H|T: The Healthtech Times – Recursion secures $50M from Nvidia following Canadian drug-discovery acquisitions
Plus: Ditch Labs wants to treat nicotine addiction with tech.
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R|T: The Retail Times – Shopify wants to give you an AI Sidekick
Plus: Sampler acquires Admass’s tech to integrate UGC and AI into platform.
Canada attracts 30,000 tech workers, BDC wants Thrive co-investment partners
Plus: Shopify is building entrepreneurs an AI Sidekick.
A|I: The AI Times – OpenAI has a new team to fight ‘superintelligent’ AI
Plus: Experts and VCs disagree on the actual perils of AI.
Alberta Technology Minister’s mandate letter appears to support reducing restrictions on title ‘software engineer’
Startups, regulator have been embroiled in a dispute over the title for years.
BDC shares more detail on $100-million Thrive Lab, including $35-million co-investment commitment
Initial phase will focus on early-stage, women-led businesses with social impact.
Shakudo closes $9.5-million CAD Series A to help companies adopt generative AI
GreatPoint-backed Shakudo is led by AI experts from Georgian, Borealis AI, and BMO.
H|T: The Healthtech Times – Aledade secures big funding to fuel M&A
Plus: Babylon will cease trading on NYSE, combine with MindMaze.
R|T: The Retail Times – Shopify is in a “fight” with CRA over merchant records
Plus: Alibaba surprises with chairman and CEO replacement.
S|W: The SaaS Weekly – Adobe-Figma deal under threat as IBM nears $5B Apptio deal
Plus: Poka to be acquired in reported $200M deal.
Québec bolsters quantum footprint as semiconductor industry forms advocacy group
Plus: Angel investment in Canada mirrored VC dip in 2022.
R|T: The Retail Times – Canadian-founded company behind Instant Pot files for bankruptcy
Plus: Shopify partners with Volt to offer open banking solutions (but not in Canada).
2022 angel investment in Canada mirrored VC dip, dropping 37 percent year-over-year
While deal count rose, angels disproportionately favoured existing portfolio firms.
Startup Train returns as Startupfest 2023 announces over $300,000 in prizes
Attendees from the GTA can board the Startup Train to get to the Montréal festival.
Synthetic biology startup Ardra is brewing up big plans with its fermentation technology
Despite a tough investment climate and a series of setbacks, Ardra is up to the challenge of precision fermentation.