The BetaKit Podcast Channel

"Nobody is cheering you on for reaching the top of Everest if you don't make it back down to base camp." Matt Cohen, Managing Partner at Ripple Ventures and host of the Tank Talks podcast, joins to unpack the complicated spot Canadian startups find themselves in. Sponsored by Osler, Hoskin and Harcourt LLP. Read the Deal Points Report: Venture Capital Financings.

"The [Canadian] venture ecosystem is never going to get to the right level of maturity if they constantly rely upon the taxpayer to provide them with the capital." Maverix Private Equity founder and Managing Partner John Ruffolo joins to answer listener questions on the fall of SVB, its impact on the Canadian venture debt market, regulatory capture by new federal bills, and how many VCCIs are too many. Sponsored by Osler, Hoskin and Harcourt LLP. Read the Deal Points Report: Venture Capital Financings.

"We're seeing way more women found new technology companies in the market than we did five years ago. By a magnitude—like three times. It's substantial." Michelle Scarborough, Managing Partner of Thrive Venture Fund, explains the origins of BDC's $500 million commitment to women-led startups and funds, and the progress she's seen since 2017.

"We are in the midst of a new technological payola." Our Lady Peace's Raine Maida and Senator Colin Deacon join for a frank discussion about Big Tech's leverage over Canadian content as Parliament looks to pass new regulations in Bill C-11 and Bill C-18.

"Let's be blunt about it: we as a country are extremely good at invention ... we're horrible at innovation." Dan Breznitz, co-director of the Innovation Policy Lab at the University of Toronto, walks through the reasons for Canada's failure on innovation, the origins of the CIC, and who he thinks should be its first CEO.

"There is a special place in hell for investors who intentionally screw over their founders with no empathy for the journey or the challenges that they are going through." Panache Ventures partner Chris Neumann joins to answer listener questions about his blog writing, the state of Canadian accelerators, and what VCs are talking about. Sponsored by Invest Ottawa.

"This whole thing with ChatGPT is just history replaying itself. We need to stop viewing tech and innovation as a veritable silver bullet for all the world's problems and instead understand that it can actually scale inequities at warp speed." Feminuity co-founder and CEO Dr. Sarah Saska walks through the current relationship between DEI and tech, before tracking the dangers of biased data and bad faith users on generative AI. Sponsored by ventureLAB and Invest Ottawa.

"The deepfake technology that is part of this new rise of generative AI tools I think will have a very deleterious effect on the current state of cyber defences." Plurilock CEO Ian Paterson discusses the economics of AI cyber threats and Canada's response with Bill C-26. Sponsored by ventureLAB and Invest Ottawa.

"We all want AI to do our jobs for us—the boring parts. What we're doing here is making computers more human-like, and sadly, they're getting all the fun jobs. Because those are the jobs that don't have to be perfect." Entrepreneur and author Alistair Croll joins to discuss what will become scarce and what will become abundant in the new economy created by generative AI. Sponsored by International Women's Week.

"It's not like a light comes down from heaven and says 'now you shall stop your company.' But, man, was it very difficult emotionally." Entrepreneur and BetaKit Podcast co-host Rob Kenedi explains the process of launching and eventually shuttering his startup, Staid.

"I honestly feel as though 2023 is going to be one of those years in Canadian tech where companies are going to have to be accountable." Award-winning Amber Mac returns to the award-nominated BetaKit Podcast for the first AMA episode of 2023, answering listener questions about: mass tech layoffs and CEO departures; VCs killing rounds because LPs can't (won't?) pay up; opportunities for tech growth in Atlantic Canada; and the essential 10 minutes talking ChatGPT and 'Next Big Things'. Sponsored by Amazon Web Services.

"What we're dealing with here is something so profound that the changes it's going to bring are not the kind of thing that the government can alter." Generative AI could be a wonderful tool. What will be lost in its wake? Canadian novelist, essayist, and cultural commentator Stephen Marche joins to discuss. Sponsored by AWS.

"When you have a washout like we just had, you're really left with core fundamental value, and that's what people are building now." Satraj Bambra, Partner at Round13's Digital Asset Fund, joins for a wide-ranging discussion on the state of Web3, NFTs, cryptocurrency, the blockchain and...Roblox? Sponsored by AWS.

"The very heart of the bill, and the heart of the law, you wouldn't know what exactly it's applying to." Data governance and AI risk management expert Carole Piovesan joins to discuss the future of AI regulation, privacy, and Bill C-27 before it hits committee. Sponsored by AWS.

"We're at a different place technologically than we were a week ago. Digesting that and figuring out the ramifications I think is a tall order." RBCx's Anthony Mouchantaf (AKA, Tony Dagger) returns one last time in 2022 to help answer listener-submitted questions about: chatGPT, the impact of self-certified investor pilots, work-from-home, and more. Sponsored by AWS.

"FTX and its collapse is just the icing on the shitty cake that has been crypto this year." BetaKit's Meagan Simpson and Josh Scott join to unpack the year in tech and offer a few predictions as to what might come in 2023. Sponsored by AWS.

"There was kind of an 'aha' moment last May. And it triggered a conversation that I believe was really frank on both sides." CVCA CEO Kim Furlong joins to discuss the comments she made in May about the future of VCCI, the potential renewal of that program, selling its value to policymakers, and what Canadian venture will look like in 2023. Sponsored by AWS.

"If this is the environment we're in today, what should we do?" Aleeza Hashmi (Bessemer), Michelle Yu (Georgian), and Laura Lenz (OMERS) join BetaKit senior editor Meagan Simpson for a conversation about why the beginning of 2023 will be just as hard for startups to fundraise in. Recorded live at SAAS NORTH on the BetaKit Keynote Stage. Sponsored by Caravel Law.

"If we take a look at some of the salaries we were seeing, it was probably four engineers and our entire round was gone." Eva Lau (Two Small Fish), Shawn Hewat (Wavy), and Kathleen Chan (Calico) discuss what it was like to raise a seed round in 2021 and what changed in 2022 so founders are ready for 2023. Recorded live at SAAS NORTH on the BetaKit Keynote Stage. Sponsored by Caravel Law.

"There was a bit of ego raising." "I think it has been a disaster." "I read BetaKit for the truth." Canadian tech luminaries try to make sense of a crazy year in this compilation of interviews recorded live at SAAS NORTH. Featuring: Laura Lenz (OMERS Ventures), Leo Lax (L-SPARK), Louis Têtu (Coveo), Ria Bhavnani (Shopify), Peter Housley (Unbounce), Natalie Archibald (Clio), and Sean Silcoff (Globe & Mail). Sponsored by Caravel Law.

"Are we willing to let companies die in Canadian tech?" "Yes." VC Matt Roberts joins for a special episode of the BetaKit Podcast recorded live at SAAS NORTH, answering attendee and speaker questions about the impacts of the current tech downturn, the FTX clustercuss, and Canada's next BlackBerry. Sponsored by Caravel Law.

"If any AI startup comes to you and says, 'we found how to evaluate truth,' you should hold a reasonable doubt. I don't think we're close to this." Ex-Googler and former Element AI co-founder Philippe Beaudoin joins to explain why the internet is broken and pitch his new company, Waverly, which hopes to fix it. We hold his feet to the fire. Sponsored by Caravel Law.

"If Canadian VCs weren't allowed to talk to journalists anonymously, they would never say anything." The BetaKit Podcast's monthly AMA episode answers listener questions about what the future holds for Shopify, Wealthsimple, venture funding, and tech in the 2020s.

"One of the things that's funniest in tech is the complete and utter lack of self-awareness." Comedian and podcaster Alexis Gay joins to share her transition from working in tech to creating content that perfectly articulates the absurdities of working in tech. Sponsored by HardTech, Canada's biggest hardware event, taking place November 9th.

"I think it's hard to beat the optimist out of a VC." The Globe and Mail's Sean Silcoff joins to discuss whether or not the Canadian tech boom is fizzling out. Public policy expert Vass Bednar joins to discuss which Canadian companies are quietly adopting and emulating big-tech strategies to their benefit. Sponsored by HardTech, Canada's biggest hardware event, taking place November 9th.

"There's a direct relationship between the mental health of the entrepreneur and the performance of the company." Econa founder Dr. Michael Freeman returns to discuss how the current tech winter is impacting founder mental health, and how that is impacting company performance. Sponsored by GSoft and SAAS NORTH.

"Essentially, Amazon has failed to make this company profitable. It doesn't make money." Streamer, YouTuber, and Novo CEO Devin Nash joins to explain the myriad ways Amazon's experiment with Twitch is failing to make money or anyone happy. Sponsored by GSoft and SAAS NORTH.

"Half a billion dollars for women in Canadian tech. Pretty cool!" The BetaKit Podcast's monthly AMA episode answers listeners' (tough!) questions about bad news coming from Real Ventures and exciting news coming from BDC, with some Elevate highlights thrown in. Sponsored by SAAS NORTH (use code BETAKIT20 for an early bird discount).

"This is the rise and fall of a company that had hundreds of millions of dollars to play with and nothing left to say about it." Globe and Mail reporter Josh O'Kane joins to discuss his new book, Sideways: The City Google Couldn't Buy, along with BetaKit senior editor Meagan Simpson. Sponsored by SAAS NORTH.

"I'm just concerned about finding tech talent." Nora Jenkins Townson (Bright + Early) and Meagan Simpson (BetaKit) join to explain why over 350 companies are looking to hire Canadian tech talent in the midst of a downturn. Sponsored by Linebox.

"Shopify Pay still uses Stripe and they have some crazy scale." Immad Akhund (CEO, Mercury) and Jon Fry (CEO, Lendflow) join BetaKit's Douglas Soltys onstage to discuss how startups can embed FinTech into their products, increase revenue, and avoid the hidden icebergs. Recorded live at Traction Conference 2022. Sponsored by Linebox and Thinksound.

"Do you really want to get big fast? You take my money, I'm going to poke you in the eye every day going forward." GrowthX CEO and founding partner Andrew Goldner shares how his Valley-founded early-stage VC firm found product-market fit with Canadian accelerators, common misconceptions founders have of the VC business model, and a bunch of go-to-market tips. Sponsored by Thinksound.

"It's not as broken as other things." VanHack CEO Ilya Brotzky joins to explain what's causing the 4-6 month waiting period for Canadian tech companies using the Global Talent Stream, and shares a new petition to get the government to make necessary changes. Sponsored by Thinksound.

"I represent a different community that has different needs." Manzil CEO Mohamad Sawwaf explains the cultural, regulatory, and compliance roadblocks that are slowing him from financially serving more than a million Muslims across Canada. Sponsored by Thinksound.

"This was the moment that you knew the hangover was about to kick in." Tech reporter Isabelle Kirkwood joins to walk us through an ecosystem-by-ecosystem breakdown of Canadian tech venture funding in Q2 2022, how it compares to last year, and what it signals for the rest of the year. Sponsored by Thinksound.

"That's the pull quote. 'Amber Mac: things are crumbling.'" Special guest Amber Mac joins to answer listener questions on the award-nominated BetaKit Podcast. Topics include: Shopify's layoffs, Rogers' revenue resiliency following its second outage in the last year, Canada's digital divide and its impact on remote work, and early-stage fundraising tips. Sponsored by Diuca.

"When we look at companies today, I'm reminded of what it was like - just how bleak it was - in that summer of 2000. You can play through that as an investor and an entrepreneur." Mark McQueen, President & Executive Managing Director - CIBC Innovation Banking, compares 2022 with past downturns to track what's changed and remained constant. Sponsored by Diuca.

"Trust, and Indigenous impact measurement, and the wellbeing of Indigenous families sit alongside risk and return. In fact, in our fund, sit significantly above risk and return as investment considerations." Raven Capital Managing Partner Paul Lacerte explains how the firm invests in Indigenous impact entrepreneurs in a culturally safe way. Originally aired September 30, 2021. Sponsored by Diuca.

"Other conferences are phoning it in." Startupfest's Alistair Croll and Olivia Rossi join to explain how Canada's Original Startup Conference has changed in its major return to IRL and the amount of tech they're building to make meeting people easy again. Sponsored by Diuca.

"The worst outcome for Rogers is an actual real competitor, which is what we are. They know we're going to bring prices down and they don't want prices to come down." Globalive co-founder and chairman Anthony Lacavera shares why he was forced to sell Wind Mobile, and explains why it's so hard to repurchase it now as Freedom Mobile as part of the (contested) Rogers / Shaw merger. Welcome to Competitiontown. Sponsored by Linebox Studio.

"So are you saying that Canadian tech is under-appreciated?" A special Collision edition of our monthly AMA episode, answering listener questions about: the current downturn mood, cool tech we saw at the conference, and the ROI of events for the ecosystem. Sponsored by Linebox.

"Everybody I meet keeps asking me 'where's Shopify?'" Collision's Paddy Cosgrave discusses the conference's second first impression in Toronto, tech downturns, and if Canadian startups can handle the pressure. Sponsored by RBC.

"It's like you're getting married and writing your prenup and your divorce agreement on the day you get married." Elizabeth MacRae (Village Wellth) explains how YouTubers, Boomers, and banks with favourable terms are fuelling an explosion in acquisition entrepreneurship. Sponsored by RBC.

"We have really no programming to teach mentors, it's all tribal." Brice Scheschuk (Wind Mobile, Globalive) discusses the CDL session that gave him imposter syndrome, prompting the launch of MindFrame Connect to improve the craft of mentorship and create more resilient entrepreneurs. Sponsored by RBC. Originally aired Nov 8, 2021.

"I have to note the huge sigh that was just expressed through Tony's entire being." RBCx's Anthony Mouchantaf (AKA, Tony Dagger) returns as a special guest to help answer listener-submitted questions about: the potential of no more VCCI funding for Canadian VCs; the bubble-bursting reality currently hitting Canadian tech companies; and whether or not wearables are cool again. Sponsored by RBC.

"The unforeseen consequences of this stuff has ripples throughout society that in the most generous interpretation we didn't see coming, but can no longer deny." Former OneEleven executive director Siri Agrell explains why she believes politicians shouldn't use social media; CCI's Alanna Sokic explains why the Ontario budget is not a budget. Sponsored by Osler.

"That impact that's being felt in the public markets will start to trickle down to the earlier rounds." Damien Steel, managing partner and head of ventures at OMERS Ventures, takes umbrage with how valuations - or more specifically, the sticker price placed on funding rounds - are paraded in the media. Sponsored by Osler.

"We're very social creatures, so human-to-human connection is ultimately what we're craving even if we are working in a digital-by-design or remote-first environment." Shawn Hewat, CEO and co-founder of Wavy, joins to discuss burnout and talent churn in the new remote & hybrid world, and how tech companies are trying to manage and measure culture. Sponsored by Osler and Cisco.

"Potentially it does have the opportunity to create thousands of jobs here in Canada." CCI president Ben Bergen and VP Dana O'Born join to tackle the big talent changes that pre-empted #Budget2022, before channelling our inner Paul Wells to investigate the light on details Canadian Innovation and Investment Agency and Canada Growth Fund. Sponsored by Osler and Cisco.

"That kind of gives me a brain boner. I get pretty excited." Changes to the Competition Act are coming. Can a "whole of government" approach break Canada's oligopolies? Policy wonk Vass Bednar joins to read the tea leaves from Budget 2022. Sponsored by Osler and Cisco.