CVCA and NACO offer competing visions for feds’ $750-million venture envelope As the Government of Canada decides how to deploy the $750 million CAD it pledged to “early growth-stage funding gaps,” CVCA and NACO have differing visions on how those dollars should be allocated.

“We are watering the top of the tree while the roots are dying.”

NACO's Claudio Rojas warns against putting Ottawa's $750M support for early growth-stage #CDNTech companies only into later-stage capital. Meanwhile, @cvca.bsky.social is offering a much different vision for how to spend the money.

CCI wants governments to buy more Canadian healthtech | BetaKit The tech advocacy group urges an overhaul of procurement and data management to support domestic companies.

CCI says Canada should take a buy-Canadian approach to healthtech procurement.

Its pitch its fairly straightforward: governments should buy more #CDNTech, improve data portability, and make it easier for health systems to work together.

Read more:

Peer CoWork — Voice-First Browser for Healthcare Workflows A voice-first browser that automates any healthcare work. No EMR integration required. No training. Install in a day.

A healthtech company in the #Yukon has released a new #AI tool to help clinicians quickly knock out administrative work using just their voice. #CDNtech

Canada’s startup ecosystems have lost $66B in value since 2019 - not from lack of ideas, but from early-stage funding gaps.
New data from Startup Genome + NACO shows why seed-stage capital is foundational infrastructure.

Read more here: zurl.co/V0XqS

#CDNtech #Startups #VC #InnovationPolicy

OpenAI connection to Tumbler Ridge tragedy puts balance between privacy and public safety in the spotlight OpenAI’s decision not to alert law enforcement of its concerns about a user who went on to commit a mass murder has raised questions about how to balance privacy, surveillance, and public safety.

OpenAI connection to Tumbler Ridge tragedy puts balance between privacy and public safety in the spotlight. #CDNpoli #CDNtech

TVO Today Live | TVO Today Steve Paikin hosts a series of discussions on the future of democracy with prominent public figures, including Bob Woodward, Naheed Nenshi, Bob Rae and many others.

Digital life in Canada happens largely on foreign platforms. Join Steve and #cdntech experts in Waterloo this Friday night for why that matters more than you think.
Free tix: tvo.org/tvo-today-live
@eslfairy.bsky.social you about?

CoeusAI establishes Dutch HQ after landing major offshore energy gig | BetaKit The Kitchener-Waterloo startup will use AI to help the Netherlands turn the North Sea into "Europe's green power plant."

The Netherlands wants to turn the North Sea into "Europe's green power plant." It's turned to Canadian cleantech startup CoeusAI to help.

Co-founder and CEO Vincent Marsland says this is #CDNTech making an impact on the world stage. Read on to learn how he plans to do it:

Photonic (BC) raised $180M and announced world-first quantum teleportation over 30km on TELUS’ fibre. In our Q&A, Dr. Stephanie Simmons explains Photonic’s Entanglement First approach to scaling distributed, fault-tolerant quantum systems.

Read more here: zurl.co/7I91w

#quantum #deeptech #cdntech

Canadian businesses expect more uncertainty as US Supreme Court strikes down Trump’s tariffs | BetaKit US president claims more tariffs are coming through different legal mechanisms.

There is still so much uncertainty around US trade and #tariffs, and #CDNTech businesses we spoke to today are largely just holding their breath, waiting to see what's next.

Feds take aim at building “a robust” Canadian defence sector with Defence Industrial Strategy The Government of Canada has promised to prioritize buying Canadian, focusing on the country’s existing strengths, and picking domestic champions in its new Defence Industrial Strategy.

Feds’ $6.6-billion Defence Industrial Strategy takes aim at building “a robust” Canadian defence sector. #CDNpoli #CDNtech

Ottawa, Gatineau launch defence innovation task force in bid for NATO defence bank The cities of Ottawa and Gatineau announced the launch of a new task force aimed at turning the country’s capital region into a defence innovation hub.

Ottawa and Gatineau have launched a new task force aimed at turning the country’s capital region into a defence innovation hub. #CDNtech

Cohere reportedly soars past revenue target, with $240-million USD ARR Canada’s AI champion had projected $200 million USD ARR last year.

Cohere reportedly soars past revenue target with $240 million USD in annual recurring revenue. #CDNtech

1/6 🇨🇦 BELL AND SAP PARTNER ON SOVEREIGN CLOUD 🇨🇦

A new deal aims to lock down sensitive data.

Bell and SAP will build a fully isolated cloud solution for government and regulated industries.

The Canadian Press reports.
#CdnTech #CdnPoli #AISky #DataSovereignty #NatSecSky #Geopolitics

Canada’s PixMob lights up 2026 Super Bowl and Winter Olympics | BetaKit The special effects company debuted its brightest-ever product as it marks 20 years in business.

Talk about #CDNTech on the world stage. Over the past week, Montréal special effects company PixMob played a part in two of the biggest cultural events in the world.

The uproar in #CDNTech after @ycombinator.com.web.brid.gy stopped directly investing in Canada-domiciled startups wasn't really about a terms of service change at the accelerator.

On the BetaKit Podcast, John Ruffolo breaks down what Canada is getting wrong. Listen now: betakit.com/why-y-combin...

Y Combinator exerts economic force on Canadian tech Plus: Waabi claims largest-ever Canadian tech fundraise.

In the BetaKit Newsletter this week, Waabi sets #CDNTech funding records and robots (try to) solve the housing crisis🤖 🏠 . Plus:

🌑 Data centres on the moon
🪿 Big-name advisors cut ties with Gander Social
📱 Why Canada shouldn't ban social media for kids

Why Y Combinator cut Canada out John Ruffolo joins to discuss fuzzy data, “bullshit” narratives, and the real problems hampering Canadian tech.

🎙️ Is the @ycombinator.com.web.brid.gy news a death blow for #CDNTech, or something else entirely?

John Ruffalo joins The BetaKit Podcast to break down “bullshit” narratives, fuzzy data, and the real problems plaguing the ecosystem.

Listen now 🎧

Waabi claims largest-ever Canadian tech fundraise with $750-million USD Series C Toronto-based autonomous vehicle startup Waabi announced this morning that it has secured $750 million USD in fresh financing—one of the largest funding rounds in Canadian tech history.

ICYMI: Waabi announced yesterday it closed the largest funding round in #CDNTech history

That means founder Raquel Urtasun, years after leaving Uber, is once again developing robo-taxis with the ride-hailing giant.

Waabi claims largest-ever Canadian tech fundraise with $750-million USD Series C Toronto-based autonomous vehicle startup Waabi announced this morning that it has secured $750 million USD in fresh financing—one of the largest funding rounds in Canadian tech history.

Years after leaving Uber, Raquel Urtasun is once again developing robo-taxis with the ride-hailing giant, after the largest funding round in #CDNTech history.

“Self-driving is happening,” the Waabi founder told us. “The technology is ready now."

How a small change to Y Combinator’s terms sent waves through Canadian tech Industry divided over accelerator’s decision to remove Canada from list of investable sites.

Conversation is raging as a divided #CDNTech debates Y Combinator removing Canada as one of its permitted sites of investment.

More reactions and analysis from across Canadian tech here:

Rio Tinto Extracts First Gallium in Canada: Strategic Milestone Discover how Rio Tinto's first gallium extraction in Canada marks a crucial step for North American tech supply chains and security.

#btdubs Rio Tinto successfully extracts first gallium in Canada discoveryalert.com.au/gallium-extr... | #Cdntech #QuantumComputing #innovation

Calian outlines new $100 million platform to bolster Canadian defence businesses Calian is watering the seeds of Canada’s burgeoning defence industry with a $100 million CAD platform led by its new Ventures arm.

Calian is watering the seeds of Canada’s burgeoning #defence industry with a $100 million CAD platform led by its new Ventures arm. #ottcity #CDNtech

Float, Wise, Koho, Paramount, and Brim join Payments Canada A handful of Canadian FinTech firms are now in line to reap the benefits of the country’s incoming real-time rail payments infrastructure system.

Float, Wise, Koho, Paramount, and Brim have become members of Payments Canada, setting them up to access the upcoming real-time rail system. #CDNtech

Y Combinator website no longer lists Canada as a country it invests in Y Combinator has revised its standard deal terms to exclude Canada as a permitted site of investment, implying that Canadian startups aspiring to join will have to incorporate elsewhere.

The @ycombinator.com.web.brid.gy website no longer lists Canada as a country it invests in.

The change implies Canadian startups have to incorporate in the US, Cayman Islands, or Singapore to join the famed Silicon Valley accelerator. #CDNtech #YC

Meet Winnipeg’s latest venture studio, Ignition | BetaKit A joint venture between Launch Coworking and ProductStak, the studio is focusing on early-stage founders.

Meet Ignition: Winnipeg's newest venture studio, and a space for Manitoba’s early-stage founders to find hands-on support. #CDNtech

Canada desperately needs more homes. 🏠 These #CDNtech companies are betting innovation can help.

Float secures nearly $100 million in debt to expand credit products for Canadian businesses | BetaKit FinTech startup says its revenue has grown roughly 70 percent year over year.

Toronto's Float has secured nearly $100 million CAD in debt to expand its credit products for Canadian business, who are struggling to balance growth with rising costs. #CDNtech
betakit.com/float-secure...

Creditors sue Telesat claiming satellite operator illegally moved assets beyond their reach A company representing creditors of struggling Ottawa-based Telesat has filed a pair of lawsuits alleging the satellite firm breached a credit agreement with “fraudulent” asset transfers last year.

Some of Ottawa-based Telesat’s lenders are taking the satellite operator to court over some recent asset transfers as big debt repayment deadlines loom. $TSAT #CDNtech

General Fusion to go public on Nasdaq via $1-billion USD SPAC deal Canada’s General Fusion announced today that it has agreed to go public by combining with an American special purpose acquisition company.

Richmond, BC-based General Fusion has agreed to go public on the Nasdaq via a $1-billion USD SPAC deal. #BCtech #CDNtech