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Meta to hire up to 2,500 workers in Canada, open engineering hub to build metaverse (BETAKIT)
The 2,500 hires will include remote and in-office positions, and look across the country for tech talent. The office and large team expands on Meta’s existing presence in Canada, which includes hundreds of employees and labs in Montréal and Toronto.
Osler releases multi-year study of 300+ Canadian VC and growth equity financings
Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP has released its first comprehensive study of 332 anonymized venture capital and growth equity financings from 2019–2021, valued at US$5.7 billion, providing data and insights for founders, entrepreneurs, investors and advisors contemplating transactions this year and beyond.
Intel confirms acquisition of AI-based workload optimization startup Granulate, reportedly for up to $650M (TECHCRUNCH)
The acquisition had been a badly kept secret in Granulate’s home market, with a number of publications reporting that it was in the works for about a week now. Well-placed sources tell us the acquisition is a $650 million deal, although Intel and Granulate do not give an actual number in their press release today confirming the news.
FutureFit AI raises $5.7 million to scale career navigation platform (BETAKIT)
The financing was co-led by American investment firms JPMorgan Chase and Acumen America. Acumen president Carlyle Singer will join FutureFit’s board of directors as part of the investment.
The sports card industry is having a tech revolution, and this company wants to lead the charge (FORBES)
The idea is that artificial intelligence can supplement the humans in the grading assembly line, quickly identifying cards, pulling up comparison images and running diagnostics.
Our Lady Peace’s Raine Maida says creators can’t afford “not to take advantage” of Web3, NFTs (BETAKIT)
At a recent event for BetaKit Patreon supporters, Our Lady Peace frontman Raine Maida and Horizon Blockchain Games co-founder and chief storyteller Michael Sanders discussed how NFTs could change the world of entertainment.
An ex-employee at Google’s AI firm DeepMind accused the company of mishandling her complaints of sexual harassment: ‘The same stories keep recurring.’ (BUSINESS INSIDER)
A former employee at DeepMind, the artificial intelligence company owned by Google, has publicly accused the the firm of mishandling complaints of sexual harassment and assault, and bullying.
Self-driving forklifts aim to make factories safer (AXIOS)
Demand for logistics help is soaring, but forklift operators and other skilled workers are in short supply. Robotic vehicles are one way that manufacturers and logistics companies can address labor shortages while running their operations more safely and efficiently.
Canadian startups in Y Combinator tie all-time high at Winter 2022 Demo Day (BETAKIT)
Out of a cohort that comprises 414 startups, 15 Canadian companies participated in Y Combinator’s Winter 2022 Demo Day this week, the accelerator’s 34th to date. The two-day virtual event featured founders from 43 countries to pitch their businesses to selected investors and press.
Mayo Clinic assessing Google AI tool as it seeks more insights from patient records (WALL STREET JOURNAL)
Mayo Clinic said it is assessing a product from Google Cloud that uses artificial intelligence to better track and analyze language-based information in patients’ electronic health records, such as doctor’s notes.
ApplyBoard makes first acquisition, grabbing Panda Portal to train recruiters (BETAKIT)
ApplyBoard closed the deal earlier this month and has rebranded Panda Portal to TrainHub. With the purchase, the international student recruitment startup is expanding its capability to train educators and recruiters that will in turn attract more students to schools. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
How robots can assist students with disabilities (NEW YORK TIMES)
New tools use artificial intelligence to assist students with autism and dyslexia and address accessibility for those who are blind or deaf.