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
François-Philippe Champagne new minister of innovation as Bains steps down from cabinet(BETAKIT)
Under Bains’ leadership, the government made significant support commitments to the innovation sector amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ledger one of "small number" of additional Shopify merchants found to have been affected by 2020 data breach(BETAKIT)
Cryptocurrency hardwallet company Ledger has revealed it was part of Shopify’s 2020 data breach, which exposed data from 292,000 of its customers.
FreshBooks founding CEO Mike McDerment steps down as executive director Don Epperson takes over(BETAKIT)
A spokesperson for FreshBooks told BetaKit the decision to bring on Epperson as CEO was made by McDerment, with approval by the company’s board of directors.
Shopify awarded two merchant patents as company continues to ramp up IP activity(BETAKIT)
The patent approvals come as part of a broader shift in the e-commerce company’s intellectual property strategy.
Top Hat continues to amass traditional publishers with acquisition of Fountainhead Press(BETAKIT)
Fountainhead Press is Top Hat’s third traditional publisher acquisition within the last year.
Shopify VP Loren Padelford on four things e-commerce entrepreneurs need to keep in mind for 2021(BETAKIT)
Speaking to BetaKit, Shopify VP Loren Padelford shared his insights on four things e-commerce entrepreneurs need to keep in mind for 2021.
Latest Funding, Acquisitions, and Layoffs
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Joyride receives $282,000 in provincial, industry contributions (Read here)
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Jobber raises $76M growth equity round (Read here)
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Prodigy Education raises $159M Series B round (Read here)
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Tokens.com raises $2.17M (Read here)
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e-Zinc raises $2.3M (Read here)
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PLATO receives $500,000 investment (Read here)
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BreatheSuite closes $1.2M seed round (Read here)
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TrojAI raises $750,000 (Read here)
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ServiceNow closes acquisition of Element AI (Read here)
RECOMMENDED BY HOCKEYSTICK
Why San Francisco-based VC Hustle Fund Is Betting Big on Canada
“At Hustle Fund, we’re convinced that Canada is positioned well to produce some of the largest, category-defining companies on the planet. We’re eager to fund these companies, and excited to partner with Hockeystick to identify these opportunities!” – Eric Bahn (General Partner)
Since launch, Hockeystick has made over 6000 funder recommendations to Canadian startups. Learn how startups are using technology to meet funders around the world.
PANDEMIC (YEAR TWO) ACTION PLAN(BETAKIT)
So what to do about pandemic year two? Once again we turn to Melissa and Johnathan Nightingale of Raw Signal Group, a business management consultancy, for advice.
THE PERILS OF BAD DESIGN(BETAKIT)
COVID-19 has forced us to change our way of doing things, and that involves some new piece of tech. And that tech… doesn’t work so well. Is it because it was poorly designed, or not designed for you at all?
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