How to fix Canada's Start-up Visa
The BetaKit Podcast Channel
“Speed is of the essence. This is a super dynamic marketplace. Canada is losing entrepreneurs, we’re losing the next generation of founders, and we need to do things, quick.” More than a decade ago, Canada launched the Start-up Visa program to attract entrepreneurial talent from around the world. After years of complaints of delays, fraud, and abuse, the program was suspended while featuring a whopping 10-35 year wait time. Boris Wertz (Version One Ventures) and Lucy Hargreaves (Build Canada) join to discuss what went wrong and what a functional entrepreneurial immigration program might...
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Is BDC too big to change?
The BetaKit Podcast Channel
“BDC is powerful in the sense that it can make or break a fund… And a lot of people are trying to close funds right now.” In 2022, the federal government commissioned a report asking Canada’s VCs what they thought about Crown corporation BDC. The report was effectively forgotten, and the feedback was never actioned. Why? What did the report have to say about Canada’s largest venture investor? And with Canadian VC in a multi-year lull, is BDC’s “steady hand” approach preferred or simply necessary? BetaKit reporter Madison McLauchlan joins to discuss. Related Links: ...
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An insider’s take on Canada’s AI task force report
The BetaKit Podcast Channel
“If we don’t get our AI ducks in a row at some point and we miss that boat to shore up our industries right now, it’s not really going to matter what regulations we have on the table. Because we won’t have control.” The federal government has released the results of its public consultation on AI, including over 30 submissions from Minister Solomon’s AI task force. Former ISED senior policy advisor Jaxson Khan joins to discuss how the consultations might inform Canada’s AI future, and why the task force was “remarkably consistent” in its diagnosis, but not its prescriptions....
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Why Y Combinator cut Canada out
The BetaKit Podcast Channel
“It’s important for the success of Y Combinator to see people investing at a very, very early stage. And if it means, to keep them happy so that they’re investing in YC companies, they will do what it takes.” Globally recognized tech accelerator Y Combinator will no longer directly invest in Canadian-domiciled startups. Is the change a huge blow to Canada, a big nothingburger, politically motivated, or perhaps simply “formalizing what’s inevitable?” Maverix Private Equity founder and managing partner John Ruffolo joins to discuss fuzzy data, “bullshit” narratives, and the...
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TikTok and Grok are messes Canada can’t clean up
The BetaKit Podcast Channel
“You have just seen control of one of the most popular social media platforms in one of the most influential countries in the world switch from one foreign power relative to you to another.” Canada and the US have both claimed national security concerns over TikTok. Our country’s (unclear) response might not matter in the face of US-mandated corporate restructuring. As Grok’s unchecked deepfake image generation on X raises thorny legal questions, Canada might not have the leverage to regulate. What is a middle power like Canada to do in the face of algorithmic media controlled by...
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The Canadian company solving AI’s latency problem
The BetaKit Podcast Channel
“How do I create the ‘wow’ moment for my end user? And slowness never creates the wow moment.” PolarGrid founder and CEO Rade Kovacevic believes GenAI video and voice will be killer apps once they can function in real-time. Enabling real-time GenAI requires uncorking the inference bottleneck that the hyperscalers have helped build. The BetaKit podcast is presented by Fasken Emerging Tech, supporting trailblazing startups, venture capital funds and acquirers of high-growth tech companies for over 30 years. If you’re curious about the health of Canada’s tech M&A scene, you’ve...
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The future is a four-day workweek
The BetaKit Podcast Channel
“The workweek will continue until morale improves.” Jared Lindzon and Joe O’Connor’s new book, , argues that the future of work will feature more productive employees working fewer days. How is that supposed to happen when boomers still run the world, Gen Z is still Gen Z, and AI is coming for all of our jobs anyway? Let’s dig in. -- Solve for X is back! The latest season of the MaRS podcast is exploring more world-changing ideas. Join journalist Manjula Selvarajah as she talks to the people behind the latest innovations in tech and science. Get a jump on the future. Listen...
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The biggest tech questions of 2026
The BetaKit Podcast Channel
"Maybe we will see the robots that we want in our lives in 2026. But be prepared: they will definitely be controlled by people in India with Xbox controllers." Robots, and IPOs, and AI, Oh My! Managing editor Sarah Rieger joins to ask the biggest tech questions of 2026, after evaluating which 2025 tech questions were definitively answered. Solve for X is back! The latest season of the MaRS podcast is exploring more world-changing ideas. Join journalist Manjula Selvarajah as she talks to the people behind the latest innovations in tech and science. Get a jump on the future. Listen...
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The biggest tech stories of 2025
The BetaKit Podcast Channel
“2025 is the year that we committed to the bit, and all pretences went away.” Special guest star Rob Kenedi (Decelerator) joins for The BetaKit Podcast's annual tradition: stuffing your holiday stocking with the biggest tech stories of 2025. Have a different take on tech this year? Let us know: . Solve for X is back! The latest season of the MaRS podcast is exploring more world-changing ideas. Join journalist Manjula Selvarajah as she talks to the people behind the latest innovations in tech and science. Get a jump on the future. Listen to wherever you get your podcasts. --...
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Canada’s job market sucks for Gen Z
The BetaKit Podcast Channel
“Can you imagine a quarter—25 percent—of Canada isn’t sure if they’ll be employed next year? That is a wild statistic.” Kevin Kliman, president of Canadian business at Employment Hero, joins to explain why Canada’s workforce is underemployed and anxious about 2026. He also shares data indicating things are particularly bad for Gen Z, before offering tips on how they can make their mark in the modern workforce—with AI. Solve for X is back! The latest season of the MaRS podcast is exploring more world-changing ideas. Join journalist Manjula Selvarajah as she talks to the people...
info_outline“Speed is of the essence. This is a super dynamic marketplace. Canada is losing entrepreneurs, we’re losing the next generation of founders, and we need to do things, quick.”
More than a decade ago, Canada launched the Start-up Visa program to attract entrepreneurial talent from around the world. After years of complaints of delays, fraud, and abuse, the program was suspended while featuring a whopping 10-35 year wait time. Boris Wertz (Version One Ventures) and Lucy Hargreaves (Build Canada) join to discuss what went wrong and what a functional entrepreneurial immigration program might look like.
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