“To be competitive with American startups—or Israeli startups, or European startups—we need that push. That push … comes with a bureaucratic cost, because the government wants to know what's happening with their money.”  MAIN Executive Director Louis-Felix Binette joins live from Startupfest in Montréal to discuss the state of tech entrepreneurship in the city and province, including Québec Tech’s new name and mission. Presented by Mantle: next-level equity management, powered by AI. Visit withmantle.com/betakit to get started with your first 12 months free ..read more

"When we unveiled the company and the product to the world, the hope was 'people are going to be excited.' Or maybe we're completely wrong." Can a ragtag team of ex-BlackBerry employees and fanboys bring mobile keyboards back with Clicks? Clicks' Kevin Michaluk (CrackBerry) and Jeff Gadway (BlackBerry) join to explain what prompted them to build an iPhone keyboard in 2024. The answer may surprise you as much as the gadget's target customer. Presented by Float, co-hosts of In the Black: Building Enduring Businesses. Learn what’s top of mind for Canada’s fastest-growing companies, including Xana ..read more

“In Canada today … if you look at the inventory of 20,000 great technology companies, 60 percent of those have never met an investor. Because they’re really busy at meeting customers.” Jolt Capital managing partner Jean Schmitt joins to discuss why he made Montréal his deep tech private equity firm's North American HQ, and the opportunities for investment he sees across Canada. Presented by AWS Startups: accelerate your innovative ideas with AWS credits of up to $100,000 through the AWS Activate program. The BetaKit Podcast is also sponsored by Float:  sign up for early access to Float's ..read more

“Is this Collision, is this RISE, is this Web Summit? I’m very confused.” Web Summit co-host Casey Lau joins the podcast from the show floor of the last Collision to evaluate its impact, what Web Summit Vancouver will do for the city, and what the reimagined tech conference might look like when it arrives next year. Presented by Mantle: next-level equity management, powered by AI. Visit withmantle.com/betakit to get started with your first 12 months free ..read more

"OpenAI has nothing to lose and Apple had to move. They are the last player in this space, they had to do something." The gang reviews the latest announcements from Apple’s WWDC event, including a major partnership with OpenAI, before handing out grades for Big Tech’s AI progress. Also evaluated: whether or not Apple killed any tech companies this week, 1Password included. Presented by Mantle: the Canadian-made, AI-powered equity management solution designed for modern founders and operators. Visit withmantle.com/betakit to get started with your first 12 months free ..read more

“We’re not in the business of selling food, we’re in the business of behaviour change.” New School Foods founder Chris Bryson joins to discuss his plans to commercialize a pet R&D project into a Canadian plant-based meat competitor. Can he do the impossible better than... Impossible? The BetaKit Podcast is presented by Innovate BC: a Crown Agency of the Province of British Columbia. Visit innovatebc.ca to learn more about Innovate BC’s programs, initiatives and ongoing work across British Columbia’s innovation ecosystem ..read more

“We’ve been offered or at least suggested, ‘Why don’t you move your headquarters to the US?’ The only way we’ll move our headquarters outside of Toronto or Canada is if I get fired.” Christian Weedbrook, CEO and founder of Xanadu, joins to discuss his optimism in building a quantum unicorn in Canada, his hope of raising an all-Canadian round, and how it will help him get one step closer to a quantum data centre. Presented by the Master of Business Administration in Technology Leadership (Tech MBA) at Schulich School of Business. Gain a Competitive Edge. Design the future with Schulich’s T ..read more

“I think that there are two types of investors right now. There are ones that are being thoughtful about it and steering clear of investments that could cause harm. And then there are some that are wading into them and don't care at all.” General partner Darian Shirazi joins to identify the AI moat, match the progress of AI with other tech eras, and differentiate Gradient Ventures from AI VCs who “don’t care at all.” Presented by Mantle: the Canadian-made, AI-powered equity management solution designed for modern founders and operators. Visit withmantle.com/betakit to get started.  ..read more

“I think ambition is a problem… Canada is a go-for-bronze culture, and that sucks.” Kinda. Presenting BetaKit chair Satish Kanwar’s fireside chat and AMA with Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke at the BetaKit Town Hall. The pair discuss the state of Canadian innovation, government and policy, and what comes next. With special guests from CDL, Ada, Knix, and Version One Ventures. Presented by the Master of Business Administration in Technology Leadership (Tech MBA) at Schulich School of Business. Gain a Competitive Edge. Design the future with Schulich’s Tech MBA ..read more

“When you think about that shark American ethos, playing to win … but then also having the Canadian kindness, I think that’s where Canada and Canadians have a really big opportunity.” Simple Ventures CEO joins to discuss the motivations behind the launch of the venture studio, the power of geographical arbitrage, and the structural, cultural, and economic impediments to Canadian entrepreneurship. The BetaKit Podcast is presented by Osler, Hoskin and Harcourt LLP. Osler, the leading law firm for startups, high growth companies and investors in Canada, has released its third annual study&nb ..read more