#1. This week, Alberta Innovates became the second provincial innovation agency to fall victim to a cyberattack this year. Which was the first?
#2. The most recent edition of The BetaKit Newsletter blew up online after referencing a chart “that will make you feel good about Canadian tech.” Why is it giving people the warm fuzzies?
The graph, which came from a teaser of Inovia Capital’s upcoming State of Canadian Software report shared exclusively with BetaKit, shows the number of Canadian tech companies that have secured funding rounds of at least $100 million since 2005.
Inovia CEO Chris Arsenault discussed the graph on the most recent episode of The BetaKit Podcast, saying, “This is the Canadian landscape that has changed.”
#3. Canadian insurance giant Intact recently acquired which gig economy startup?
This week, Intact Financial announced that it had acquired Toronto-based home maintenance startup Jiffy, which connects homeowners with pre-vetted tradespeople in over 20 categories. An Intact spokesperson told BetaKit the deal is aimed at strengthening Intact’s presence in the home maintenance market.
#4. Which of the following products did not win an award at SAAS NORTH last week?
Although Paula Abdul did launch a line of sunglasses that double as headphones last year, she was not a winner at SAAS NORTH 2024. The winners list included Flutter Care, which offers tools to manage pregnancy complications; Aruna Revolution, which offers compostable menstrual health products; and Instagrooms, which offers a professional grooming platform for the equestrian community.
#5. The Globe and Mail reported this week that Kitchener-Waterloo-based founder Stephen Lake has launched a new company selling heat pumps. What company did he sell to Google’s parent company in 2020?
In 2020, Lake sold his smart glasses startup North (previously known as Thalmic Labs) to Google. According to The Globe, his new venture, Jetson Home Inc., wants to help homeowners trade in their furnaces for clean, all-electric heat pumps. Lake is running the startup with two of North’s co-founders.
#6. TechTO CEO Marie Chevrier Schwartz recently said that building a technology business is like what?
Speaking with BetaKit following TechTO’s acquisition of peer network Peerscale, Chevrier said she has developed a deep compassion for those taking on “the extreme sport of building technology companies,” describing the journey as an “amazing opportunity,” but also “extremely taxing.” Listen to her on this week’s episode of The BetaKit Podcast, as she talks about the bankruptcy and demise of her former startup, Sampler.
#7. Canada’s Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne recently wrapped up his trip to Silicon Valley, where he met with C100 members, the US Department of Defense, and the CEO of what company?
Among the tech and business leaders Champagne met during his trip was Jonathan Ross, CEO and founder of Groq, a company that develops AI chip technology. The minister’s tour came on the heels of the federal government reinvesting in Canada’s Scale-Up program, which aims to support the growth of Canadian businesses and create new Canadian anchor firms.
#8. This week, Elon Musk’s startup Neuralink received regulatory clearance to launch a clinical trial in Canada. What part of the body does Neuralink connect to?
Neuralink is developing a chip that connects to the brain to help paralyzed individuals use digital devices with just their thoughts. The four-year-long study that Health Canada approved this week will evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the implant in addition to Neuralink’s surgical robot and software.
#9. Donald Trump Jr., the US President-elect’s eldest son, recently announced he would join a venture capital firm many have described as ‘anti-woke.’ What is it called?
Trump Jr. is joining venture capital firm 1789 Capital, whose website describes its investment thesis as “Anti-ESG,” referring to priorities related to environment, social, and corporate governance, including diversity, equity, and inclusion.
The move coincided with news that only 25 percent of Canadian venture firms in the country are hitting gender parity at senior levels.
#10. BetaKit editor-in-chief Douglas Soltys was on the Canadaland podcast this week, discussing ongoing issues with X (formerly known as Twitter). What social media platform did BetaKit join this week?
BetaKit is now on Bluesky, the federated social media platform that began as a research project within Twitter in 2019, started by then-CEO Jack Dorsey.
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