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Sonder to go public on NASDAQ through SPAC deal (BETAKIT)
Sonder has raised more than $560 million to date, with its Series E round in 2020 giving the company a $1.3 billion valuation.
Indian food delivery startup Zomato files for $1.1 billion IPO (TECHCRUNCH)
The startup, which has businesses in 24 markets, intends to list on Indian stock exchanges NSE and BSE.
Shopify sees 110 percent year-over-year revenue growth as e-commerce continues to boom amid pandemic (BETAKIT)
Global economic activity from merchants on Shopify reached $307 billion in 2020.
U.S. Labor Secretary supports classifying gig workers as employees (REUTERS)
Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, a son of Irish immigrants and a former union member, has been expected to boost the Biden Administration’s efforts to expand workers’ protections and deliver a win for the country’s organized labor movement.
New report shows Montréal tech caught up to Toronto in 2020 (BETAKIT)
Venture funding in Montréal reached an impressive $1.15 billion in 2020, solidifying the city as one of the top startup ecosystems in Canada, only just behind Toronto.
Attabotics, Amii, AltaML partner to develop AI solutions for supply chains (BETAKIT)
Previously, the federal government injected $34 million of additional capital into Attabotics to further develop and bring to market its robotics warehouse technologies.
Armed with $160M in funding, LatAm’s Merama enters the e-commerce land grab (TECHCRUNCH)
The money was raised “at well over a $200 million valuation,” according to co-founder and CEO Sujay Tyle.
Large deals fuelled Calgary’s healthy 2020, but Western Canada could have an early-stage funding problem (BETAKIT)
Hockeystick tracked four deals under $250,000 in 2019 and 2020, indicating an early-stage gap.
Amazon launches IP Accelerator for its Canadian retailers (BETAKIT)
Amazon has brought its intellectual property (IP) protection program to Amazon sellers in Canada, as the company works to create 3,500 jobs in Toronto and Vancouver.
Uber Rides app to prompt food-delivery orders (WALL STREET JOURNAL)
The San Francisco-based company said its rides app will ping passengers requesting trips from airports, asking whether they would like food delivered through its Uber Eats app wherever they are headed.
Here’s why M&A activity is surging in Canada’s tech sector (BETAKIT)
BetaKit spoke to key members of the Canadian innovation ecosystem to determine why M&A activity is up, and where it’s going.
To become more diverse, cybersecurity experts say the industry needs more mentors and problem solvers (BETAKIT)
The current approach isn’t enough to foster the diversity – or scale – necessary to fill the estimated 3.5 million cybersecurity job openings globally in 2021.
Elevate, Moneris unveil startups participating in first cohort of eCommerce North accelerator (BETAKIT)
The six-month accelerator, first announced in February, will offer startups digital-first programming, one-on-one coaching, and access to a network of leading Canadian executives and entrepreneurs.