David Lloyd

This Canadian start up raised $2.5 million in funding by launching an app with us using Bubble (full Case Study in the comments) The Problem: - more than half of all SMB accounts payable are completed manually - current technology is obtuse and requires accounting/bookkeeping expertise to use effectively The Solution: - simplify all language on platform "Accounts Payable" becomes "Pay Your Bills" - remove clutter, nothing should ever be more than 3 clicks away - launch using no-code, this allows us to get into the market in a matter of weeks, heavily reducing the upfront investment needed to launch an app Results: - hundreds of sign ups for the alpha version - thousands more added to the waitlist - 2.5 million raised in Seed Round

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I have been the President at SolidCAD for over 4 years. During that time, I have seen an incredible amount of change for our clients, vendors, and our teams. The pace and impact of this change has been accelerated through successful technology adoption. For many companies in the Canadian and US landscape the risk associated with change represents a significant barrier to growth. For decades strategic change initiatives at companies have a greater than 60% failure rate when they are not delivered on time, on budget, or realizing the expected economic impact. When it comes to technology adoption that failure rate jumps to over 90%. With these sort of challenges to success, can you blame North American business leaders for being cautious in their approach to technology adoption? The truth however is that the rewards of being innovative come with greater ability to deliver on increasingly complex products to make and communities to construct, attracting and retaining top talent and financial performance to thrive in an increasingly competitive economic landscape. At SolidCAD our promise is to change this high-risk environment to one of greater certainty for our clients in achieving their highest priority digital transformation goals. Innovation does not have to come with substantial risk, because with the right partner you can realize the promise of high rewards. Together we can empower transformation – when we work together, we all win together! www.solidcad.ca ⁠#EmpowerTransformation;#AcceleratingInnovation

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We've helped many Canadian organizations develop or refresh their data strategies over the past two years. I enjoyed this article and we take many approaches that align here. Business/use-case driven, focus on data quality, democratization of data, and starting ground up through high-value POC's and Pilots. Another key component is designing your data architecture to align with your strategy, and choosing a partner that can help you navigate through technology options. Love to chat data strategy with anyone that's building one, needs help getting started, or has best practices and successes to share. https://lnkd.in/ghwdD7FF #datastrategy #genai #datamodernization #aws #azure #databricks #snowflake

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SAAS NORTH Conference is one of the best Canadian SaaS conferences, and each year, I look forward to attending and connecting with the top thought leaders investing in great companies, building great ecosystems, and creating the success of the tech community in Canada. This year, Sage is proud to host the Executive Lunch on Thursday, November 14, in Ottawa. If you are interested in attending, please RSVP, if you have not registered for the conference and would like to attend, please direct message me. Here is our agenda for our discussion, we already have an amazing group that will be working together on the best ways to navigate the future: In today’s dynamic SaaS landscape, the role of finance has evolved into a strategic partner essential for driving both growth and profitability. This session brings together Canada’s top SaaS finance leaders for a discussion on communicating with investors, forecasting the future with peer CxOs, and how to build a great team. We will delve into finance’s expanded role in forecasting, investment decision-making, and managing the delicate balance between scaling and profitability. SaaS leaders have shifted away from a “grow-at-all-costs” mentality toward a focus on sustainable, efficient growth. This luncheon promises valuable insights on how early adoption of finance technologies—leveraging data-driven decision-making, optimizing revenue strategies, and enhancing cross-departmental collaboration—serves as a competitive advantage, empowering leadership teams to make impactful decisions and ensure durable, scalable growth.        Thank you David Tyldesley L-SPARK Startup Accelerator 🇨🇦 BetaKit Fellow - AI Meeting Note Taker Staircase Ventures FounderFuel Graphite Ventures Pender Ventures Mistral Ventures Startup TNT Cameal Soverall, CMM Melissa McQueen, MBA ERIC SLEETH Thomas Meyer Janu Debalathas and many others for organizing a world-class conference                         https://lnkd.in/g2m4T7vj

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At Microsoft we've advocated extensively for generative AI as a transformative driver for Canada’s economy, from enhancing daily workflows to improving productivity across sectors. Today, we released our new report, Canada’s Generative AI Opportunity, conducted by Accenture, which shows that Gen AI could contribute $187 billion annually to the Canadian economy by 2030. This projection means not only an extraordinary economic boost, but also it promises to change the way we work, potentially saving Canadian workers 125 hours per year – the equivalent of half an hour each workday. However, the report also shows that only 9% of Canadian businesses are currently leveraging Gen AI. That means we have a significant opportunity to build momentum with this technology. Our report outlines six priority enablers for driving responsible adoption across sectors, emphasizing the need for public trust, a clear policy framework, skilled workforces, innovative leadership, partnership and greater access to affordable models. We also share our recommendations for how to move forward and the actions industry government can take to speed up responsible adoption and build trust in AI. Now is our time to drive responsible adoption forward and help Canada realize its full economic potential by 2030.

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🇨🇦 Pumped to announce that Canadian organizations can now both store their data at-rest and perform machine learning (ML) processing for Gemini 1.5 Pro and Gemini 1.5 Flash in Canada. This means that a customer’s data will not leave the region when asking a model to generate a response. We know this is important to many organizations here in Canada, and it's critical to leveraging gen AI to its fullest.…more details here: https://goo.gle/4gbOcWO

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🌟 Calian: Proud Microsoft Fabric Jumpstart Partner 🌟 At Calian, we’re excited to announce that as a Microsoft Fabric Jumpstart Partner, we’ve fully embraced the power of Microsoft Fabric to transform our data strategy. By widely adopting Fabric across our own organization, we’re now leveraging real-time data insights to make smarter, faster decisions that drive success. 🎥 Watch the video below to see how Calian is utilizing Microsoft Fabric to reshape our approach to data and analytics, helping us unlock powerful insights and achieve operational excellence. Why Microsoft Fabric with Calian? Unify your data estate with a single, scalable platform that integrates seamlessly across cloud and on-prem environments. Harness AI-driven analytics to gain actionable insights that elevate your business. Accelerate digital transformation with real-time data insights that empower every facet of your organization. We’re ready to share our learnings and help you unlock the full potential of Microsoft Fabric for your data estate. 📧 Contact us at: [email protected] Let’s discuss how we can empower your business! 🚀 #MicrosoftFabric #DataDriven #AI #Calian #Innovation #DigitalTransformation

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"Successful AI companies result in more experienced AI talent, more investors, more mentorship, and more startups. People and businesses begin to relocate to be part of the successful ecosystem." This is a great article describing the urgent need for us to do more to build successful AI ecosystems here in Canada.

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Calling All Business Leaders Who Aim to Inspire, Engage and Equip Canada's Next Generation of Innovators Share Your Insight, Expertise and Experience at the Ingenium Innovation Challenge from May 3 to 5, 2024 in Canada's Capital · Learn More and Register: https://lnkd.in/ede29765 This event brings together creative young minds from across Canada (aged 18 to 35) who are passionate about tackling social issues. This year, they are tasked with creating a digital interactive that helps educate youth on the real-world impacts related to clean water and sanitation. It is a visionary goal that I am passionate about and one that is ideal as we prepare to celebrate Earth Day. The winning team will be awarded: · A financial prize in addition to a grant, in-kind funding, and mentorship guidance for the development of their proof-of-concept prototype into a marketable product for use by the general public. · Other prizes will also be awarded, including one Blue Futures Pathways Expedition, equivalent to $15,000 Ingenium is seeking industry leaders and partners who would like to contribute to this Innovation Challenge. Seize this unique opportunity and engage directly with prospective talent by: · Showcasing your company and its value proposition · Attending the networking session on the first day of the event; or · Participating as a judge for the final pitch session on the last day of the event. Meet some of Canada's most promising future innovators right here in Canada's Capital! Join us to connect with the next generation of leaders and make a real impact. As background, Ingenium creates a collaborative space where the past meets the future to celebrate creativity, discovery, and human ingenuity. One of Ottawa's many powerful tourist attractions and experiences, the Ingenium brand brings together three landmark museums in Canada's Capital: · The Canada Agriculture and Food Museum / Musée de l’agriculture et de l’alimentation du Canada; · The Canada Aviation and Space Museum / Musée de l’aviation et de l’espace du Canada; and · The Canada Science and Technology Museums Corporation (a favourite for my nephew Callan and I) Together, they provide a sensory experience that immerses young and old alike in the countless ways science and technology connect with Canadians’ everyday lives. For more information on Ingenium, this innovation challenge, and how to get involved, please visit: https://lnkd.in/ede29765 Invest Ottawa Futurpreneur Kanata North Business Association Hub350 Adam Miron, LL.D (hon), MBA Amelia Puddifer Jennifer Francis Julia Elvidge Katie LeClair SheBoot Capital Angel Network Karen Greve Young

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Great insights shared today. Thank you NGen Canada and AI4Manufacturing and Michael Gardiner, P.Eng for organizing and hosting this panel to discuss #genai #chatgpt use cases in #manufacturing ! #mayahtt #ai

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Please spend a few minutes and share your voice - Ever received a prescription, are 18+, and Canadian? You qualify. Click logo below. Password is Voice2024. Results intended for publication and includes diversity and inclusion experiences. You can opt to get a copy and enter a draw too. Your perspectives matter. #patientadvocacy #healthcare #yourvoicematters

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The feedback on Techify's first-ever AI Summit has been phenomenal. Thank you to everyone who attended! I hope you walked away with more than a few tips on how to go beyond the AI hype and find best use cases for your business or organization. And a special thank you to Techify team members for making this event such as success. I can't say enough great things about this team of professionals who know how to get things done (and have fun!). #ArtificialIntelligence #MicrosoftCopliot

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Who else loves a (virtual) lunch and learn? 🙋🏼‍♀️ Especially on hot topics affecting your industry ... Like generative AI. That's why I'm teaming up with Donald Hicks, CEO and President of Optilogic Inc. next Thursday at 1 p.m. ET to talk about the intersection of AI and supply chain. We might not be offering lunch, BUT we are offering free insights on: 👉🏻 How your organization leverage AI to address more supply chain questions 👉🏻 What skills will be essential for supply chain design by 2025 and how will AI reshape these 👉🏻 The most critical challenges AI-driven supply chain design will tackle in the coming year If you have burning questions for us, leave them in the comments - we'll try to answer them at the end! Hope to see you there 👋🏻 Click that "Attend" button for a reminder: https://lnkd.in/g2FrXn_Z #supplychain #ai #freeevent

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Can fragmented customer data hinder business growth? It's certainly not going to help. Yesterday, I spoke with a Canadian manufacturer with offices across North America who was pondering this same question. Their team was spending a lot of time in internal meetings, gathering this fragmented information to be prepared to meet with customers. Except when they didn't, which meant they were going in blind. Yikes. Their vision was to have one central location for all customer data -- and make it super accessible to everyone on the team. They were looking for AI to automatically integrate data from Microsoft Great Plains, emails from Office 365, and videos from Teams calls into a unified CRM system. This would not only streamline operations but also ensure that every customer interaction was backed by complete and up-to-date information. Imagine the difference it would make for their sales reps on the road, who could quickly pull up customer histories and order details from their mobile devices, without having to dig through multiple systems or make frantic calls to the office. With this centralized CRM, they could focus more on building relationships and less on administrative tasks. The AI-powered features would automatically log interactions, summarize calls, and provide actionable insights, making their jobs easier and more efficient. Ultimately, this shift would help them grow their business more effectively, ensuring no customer falls through the cracks and every opportunity is maximized. Does this sound familiar?

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The business value of human centred design!        In this week’s episode of #BehindTheGrowth, I celebrated Christian Rohrer, VP of Design at TD. Christian shared his journey from tech support to leading design at major companies, highlighting how focusing on user needs drives better product outcomes.     Christian explains how companies can measure the effectiveness of their design strategies and why human-centred design is key to business success. He refers to a McKinsey study showing that companies with the best design practices see nearly double the revenue growth.    We also covered topics like:     👉 The best approaches to product development      👉 The intersection of innovation and design      👉 AI's evolving role in UX/UI      👉 His philosophy on leadership and team dynamics     🎧 Listen to the full episode here:      #HumanCenteredDesign #UXDesign #Innovation #LeadershipInTech #AIInDesign #UserExperience #DesignThinking @mobileLIVE      Episode Links  mobileLIVE Website  https://lnkd.in/gdV5ZdFb YouTube  https://lnkd.in/g8Qf8pni Apple  https://lnkd.in/gETpd9We Spotify  https://lnkd.in/gqqjFhBe 

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Start. You don't have to go all in, yet. That's the advice from Deb Pimentel, IBM Canada's President and GM Technology, on how businesses should start on the generative AI adoption path. Watch our conversation at THINK Toronto to learn more about picking the right partner and why focusing on the non-negotiables is essential throughout this process. #ThinkToronto #IBMCanada #Partner IBM

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Amplify the conversation around nurturing women's mental wellness and preventing burnout in the workplace. Discover insightful strategies tailored for women, empowering them to thrive professionally and personally – https://lnkd.in/eyXdmmYF #ADPCanada #PreventBurnout #WomensMentalHealth #Inclusion #CompanyCulture #HR #Canada

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John G. Keogh this follows the usual Canadian trend of slow adoption of new technology. The slow adoption of new technology by Canadian businesses is a significant factor in the declining productivity in Canada compared to the US. It is also has a huge negative impact on the technology industry in Canada, especially startups. Canada has the talent and the startup ecosystem to create real benefit from AI for every sector of the economy. We need to speed up adoption in Canadian companies, and most importantly, have sourcing from Canadian companies. In the article it mentions that Canada's biggest companies, like RBC, are using AI. That's fine, but the biggest companies in the US are the ones creating the AI solutions! Hopefully we can see progress in this area in Manitoba with the new Minister of Innovation and New Technology, Mike Moroz.

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