#1. Toronto-based Islamic FinTech startup Manzil has surpassed what century milestone?
Manzil has surpassed $100 million CAD in total halal mortgage financings after doubling the size of its mortgage business in less than a year. Mohamad Sawwaf, Manzil’s co-founder and CEO, described the milestone as “a testament” to the strength of the company’s mortgage product, and the demand for it.
#2. Which “shark” backed Canadian-founded TransCrypts’ seed round?
After backing its 2023 pre-seed, Shark Tank’s Mark Cuban returned to invest in TransCrypt’s $15 million USD ($20.9 million CAD) seed round this week.
The funding will help bring TransCrypt’s blockchain-based record-keeping and verification platform into new areas, like educational and health records.
#3. What did California recently ban on streaming services?
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a law this week banning excessively loud advertisements on streaming platforms like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime. The regulation was fuelled by complaints that services were playing commercials louder than the surrounding shows and movies.
#4. How does telehealth startup Felix estimate its customers’ biological age?
Felix measures its customers’ “biological age” through a biomarker-measuring blood test. The test relies on the Levine Phenotypic Age, an algorithm developed by research scientist and former Yale professor Morgan Levine in 2018.
The biological age assessment is part of Felix’s new longevity platform, which includes an annual test and ongoing monitoring for $500 per year.
#5. At Elevate Festival this week, Canadian actor Simu Liu revealed that he was fired by which firm in just nine months?
Liu got some laughs out of the main stage crowd when he recounted being fired from Deloitte after just nine months.
The Shang-Chi actor was among the many speakers at Elevate Festival’s opening night who touched upon the economic impacts of new companies and products built on the back of AI.
#6. Which Canadian corporation is winding down its venture capital arm?
Circle K Ventures, the corporate VC operation of Canadian convenience store giant Couche-Tard, is winding down.
Québec’s leading AI institute, Mila, brought on Circle K Ventures managing director Jonathan Shaanan as a strategic advisor this week as it looks to develop its own fund.
#7. Why is former Toronto Raptor Jerome Williams returning to the city?
Williams, the NBA legend commonly known as Junk Yard Dog (JYD), is kicking off a North American tour of Shooting for Peace, his educational program, in Toronto on Nov. 1.
Shooting for Peace will curate its programming using Toronto-based Swiirl’s new agentic AI offering, Pulse. Pulse will listen in on Williams’ session and learn what topics matter most to students and educators.
#8. How does Toronto-based legaltech startup Spellbook describe its offering?
Spellbook’s self-described “Cursor for contracts” helps legal practitioners review and draft contracts through an AI-powered Microsoft Word integration.
The company secured $50 million USD ($69.9 million CAD) in Series B funding this week, led by one of Silicon Valley’s most notable venture capital firms, Khosla Ventures.
Your score:
Founder mode! Challenge your friends to sign up to The BetaKit Newsletter and see if they can beat you next week.
Too busy to read this week? Subscribe to The BetaKit Newsletter to keep up to date on the latest Canadian tech and innovation news!
