Welcome to BetaKit’s startup stories of the week! Here, you will find the week’s most important news, features, and editorials published on BetaKit. If you prefer this update hit your inbox every week, make sure to subscribe to the BetaKit Newsletter using the form at the bottom of this page.
Top Stories of the Week
Wealthsimple raises $100 million led by Allianz X to build a full stack financial service(BETAKIT)
The goal is to get Wealthsimple to the size and scale to go public, something that CEO Michael Katchen said he’s “obsessed with.”
Montreal-based Smooch acquired by Zendesk(BETAKIT)
It was the announcement of Zendesk’s product Sunshine that fuelled the deal between the two companies.
#CollisionConf: Canada’s tech ecosystem is in hypergrowth, but it won’t last forever(BETAKIT)
“There is an unfair window of competitive advantage, but it doesn’t last forever.”
StandUp Ventures raises additional $13 million for women-focused fund(BETAKIT)
This surpasses the fund’s initial $15 million goal, and StandUp is now targeting a final close of $25 million.
Startup Milestones
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Shopify acquires Handshake (Read here)
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Basis.ai acquires SenseAI (Read here)
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AudienceView acquires Vendini (Read here)
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Mangrove Water receives $2.1M (Read here)
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The Digital Health and Discovery Platform receives $49M (Read here)
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Bridgit receives $750,000 (Read here)
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Senso.ai raises $1.5M (Read here)
Must Reads
Five Canadian cities with highest volume of investment dollars and deals in 2018(BETAKIT)
PwC broke down the Canadian cities that saw the highest volume of dollars and deals in 2018: Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Quebec City, and Calgary.
Ask an Investor: How can I create optionality after I get an acquisition offer?(BETAKIT)
No matter what stage your business is in, optionality is something you can be proactively driving towards before an acquisition comes your way.
Why 2019 will reveal Canada’s new tech darling (CanCon ep. 139)
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