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The new year is a clean slate, a time to double down on what works, take a few big swings, and leave the dead weight behind. In partnership with NorthGuide, BetaKit asked Canadian tech ecosystem leaders about the habits they’re sharpening, the bets they’re making, and the buzzwords they’re banning in 2025.
Responses were submitted in writing by contributors and are shared as provided, with only minor edits for brevity or clarity.
What’s a habit you’re adopting in 2025?
“In 2025, I’ll adopt the habit of daily reflective creativity. Setting aside 60 minutes each day to: dream, write and map out possibilities will help process moments, lessons, and feelings from the day. This practice will strengthen my mental health, celebrate the small things, and approach each day with intention.”
“Disconnect digitally. and work on creative connectedness (photography and playing music). Schedule two hours per week to extract from the digital jungle.”
“Celebrating loudly and more often. No more quiet wins—we’re going full throttle on success. This means championing every milestone, big or small, and making noise about Canada’s impact. In practice, it’s about creating space to spotlight achievements and ensuring no win goes unnoticed or unshared.”
“I’m getting my own coach. Why? Every day I am surrounded by incredible startup coaches and brave founders who are de-risking and accelerating their startup journey by working with their trusted Propel coach. It’s time to walk the talk and push my own potential with a coach.”
“Less is more. Trying to create more space in my calendar for connection to get more value from the things that I do. Less things with more impact.”
“The intention I am setting for myself this year is to spend more time listening, being curious, and better recognizing when my point of view can add or subtract to the conversation. Bringing communities together is what I love to do and this intention will help me do it better.”
What’s a moonshot goal you have for 2025?
“A moonshot goal would be to have another Ethos Lab location in Surrey and seed programming in other locations across Canada. The first step is being clear with the intention and the second would be to build the teams capacity to scale. This is important because I believe in the mission of Ethos Lab in fostering self belief in youth to pursue STEM Learning.”
“Impact 10,000 people in 2025 with music. Establishing youth and corporate education program using music to do everything better with music Will help make the world happier and healthier.”
“In 2025, my moonshot goal is to see Canada cement itself as the best place in the world to build a startup, bar none. The first step is twofold. The ecosystem needs to help tackle founder pain points, like accessing early-stage capital and acquiring marquee customers, but we also need to create an environment that backs founders to no end. Building a business here shouldn’t feel like running uphill. When startups thrive, our economy thrives and so do our communities.”
“I want Atlantic Canadian founders to learn how to bootstrap their businesses by being obsessed with their customers. I want bootstrapping to become a secret weapon that founders use to thrive in a challenging market. The first step we are taking at Propel is to ensure our programming reflects not only teaching this skill, but the application of it within their ventures to deliver results.”
“Attract significant international investment and collaborators to support Canada’s innovative ocean companies. Canada will drive a connected ocean, leveraging digital technologies to enable smarter decision-making and optimize the sustainable use of ocean resources, solidifying its position as a global leader in the digital blue economy.”
“I see so much potential for the Canadian innovation ecosystem to be a powerhouse coast to coast and I feel that we need to feed this ambition with greater access to capital, infrastructure, and talent. As a storyteller and community builder, and in my capacity as Chair of the Vancouver Entrepreneurs Forum, my commitment to early-stage founders is to help connect them with the people who can unlock their potential to soar.”
“I want to see at the first $10 billion in Clean Economy Tax Credits deployed and will be leading a campaign to educate technology companies and adopters on same. Why? Pure rational self interest which we should all share. The deployment of the capital that generates these credits not only boosts Canada’s industrial efficiency but also helps ensure there IS a future Canada that isn’t plagued by extreme weather or forest fires.”
What’s something you want to do more of in 2025?
“In 2025, I want to do more coaching and mentoring of young professionals. My busy schedule has often limited this, disconnecting me from the next generation. I love learning what is new and supporting their career paths in any way. By sharing experiences and providing guidance, I hope that I too can learn , creating a reciprocal environment for growth.”
“Travel and connect with interesting, thought provoking leaders that want to make change the world for the better in both small and large ways.”
“I want to double down on feeding the winners. Canada can get too caught up in spreading the love. Across the industry, we need to do a better job of doubling down on winners to help our collective chances of success. When one of us wins, we all win.”
“Take risks. Making an impact in your world, however you define it, will never be done from a place of comfort.”
“Cook—having time to plan and prepare a meal helps me clear my head, eat healthier and bring joy to myself and my family.”
“With Web Summit coming to Vancouver, I think helping founders prepare to tell their stories to a global venture capital audience is going to be a key theme for events during the first half of this year, and I am excited to see our regional ecosystem come together to support this endeavour. I know I will be there!”
“Ride my motorcycle. Riding is a form of meditative, active mindfulness for me. You cannot have 1,000 things going on in your head or bad things happen. In a hyper-connected word we all need to take more time to step back. Bonus points for a company that releases a solid electric cruiser in 2025!”
What’s something you want to do less of in 2025?
“In 2025, I want to say ‘yes’ less often. Over-committing distracts me from priorities, and leaves little space for rest or creativity. It truly impacts how I show up for my team and youth community. By setting clearer boundaries, I can focus on what truly matters—relationships—and show up fully to all commitments.”
“Talk about what is wrong in the world. We are so fortunate in so many ways (health, macro economy, poverty, etc.) and yet we focus only on the current challenges. We need a deeper, long-range perspective on both challenges and the positives.”
“I want to stop downplaying Canada’s potential. Our humility is admirable, but it often holds us back. It’s time to shift to an offensive mindset; embracing resilience, owning our global impact, and being loud about our achievements. Fear and uncertainty? Let’s embrace them, they’re part of the journey forward.”
“Spend less time thinking (well, overthinking) and more time doing.”
“I want to overthink less. While thoughtful analysis can lead to better outcomes, over-analyzing without sufficient facts wastes time and creates stress. I will focus my energy where I can make a meaningful difference and strike a better balance between analysis and action.”
“Things that don’t bring me joy. I am still working on that list.”
“Live stream the House of Commons. I have spent countless hours watching ParlVu to try and catch any hints on the progress of various policies; from Clean Economy Tax Credits to Open Banking to SR&ED. While it is wildly entertaining… having to watch less of it would mean that bills are progressing more efficiently to support Canada and its innovation ecosystem!”
Going into 2025, how many unread emails do you have in your inbox?
“Gulp… over 1000 and under 6000.”
“148,000.”
“21,820 and 49,792… I know.”
“4,900 unread.”
“I have numerous inboxes. The total number that matters is ~2,500.”
“When the count on all your inboxes simply states 99+… it’s better not to look at the real numbers. The real question is: how many inboxes do I have that SAY 99+? Email can be a black hole of doom.”
What tech buzzword are you banning from your vocabulary in 2025?
“I try and use as little tech jargon. I work with youth, plain language goes a long way.”
“E-commerce :)”
“Pitch competitions.”
“AI—at least I will try to be more specific.”
“Silos.”
“I don’t think I can ban it (given it is in the name of two companies), but I have been finding that I am explaining ‘cleantech’ more and more as industrial efficiency.”
What do you think Canada’s New Year’s resolution should be?
“Canada’s New Year’s resolution should be a re-commitment to public education and ensuring that STEAM Resources and networks should be accessible to all youth.”
“Stand up for what we believe in—existence in a global world, social values, etc., and have the courage to stand up for what we believe, in particular with the US.”
“Go for gold. To stop settling for mediocrity. We’re sitting on a goldmine of ambition, talent, and innovation, yet we’ve created conditions where success feels out of reach for too many. High living costs, subpar infrastructure, limited mobility, and taxation that discourages risk-taking are holding us back. Let’s confront these uncomfortable truths head-on and act together. Canada has what it takes to lead, but leadership starts with action, not excuses.”
“Own our future.”
“Building our economy—having the courage to make the tough decisions to drive a stronger economy.”
“Rising tides lift all boats. How might we celebrate our wins and build on that momentum to stand taller and drive faster?”
“To develop and implement (not just announce) innovation policy that will support Canada’s push back to productivity.”
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If your organization is getting stuck or you’re not sure where to start in tackling your innovation challenges, give NorthGuide a call. Our systems approach and deep bench of experts can help your organization create a big impact in 2025.