"This was mine. This was done. I was going to be the next Steve Jobs, I was going to be rich—everything was happening. And now they took it away."

As the young co-founder of Ottawa-based Gymtrack, Pablo Srugo had one goal: "become insanely rich." Now a partner at Mistral VC, he joins the podcast to share what went wrong and caution founders against becoming their own worst hypebeast.

The BetaKit Podcast is presented by Shakepay: Canada's easy way to buy and earn bitcoin. Visit shakepay.com/betakit and join over 1 million Canadians shaking for bitcoin.

"Using Canada as an excuse for why you didn't get funding, you didn't get to hire the right person … I think that's bullshit."

Shopify president Harley Finkelstein joins for a brand refresh on Canadian entrepreneurship, pushing back against doom-and-gloom narratives before digging into his real issues of concern and offering proactive tips for entrepreneurs looking to scale globally.

Presented by AWS Startups: accelerate your innovative ideas with AWS credits of up to $100,000 through the AWS Activate program.

"When we unveiled the company and the product to the world, the hope was 'people are going to be excited.' Or maybe we're completely wrong."

Can a ragtag team of ex-BlackBerry employees and fanboys bring mobile keyboards back with Clicks? Clicks' Kevin Michaluk (CrackBerry) and Jeff Gadway (BlackBerry) join to explain what prompted them to build an iPhone keyboard in 2024. The answer may surprise you as much as the gadget's target customer.

Presented by Float, co-hosts of In the Black: Building Enduring Businesses. Learn what's top of mind for Canada's fastest-growing companies, including Xanadu, Wealthsimple, and Float.

"There's a direct relationship between the mental health of the entrepreneur and the performance of the company."

Econa founder Dr. Michael Freeman returns to discuss how the current tech winter is impacting founder mental health, and how that is impacting company performance.

Sponsored by GSoft and SAAS NORTH.

"Essentially, Amazon has failed to make this company profitable. It doesn't make money."

Streamer, YouTuber, and Novo CEO Devin Nash joins to explain the myriad ways Amazon's experiment with Twitch is failing to make money or anyone happy.

Sponsored by GSoft and SAAS NORTH.

"Half a billion dollars for women in Canadian tech. Pretty cool!"

The BetaKit Podcast's monthly AMA episode answers listeners' (tough!) questions about bad news coming from Real Ventures and exciting news coming from BDC, with some Elevate highlights thrown in.

Sponsored by SAAS NORTH (use code BETAKIT20 for an early bird discount).

"This is the rise and fall of a company that had hundreds of millions of dollars to play with and nothing left to say about it."

Globe and Mail reporter Josh O'Kane joins to discuss his new book, Sideways: The City Google Couldn't Buy, along with BetaKit senior editor Meagan Simpson.

Sponsored by SAAS NORTH.

"I'm just concerned about finding tech talent."

Nora Jenkins Townson (Bright + Early) and Meagan Simpson (BetaKit) join to explain why over 350 companies are looking to hire Canadian tech talent in the midst of a downturn.

Sponsored by Linebox.

"Shopify Pay still uses Stripe and they have some crazy scale."

Immad Akhund (CEO, Mercury) and Jon Fry (CEO, Lendflow) join BetaKit's Douglas Soltys onstage to discuss how startups can embed FinTech into their products, increase revenue, and avoid the hidden icebergs.

Recorded live at Traction Conference 2022.

Sponsored by Linebox and Thinksound.

"Do you really want to get big fast? You take my money, I'm going to poke you in the eye every day going forward."

GrowthX CEO and founding partner Andrew Goldner shares how his Valley-founded early-stage VC firm found product-market fit with Canadian accelerators, common misconceptions founders have of the VC business model, and a bunch of go-to-market tips.

Sponsored by Thinksound. 

"It's not as broken as other things."

VanHack CEO Ilya Brotzky joins to explain what's causing the 4-6 month waiting period for Canadian tech companies using the Global Talent Stream, and shares a new petition to get the government to make necessary changes.

Sponsored by Thinksound.

"I represent a different community that has different needs."

Manzil CEO Mohamad Sawwaf explains the cultural, regulatory, and compliance roadblocks that are slowing him from financially serving more than a million Muslims across Canada.

Sponsored by Thinksound.

"This was the moment that you knew the hangover was about to kick in."

Tech reporter Isabelle Kirkwood joins to walk us through an ecosystem-by-ecosystem breakdown of Canadian tech venture funding in Q2 2022, how it compares to last year, and what it signals for the rest of the year.

Sponsored by Thinksound.

"In Canada today … if you look at the inventory of 20,000 great technology companies, 60 percent of those have never met an investor. Because they're really busy at meeting customers."

Jolt Capital managing partner Jean Schmitt joins to discuss why he made Montréal his deep tech private equity firm's North American HQ, and the opportunities for investment he sees across Canada.

Presented by AWS Startups: accelerate your innovative ideas with AWS credits of up to $100,000 through the AWS Activate program.

The BetaKit Podcast is also sponsored by Float:  sign up for early access to Float's new Bill Pay and Reimbursements product by June 30, 2024, and you will be entered to win 2 tickets to see Taylor Swift live!

"That's the pull quote. 'Amber Mac: things are crumbling.'"

Special guest Amber Mac joins to answer listener questions on the award-nominated BetaKit Podcast. Topics include: Shopify's layoffs, Rogers' revenue resiliency following its second outage in the last year, Canada's digital divide and its impact on remote work, and early-stage fundraising tips.

Sponsored by Diuca.

"When we look at companies today, I'm reminded of what it was like - just how bleak it was - in that summer of 2000. You can play through that as an investor and an entrepreneur."

Mark McQueen, President & Executive Managing Director - CIBC Innovation Banking, compares 2022 with past downturns to track what's changed and remained constant.

Sponsored by Diuca.

"Trust, and Indigenous impact measurement, and the wellbeing of Indigenous families sit alongside risk and return. In fact, in our fund, sit significantly above risk and return as investment considerations."

Raven Capital Managing Partner Paul Lacerte explains how the firm invests in Indigenous impact entrepreneurs in a culturally safe way.

Originally aired September 30, 2021. Sponsored by Diuca.

"Other conferences are phoning it in."

Startupfest's Alistair Croll and Olivia Rossi join to explain how Canada's Original Startup Conference has changed in its major return to IRL and the amount of tech they're building to make meeting people easy again.

Sponsored by Diuca.

"The worst outcome for Rogers is an actual real competitor, which is what we are. They know we're going to bring prices down and they don't want prices to come down."

Globalive co-founder and chairman Anthony Lacavera shares why he was forced to sell Wind Mobile, and explains why it's so hard to repurchase it now as Freedom Mobile as part of the (contested) Rogers / Shaw merger. Welcome to Competitiontown.

Sponsored by Linebox Studio.

"So are you saying that Canadian tech is under-appreciated?"

A special Collision edition of our monthly AMA episode, answering listener questions about: the current downturn mood, cool tech we saw at the conference, and the ROI of events for the ecosystem.

Sponsored by Linebox.

"Everybody I meet keeps asking me 'where's Shopify?'"

Collision's Paddy Cosgrave discusses the conference's second first impression in Toronto, tech downturns, and if Canadian startups can handle the pressure.

Sponsored by RBC.

"It's like you're getting married and writing your prenup and your divorce agreement on the day you get married."

Elizabeth MacRae (Village Wellth) explains how YouTubers, Boomers, and banks with favourable terms are fuelling an explosion in acquisition entrepreneurship.

Sponsored by RBC.

"We have really no programming to teach mentors, it's all tribal."

Brice Scheschuk (Wind Mobile, Globalive) discusses the CDL session that gave him imposter syndrome, prompting the launch of MindFrame Connect to improve the craft of mentorship and create more resilient entrepreneurs.

Sponsored by RBC.

Originally aired Nov 8, 2021.

RBCx's Anthony Mouchantaf (AKA, Tony Dagger) returns as a special guest to help answer listener-submitted questions about: the potential of no more VCCI funding for Canadian VCs; the bubble-bursting reality currently hitting Canadian tech companies; and whether or not wearables are cool again.

Sponsored by RBC.

"Is this Collision, is this RISE, is this Web Summit? I'm very confused."

Web Summit co-host Casey Lau joins the podcast from the show floor of the last Collision to evaluate its impact, what Web Summit Vancouver will do for the city, and what the reimagined tech conference might look like when it arrives next year.

Presented by Mantle: next-level equity management, powered by AI. Visit withmantle.com/betakit to get started with your first 12 months free.

"The unforeseen consequences of this stuff has ripples throughout society that in the most generous interpretation we didn't see coming, but can no longer deny."

Former OneEleven executive director Siri Agrell explains why she believes politicians shouldn't use social media; CCI's Alanna Sokic explains why the Ontario budget is not a budget.

Sponsored by Osler.

"That impact that's being felt in the public markets will start to trickle down to the earlier rounds."

Damien Steel, managing partner and head of ventures at OMERS Ventures, takes umbrage with how valuations - or more specifically, the sticker price placed on funding rounds - are paraded in the media.

Sponsored by Osler.

"OpenAI has nothing to lose and Apple had to move. They are the last player in this space, they had to do something."

The gang reviews the latest announcements from Apple's WWDC event, including a major partnership with OpenAI, before handing out grades for Big Tech's AI progress. Also evaluated: whether or not Apple killed any tech companies this week, 1Password included.

Presented by Mantle: next-level equity management, powered by AI. Visit withmantle.com/betakit to get started with your first 12 months free.

"Fiscal '25 is the year we turn 20, and it's the year we cross a billion in revenue and we become a profitability story."

Once again back in the CEO chair, Lightspeed's Dax Dasilva discusses why he stepped down, then returned, as the company he founded approaches its 20th birthday.

The BetaKit Podcast is presented by Innovate BC: a Crown Agency of the Province of British Columbia. Visit innovatebc.ca to learn more about Innovate BC's programs, initiatives and ongoing work across British Columbia's innovation ecosystem.

"We're not in the business of selling food, we're in the business of behaviour change."

New School Foods founder Chris Bryson joins to discuss his plans to commercialize a pet R&D project into a Canadian plant-based meat competitor. Can he do the impossible better than... Impossible?

The BetaKit Podcast is presented by Innovate BC: a Crown Agency of the Province of British Columbia. Visit innovatebc.ca to learn more about Innovate BC's programs, initiatives and ongoing work across British Columbia's innovation ecosystem.

"We've been offered or at least suggested, 'Why don't you move your headquarters to the US?' The only way we'll move our headquarters outside of Toronto or Canada is if I get fired."

Christian Weedbrook, CEO and founder of Xanadu, joins to discuss his optimism in building a quantum unicorn in Canada, his hope of raising an all-Canadian round, and how it will help him get one step closer to a quantum data centre.

Presented by the Master of Business Administration in Technology Leadership (Tech MBA) at Schulich School of Business. Gain a Competitive Edge. Design the future with Schulich's Tech MBA.

"I think that there are two types of investors right now. There are ones that are being thoughtful about it and steering clear of investments that could cause harm. And then there are some that are wading into them and don't care at all."

General partner Darian Shirazi joins to identify the AI moat, match the progress of AI with other tech eras, and differentiate Gradient Ventures from AI VCs who "don't care at all."

Presented by Mantle: the Canadian-made, AI-powered equity management solution designed for modern founders and operators. Visit withmantle.com/betakit to get started. 

"I think ambition is a problem… Canada is a go-for-bronze culture, and that sucks."

Kinda. Presenting BetaKit chair Satish Kanwar's fireside chat and AMA with Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke at the BetaKit Town Hall. The pair discuss the state of Canadian innovation, government and policy, and what comes next. With special guests from CDL, Ada, Knix, and Version One Ventures.

Presented by the Master of Business Administration in Technology Leadership (Tech MBA) at Schulich School of Business. Gain a Competitive Edge. Design the future with Schulich's Tech MBA.

"When you think about that shark American ethos, playing to win … but then also having the Canadian kindness, I think that's where Canada and Canadians have a really big opportunity."

Simple Ventures CEO joins to discuss the motivations behind the launch of the venture studio, the power of geographical arbitrage, and the structural, cultural, and economic impediments to Canadian entrepreneurship.

The BetaKit Podcast is presented by Osler, Hoskin and Harcourt LLP. Osler, the leading law firm for startups, high growth companies and investors in Canada, has released its third annual study of 486 anonymized Canadian venture capital and growth equity financings.

"Verticalized AI applications right now are available, right now accelerating industry after industry."

AI is moving so fast it can be hard to keep up. The BetaKit Podcast has you covered with vantage points on AI from: Dr. Sasha Luccioni (Hugging Face), Reid Robinson (Zapier), Solon Angel (stealth startup), Darian Shirazi (Gradient Ventures), Joella Almeida (MedEssist), Chris Walker (Untether AI), and Eric Duffy (Tenstorrent). Rob and Douglas do their best to keep up.

The BetaKit Podcast is presented by Google Cloud: scale your startup faster and smarter with the Google Cloud credits, technical training, startup experts, curated resources, plus AI and Web3-specific benefits.

Get up to $350k in cloud credits over two years, plus access to hands-on technical training, mentorship from startup experts, and connections with a thriving community.

Visit startups.google.com/betakit to learn more and apply today!

"I think it would be a mistake if we make Canada even less competitive at such an incredibly important moment in time for us to embrace competition and productivity." 

Michael Katchen (Wealthsimple) and Daniel Eberhard (Koho) join BetaKit editor-in-chief Douglas Soltys for a wide-ranging conversation on Canada's productivity, entrepreneurship, and competition crises. Financial innovation, open banking, Real-Time Rail, and capital gains taxes might also come up. Recorded live at INNOVATEwest.

The BetaKit Podcast is presented by Osler, Hoskin and Harcourt LLP. Osler, the leading law firm for startups, high growth companies and investors in Canada, has released its third annual study of 486 anonymized Canadian venture capital and growth equity financings.

"The reality is this government cannot execute."

Sound the alarm! Matt Roberts (CMD Capital) and Ben Bergen (CCI) join for an emergency #Budget2024 podcast to discuss the capital gains tax increase, Minister Freeland's Friday meeting with tech leaders, and the level to which politics are intersecting with innovation policy.

The BetaKit Podcast is presented by Osler, Hoskin and Harcourt LLP. Osler, the leading law firm for startups, high growth companies and investors in Canada, has released its third annual study of 486 anonymized Canadian venture capital and growth equity financings.

"I think what we're trying to do here is maybe celebrate and acknowledge all pathways into tech. Whatever sparked the inspiration."

Co-hosts Rob and Douglas peel back the curtain to reveal the gadgets, media, and moments that inspired their love of tech. Come, witness the retelling of their Immaculate Tech Conceptions while reliving your own on this full-blown nostalgia pod!

The BetaKit Podcast is presented by Osler, Hoskin and Harcourt LLP. Osler, the leading law firm for startups, high growth companies and investors in Canada, has released its third annual study of 486 anonymized Canadian venture capital and growth equity financings.

"The quantum computer itself, the one that we would classify as sexy … has such a huge disruptive potential that we cannot really comprehend how much of an effect it's going to have."

Fresh off a $20 million fund close, Quantacet managing partner Martin Laforest joins to discuss quantum tech's "degrees of sexiness," its path to commercialization, Québec's commitment to quantum innovation, and why it's centred in the city of Sherbrooke.

Presented by Mantle: the Canadian-made, AI-powered equity management solution designed for modern founders and operators. Visit withmantle.com/betakit to get started. 

"I deeply want to solve the challenges in education. I think what we have is a current educational system is really not working."

Mobius Math Club co-founder Steven Woods (ex-Eloqua, Oracle, and Benevity) explains how video games are actually a great educational tool, and why taking venture capital won't help him scale.

Presented by Mastercard Canada: watch Mastercard Canada's Darrell MacMullin and BetaKit's Douglas Soltys explore emerging tech's impact on the future of financial innovation in a BetaKit Live fireside conversation.

"The thing that makes noir fiction noir is the detective is presented as an unlicensed cop who goes to the places the cops can't go and asks the questions the cops can't ask to solve the crimes the cops can't solve. But by the end, he is reminded very forcefully that these were in fact places the cops didn't want to go."

Canadian journalist and author Cory Doctorow joins to discuss his new tech crime thriller The Bezzle, and how understanding the early Web 2.0 era can show us both where we are and where we're going.

Sponsored by Mastercard Canada. On March 27, join Mastercard Canada's SVP of Product and Solutions, Darell MacMullin, for a BetaKit Live fireside conversation to discuss how emerging tech, open banking, and evolving cybersecurity challenges are set to impact the future of financial innovation.

"One of the things that's funniest in tech is the complete and utter lack of self-awareness."

The BetaKit Podcast is off for March Break. If you're anything like us, right now you might need a welcome distraction from the joys of family. Enter comedian and podcaster Alexis Gay, who joins to share her transition from working in tech to creating content that perfectly articulates the absurdities of working in tech.

Sponsored by DiscoveryX Conference—Ontario's premier innovation event, April 17 & 18. Also sponsored by the Master of Engineering Innovation and Entrepreneurship (MEIE) Program at Toronto Metropolitan University—learn how MEIE can help accelerate your career or bring your startup idea to life.

Original air date: October 21, 2022.

"The truth is we have a tremendous amount of comfort in the ambiguity of our vision."

Float CEO and co-founder Rob Khazzam discusses the frustrations Canadian businesses face in managing and executing their finances, the harmful effects of stalled financial innovation, and his company's atypical approach to product roadmapping.

"SR&ED's big. SR&ED matters. But it's also a value statement of where we as a country want to go."

CCI president Ben Bergen walks through the #CDNtech lobbyist group's proposed policy changes for the $4 billion Scientific Research and Experimental Development tax credit following Finance's recent consultation kick-off (two years after it was promised).

"There's a big difference between wanting to be great and being great."

After a 16-year run leading Ecobee, Stuart Lombard has stepped down as CEO and president of the smart thermostat maker. He joins the BetaKit Podcast to discuss lessons learned, building hardware in Canada, and "becoming the smart home company Nest should have been."

Sponsored by the Master of Engineering Innovation and Entrepreneurship (MEIE) Program at Toronto Metropolitan University—learn how MEIE can help accelerate your career or bring your startup idea to life.

"The world is loopy. Everything is a cycle. Everything is a product of compounding changes."

Summer is almost over, so hear from these Canadian tech leaders as you prepare to get back to work in September. Featuring insights from Michael Katchen (Wealthsimple), Daniel Eberhard (Koho), Dax Dasilva (Lightspeed), Stuart Lombard (Ecobee), and Tobi Lütke (Shopify).

Presented by AWS Startups: accelerate your innovative ideas with AWS credits of up to $100,000 through the AWS Activate program.

"If we had a bank licence today, I'm confident in saying we'd have the highest savings rate in the country."

Koho CEO Daniel Eberhard joins to explain why the FinTech startup decided to pursue a banking licence, why it necessitates splitting the company in two, and the potential benefits for Canadians living in a culturally reinforced oligopoly.

"I'm just holding out hope for Nightshade (Taylor's Version). Arm the Swifties, they're our only hope."

Rob and Douglas play an escalating game of identifying and arguing for the biggest tech news stories: new kit like the Apple Vision Pro, Arc browser, and Nightshade, new (potential) banks like Koho, and yes, Taylor Swift. By the end of this episode, you'll either be fearless or seeing red.

Sponsored by DiscoveryX Conference—Ontario's premier innovation event, April 17 & 18. Also sponsored by the Master of Engineering Innovation and Entrepreneurship (MEIE) Program at Toronto Metropolitan University—learn how MEIE can help accelerate your career or bring your startup idea to life.

"To compete in any field of technology, and especially AI, you have to be global."

Like many Canadian tech companies, Untether AI started 2024 with a new CEO. Former Intel leader and Untether AI president Chris Walker explains why he came out of retirement for the role, and how he intends to capitalize on the company's "scaling moment."

Sponsored by DiscoveryX Conference, Ontario's premier innovation event: April 18 & 18.

Recorded at CreatorClub, a one-stop hub for content creation empowering brands, agencies, and marketers to streamline their content creation process from start to finish.

"We kinda want to leave the internet."

Inspired by Canadian science fiction author and journalist Cory Doctorow, the BetaKit Podcast articulates all the ways we find the internet getting worse.

Sponsored by the Master of Engineering Innovation and Entrepreneurship (MEIE) Program at Toronto Metropolitan University. Learn how MEIE can help accelerate your career or bring your startup idea to life.

Recorded at CreatorClub, a one-stop hub for content creation empowering brands, agencies, and marketers to streamline their content creation process from start to finish.