Xatoms and Knead take home top prizes amid strong Canadian showing at SXSW pitch competition
Canada was represented in five of the more than 70 companies pitching.
Funding
Canadian government opens $300-million AI Compute Access Fund in latest AI commitment
Fund follows recent refresh of feds’ AI Advisory Council and release of public service AI strategy.
Government of Canada commits over $6 billion to help businesses weather trade war
EDC and BDC get a big boost to support businesses affected by tariffs and market uncertainties.
DMZ Women Innovation Summit boosts women-led AI, farming, and health startups with $535,000 investment
Cashew, Migranium, Edie Farming, and Metronome emerge from pitch competition with new backing.
Facit and OBIO reveal first cohort of women founders working on health and cancer innovation with WeSEED
Program aims to help women-led life sciences startups advance healthcare and homegrown IP in Ontario.
Healthtech Connex snags $3.7 million from PacifiCan to help measure brain health
Surrey, BC life sciences firm plans to expand sales in North America, Australia, Europe, and New Zealand.
Toronto and Ottawa area companies receive $32 million in AI-focused FedDev funding
Ada, Mission Control, and Loop Financial among supported companies.
Winnipeg tech hubs merge to revitalize Manitoba’s startup ecosystem
New organization Manitoba Innovates to offer funding program for early-stage startups.
New Turing Award winner Richard Sutton calls doomers “out of line,” talks path to human-like AI
Sutton joins Canadian peers Yoshua Bengio and Geoffrey Hinton in winning “Nobel Prize of computing.”
SDTC funding flowing again with applications for projects under NRC IRAP to open “early” fiscal 2025–2026
Transition of SDTC cleantech projects to NRC IRAP replacement program to conclude this spring.
Sanctuary AI, Nexera, and Novarc make deals and developments in busy week for Vancouver robotics companies
Nexara nabs funding from BDC, Novarc strikes a partnership, and Sanctuary AI’s robots get touchy.
TandemLaunch closes $37-million Fund IV to create and back deep tech startups
Through VCCI, feds support the firm’s plans to launch new Montréal companies.
Former EventMobi, Voiceflow leaders secure $2 million CAD to tackle retail merchandising with Merchkit
Startup aims to help retailers cut product launch timelines, operational costs via AI.
Avitia launches AI-powered cancer diagnostics platform with assets from defunct Imagia Canexia
CEO James Lumsdaine secures $5 million seed round from firm where he is also a partner.
Paperplane Therapeutics raises $1.5 million to ease anxious patients with VR gaming
Funding to help company expand its reach across North America and Europe.