion, secured initial approval from the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO) to launch prediction‑market contracts linked to economic indicators, financial markets and climate trends. The clearance permits binary “yes‑or‑no” forecast contracts, though the...
Miraterra Announces $16 Million to Advance Its Soil Measurement Tech
Vancouver‑based AgTech startup Miraterra secured a CAD $16 million seed extension, bringing its total financing to nearly CAD $40 million (about $30 million USD). The funding, led by At One Ventures and joined by S2G Investments, Sitka Foundation, iSelect and Farm Credit Canada, will accelerate deployment...
Jacqueline Loch Joins BetaKit as General Manager
BetaKit announced Jacqueline Loch as its new General Manager, bringing extensive media leadership experience from Azure Media, Rogers, and SJC Media. Loch will oversee business operations, product development, and partnership strategy to deepen BetaKit's reach within Canada’s tech ecosystem. The...
Denvr Signs Two Defence Deals to Deepen Sovereign AI Push in Canada
Denvr, a Calgary AI‑infrastructure firm, signed two defence deals with Ottawa‑based Dominion Dynamics and Sapper Labs to embed its sovereign Canada AI Platform (CAIP) into drone simulation and AI‑enabled intelligence/cyber‑defence for the Canadian Armed Forces. Dominion will use CAIP to...
MaRS Impact Health Returns to Showcase Canada’s Next Big Healthcare Breakthroughs
MaRS Impact Health will convene more than 1,000 biotech, digital‑health and medical‑device innovators in Toronto on April 23, showcasing Canada’s push to define a "middle‑power" role as the global healthcare market fragments. The summit highlights rare‑disease breakthroughs, including mRNA vaccine...
Cohere Teams up with Swedish Defence Firm Saab on AI for Surveillance Jets
Cohere, a Toronto‑based large language model developer, signed a memorandum of understanding with Swedish defence contractor Saab to embed its generative‑AI technology into the company’s GlobalEye surveillance aircraft. The collaboration will focus on data‑driven mission support, predictive maintenance tools, and...
Spark Microsystems Secures Additional $17 Million in Series B Funding
Spark Microsystems, a Montreal‑based fabless semiconductor firm, secured an additional C$17 million (≈US$12.6 million) in Series B follow‑on financing, bringing its total capital raised to over C$70 million (≈US$52 million). The round was led by Idealist Capital and Real Ventures, with participation from existing backers,...