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Ontario commits $25 million as Canadarm3 manufacturer MDA creates $100 million space robotics centre (BETAKIT)
Ontario’s aerospace program just got a big shot in the arm – in the Canadarm, that is. The province announced that with support from the Ontario government Canadarm manufacturer MDA is investing $100 million over five years for its new Space Robotics Centre of Excellence.
Robotaxi startup Pony.ai now valued at $8.5B (TECHCRUNCH)
Founded in 2016 and backed by Toyota, Pony is among a group of robotaxi startups that have set up testing and operational presence in both China and the U.S.
Clinia closes $5 million to scale B2B health search infrastructure (BETAKIT)
In an interview with BetaKit, Clinia co-founder and CEO Simon Bédard said that patients need help to access the right health resources.
Intel’s Mobileye confidentially files for U.S. IPO (REUTERS)
The move to list Mobileye is part of Intel’s broader strategy under Chief Executive Officer Pat Gelsinger to turn around its core business.
Mayday marks calendar year with $3.8 million CAD to help remote workers improve their time management (BETAKIT)
Mayday was co-founded by serial entrepreneur Jeremy Bell, who says his company is building a smarter scheduling and time management tool for remote teams and busy professionals.
Calgary’s Attabotics eyes potential Ontario manufacturing site for robotic warehousing tech: Documents (THE LOGIC)
Attabotics, a Calgary-based robotics company, has been eyeing a potential new manufacturing hub for its automated warehousing technology in Hamilton, Ont.
Phoenix Fire launches angel fund focused on women entrepreneurs (BETAKIT)
A new group has launched an angel fund focused on investing in women entrepreneurs. The fund, Phoenix Fire, is part of the Archangel Network of Funds and is led by managing partner Danielle Graham and TD Bank executive Claudette McGowan.
Quantum Algorithms Institute, Xanadu team up to increase talent pipeline in quantum computing (BETAKIT)
Part of QAI’s mission is to develop a strong talent pipeline in quantum information sciences. The QAI said that will be accelerated as students gain access to Toronto-based startup Xanadu’s hardware, software, and expertise in quantum computing.
How wrongful arrests based on AI derailed 3 men’s lives (WIRED)
Robert Williams, Michael Oliver, and Nijeer Parks were misidentified by facial recognition software. The impact cast a long shadow.
Clio and Trulioo say not now to IPOs as CEOs discuss unicorn M&A strategies (BETAKIT)
At a recent event for BetaKit Patreon supporters, Clio CEO Jack Newton and Trulioo CEO Steve Munford revealed that they aren’t planning to take their companies public anytime soon, and shared an in-depth look at how the two BC tech unicorns tackle mergers and acquisitions.
Can A.I. help casinos cut down on problem gambling? (NY TIMES)
The opportunities seem endless. The reality is much more complicated.
UofT spinout Halt AI launches tool to measure brands’ diversity across social media (BETAKIT)
Toronto-based Halt AI’s diversity analytics dashboard is designed to get a quick summary of companies’ diversity across their visual content. It analyzes every social media account from an entire industry and reports the amount of diversity in images using six categories: race, age, gender, body type, skin-tone, and disability.
DeepMind’s new AI model helps decipher, date, and locate ancient inscriptions (THE VERGE)
Machine learning techniques are providing new tools that could help archaeologists understand the past — particularly when it comes to deciphering ancient texts. The latest example is an AI model created by Alphabet-subsidiary DeepMind that helps not only restore text that is missing from ancient Greek inscriptions but offers suggestions for when the text was written (within a 30-year period) and its possible geographic origins.
A year after launch, Backbone Angels is closing gaps felt by underrepresented founders (BETAKIT)
One year after launching Backbone Angels, the group of current and former Shopify leaders are proving there is a market for investing in founders who are often overlooked. Over the past year, Backbone’s 10 angel investors have collectively invested $2.3 million USD across 42 companies, 56 percent of which are run by women of colour.