Mehtab S. Bhogal

As a founder, have you ever been curious about this whole angel investing thing? This week's findfunding.vc spotlight is on an investor who's an expert in it you simply have to know: Matt Wilson, MBA from Allied Venture Partners. He: 🇨🇦 Is Calgary based 😇 Manages one of Canada's largest angle investor syndicates (now at 1,800+ members!) 🏒 Worked as a professional ice hockey referee, which he says shares remarkable similarities with investing Amongst founders, Matt Wilson, is known for bringing empathy and perspective as a former founder himself. Aside from financial support, his goal is to be the 'right' investor - one that aligns with a founder's vision, shares his network, and provides strategic insights when asked. ✉️ Make sure to pitch him, invest, scout, advise and more at https://linktr.ee/alliedvc For more, check out our funder spotlight card below along with Allied Venture Partners' profile on findfunding.vc (link in comments).

24

6 Comments

Would you move your startup for $10+ million benefit + 50% ish cap gains tax to the 🇺🇲? I did it before, why not again? #SiliconValley "Budget capital gains changes are a tipping point for Canadian #startups: survey." MaRS Discovery District, Communitech, Invest Ottawa survey of #Entrepreneurs and Founders. Canada is a great place to incubate companies with a huge quantity of early stage private and public capital and terrific policy support. So why go anywhere else as a founder once you have incubated in such a great place for entrepreneurs? #capitalgains, capital gains, capital gains. That's what this video is about. Thank you to Krista Jones and Christine Bomé and all my friends at MaRS DD for leading from the front. This survey gave me hope that Canada will once more be able to be an innovation champion. Please read the survey! https://lnkd.in/gqMm6yu7

39

12 Comments

Canada might be 1/10th the size of the US population, but Canadians still deploy capital into startups, but at 1/25th the rate of the US. If you're a Canadian founder you should meet some notable Toronto venture capitalists, ready to back your journey! 1. Relay Ventures-ventures Focus: Pre-Seed and Seed Stage Ventures Sector: Urbantech, Proptech, Fintech, Sportstech Top Portcos: Boomerang, Bird, Ecobee 2. Real Ventures Focus: Early-Stage Ventures Sector: Tech Enabled Businesses Top Portcos: Mejuri, Integrate AI, Unbounce 3. Radical Ventures Focus: Early Stage Ventures Sector: Artificial Intelligence, Disruptive tech Top Portcos: BirchAI, RoadBotics, Nabla Bio 4. Golden Ventures Focus: Seed Ventures Sector: Agnostic Top Portcos: ApplyBoard, Yesware, tacked 5. Alate Partners Sector: Real Estate, PropTech Top Portcos: Bird, Altrio, PadSplit 6. iGan Partners Focus: Seed Ventures Sector: Digital Health and MedTech Top Portcos: Meta, Akira, Think Research 7. Whitecap Venture Partners Focus: Seed and Series A Ventures Sector: B2B software and Med Tech Top Portcos: GoBolt, Real Matters, Clearwater 8. Ripple Ventures Sector: B2B Software Top Portcos: Wisely, Artemis, Plannuh 9. Loyal VC Sector: Tech Enabled Businesses Top Portcos: MyTM, ZestIOT, Avant Meats, BetaStore 10. Portage Focus: Seed to Series C Ventures Sector: Fintech Top Portcos: KOHO Financial, Albert, League, Clark Ready to connect with the perfect investor for your startup? Drop “LIST” in the comments, and I’ll tailor a personalized investor lineup just for you. Who’s your favorite VC firm in Toronto? Give them a shoutout in the comments! At Thunder.vc, we specialize in matching your fintech startup with venture capital firms that align with your sector, growth stage, and goals. Let’s find the right partner to fuel your growth!

20

17 Comments

Are you a B2B software startup founder at the very start? Then you have to meet this early-stage investor! This week's findfunding.vc spotlight is on Dominic Lau from Ripple Ventures. He: 🇨🇦 Is Vancouver and Toronto based 🎣 Loves to fish 🎶 Founded the RippleX Fellowship - a platform to help underrepresented founders access mentorship, intros, and the tools to get from idea to revenue to funding Amongst founders, Dominic and his team at Ripple Ventures, including Matt Cohen, are known for being hands-on partners who open valuable networks, navigate challenges together, and assist in closing crucial revenue and funding deals. Make sure to: ✉️ Pitch him at [email protected] 👀 Look into the RippleX Fellowship - they take 10 companies 2x a year through the Founder Fellowship program and also back companies through the Fellow Fund For more, check out our funder spotlight card below along with Ripple Ventures' profile on findfunding.vc (link in comments).

25

6 Comments

Spent a wonderful week in Canada with family! Now back to business.. Here's your weekly AI update: 🔙 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐏𝐚𝐬𝐬: 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐈 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤 Week 51 | August 5 - August 11 The OpenAI Brain Drain Industry: 🚨OpenAI co-founder John Schulman leaves for Anthropic; President Greg Brockman is taking extended leave through the end of year. What's interesting is that three of their most technical co-founders (Ilya Sutskever, John Schulman, Andrej Karpathy) have all left the company now. This then begs the question - is this a result of natural silicon-valley attrition, or is there something deeper going on here? And moreover, how will this impact the technical moat that OpenAI has built over the years? (https://lnkd.in/gztRKhwV) 🚨Google announced that new Gemini AI-powered features will be incorporated in a variety of home devices, such as Google Home and Nest (https://lnkd.in/gV2QacAQ?). It also announced a significant reduction in token cost of Gemini 1.5 Flash (https://lnkd.in/gbNe6yNU?) 🚨Figure releases Figure 02, it's newest humanoid robot. Figure has been actively testing robots with BMW at a manufacturing plant. Figure last raised $675M Series B in February 2024, valuing the company at $2.6 billion. (https://lnkd.in/gZnPSke4) 🚨Mark Zuckerberg said on Meta's Q2 earning call that to train Llama 4, the company will need 10x more compute than what was needed to train Llama 3. (https://lnkd.in/g5pEPrTw?) 🚨Elon Musk filed a lawsuit against Sam Altman and Greg Brockman, renewing claims that the company is betraying its founding aims of benefiting the public good rather than pursuing profits. (https://lnkd.in/gAk5grU6) Financing and M&A: 🚨Groq raises $640m in Series D at a $2.8B valuation. The round was led by Blackrock Private Equity Partners with participation from other investors such as Neuberger Berman, Type One Ventures, Cisco, KDDI, and Samsung Catalyst Fund. (https://lnkd.in/gRtKQKvW?) 🚨Hugging Face acquires Seattle data storage startup Xethub. The HF team plans to integrate Xethub's backend storage technology, enabling developers to host more large models and datasets than currently possible. CEO Clem Delangue 🤗 confirmed this was the largest acquisition the company has made thus far. (https://lnkd.in/g8fJ-BjT) 🚨OpenAI is leading a $60m Series B funding round for Opal Camera, a maker of professional-grade webcams(https://lnkd.in/gMT9dkTG) 🚨ProRata.ai a company that has invented an attribution technology to properly compensate content owners, has raised a $25m Series A, led by Prime Movers Lab, Mayfield Fund and Revolution Ventures. (https://lnkd.in/gumjbWmj) R&D: 🚨Alibaba Group releases Qwen2-math, a SOTA model for math-specific tasks. (https://lnkd.in/g8Jh3M7T?) Other Interesting Resources: 🚨 Between May and August, more Humane AI Pins were returned than purchased (https://lnkd.in/gy56qpKm?). 😯

67

3 Comments

Want to raise the right round? Attention all BC early stage ventures and those who support them. The Discovery Foundation Essentials in Startup Investment is a self-paced, always-on initiative designed for early-stage founders looking to strengthen their venture’s viability for equity and create a personalized funding map for the future. This program, powered by Spring, is open to all early-stage impact ventures while giving priority to those companies in health innovation and founders from underrepresented communities, such as Indigenous entrepreneurs, women and non-binary founders, newcomer and immigrant founders, Black founders, people with disabilities and others who have been systemically underfunded. We know being a founder is BUSY, so our program helps investment-curious founders explore the best funding options for their unique needs and aspirations at your pace and accessible when you have time. Get started on your successful fundraise today! #fundraising #raisingcapital #startups #angelinvesting #earlystage #preseed #seedstage #techforgood #healthtech #mentalhealth #femtech #futureofhealth https://hubs.ly/Q02HDJSM0

48

8 Comments

If you're a Canadian entrepreneur, investor, or founder then this past week has made it painfully clear that when it comes to innovation and economic recovery the calvary won't be coming and is in fact running in the opposite direction. The federal government and associated regional innovation support agencies (ie Invest Ottawa) are failing to look at solutions aimed at effectively addressing an overall decrease in entrepreneurship and economic activity across the nation and it is now on us, as resilient Canadian entrepreneurs, to empower those who can bring the most value to the table if we are to strive for the quickest path forward towards economic recovery and helping the average Canadian family better their quality of life. I am proud to announce that RHA Ventures Inc. has answered that call 👏 In the face of rising costs for domestic businesses in Canada and competition from abroad, RHA Ventures, an Ontario-based venture capital firm specializing in cutting-edge technologies, announced today its investment in Real Life Robotics, a Waterloo-based company designing real robots for real businesses. This investment marks a significant milestone in the development of Real Life Robotics and underscores RHA Ventures' commitment to supporting true, tried, and tested founders and Ontario’s growing startup ecosystem despite an overall decrease in entrepreneurship across the rest of Canada. “Real robots, real people, and real-world challenges are what differentiate RLR as a technology company. We could not be more thrilled to have RHA Ventures, a group of experienced founders and problem solvers, on board as strategic advisors and investors as we help elevate Ontario globally as a home for first-in-class robotics and automation technology - empowering businesses with transformative robotics solutions that unlock new levels of efficiency, reliability, and scalability,” - Cameron Waite, CEO of Real Life Robotics. The numbers clearly show that the cost of getting involved in a business or launching a new product is too high for the average inexperienced Canadian and our economy has slowed in growth accordingly. On a macro level, we are placing too high an importance on new founders in a down market when we should be rewarding and doubling down on our true, tried and tested investors, founders and legacy businesses who have shown they are willing to take the risk. Thank you, Brian Foster and the rest of the team at RHA Ventures Inc. for taking this first step of the journey with us 🙏 https://lnkd.in/gSr5TP48

63

8 Comments

"Entrepreneurship is painful and sometimes rewarding." This quote naturally came out during a check-in call with my good friend and fellow entrepreneur, Gilad, who is building a great product at Sequence (I just wish they were available in Canada) 😢 As soon as I said it, both Gilad and I reflected on how true that statement is in describing the journey of building something. Shoutout to all the business owners and entrepreneurs out there taking the pain with a pinch of reward. #startupjourney #pain #entrepreneurship #grit

8

1 Comment

Sidewalk Labs (Part of Google), another showcase of Canadian politicians bending over for a big US corp, with ZERO tangible results 💩 Roxana and I attended a "private investor demo" session in 2019. A block of wood was passed among the audience, supposedly the NEXT BIG BREAKTHROUGH in urban development! Demo concluded, by observing a piece of wood! Building blocks of future skyscrapers! The promise? With this, Google will build a "Smart City" for us, the peasants of Toronto, in Queens Quay 🏖️🏢 Sidewalk Labs' website now points to a newer Google scam, it reads: "Build Sustainably with Google Earth"! Bait and switch, but let enough time pass so no one remembers 🤢 https://lnkd.in/gd3B-a6m Guess now the investors and Ontario Government | Gouvernement de l’Ontario have shit loads of these wooden blocks, ready to shove up somewhere, to find a use for! All because the name "Bloomberg" sounds authoritative enough to our ears? Surely that's capital well spent, instead of investing in local talent! 🤔 Will Canada's tech ecosystem ever crawl out of Silicon Valley's shadow, and stand on its own? ⌚👀⛔

46

2 Comments

The size of Canada combined with the geographic distribution of health conditions make the country ideal for multi-channel healthcare (e.g., Telehealth). Despite the significant demand for healthcare broadly, those business models haven't been able to achieve exponential growth or ideal unit economics just yet -- they've certainly grown and many are profitable, but millions of Canadians still lack primary care. It's a problem that's on the cusp of being solved (e.g., AI, integrated care) and could unlock significantly more access to care for Canadians. 

19

Today at Antler VC Toronto, we had Michael Kravshik, CPA, CA, the founder of LumiQ come speak to us. The cohort is in week 5 of the 10-week residency. We’re still very much in the process of solidifying our cofounders and searching for product market fit. So Michael’s speech was timely, informative, and inspirational. Here were my key take-aways. 𝐎𝐧 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐭  🔸 Ideas don’t matter, the iterative test approach does; it’s more painful in the present but saves you lots of time in the future 🔸 Start with really broad assumptions, start validating those broad ideas, and then through the process of speaking to customers to get to the really narrow concepts 🔸 At one point Michael and his co-founder went through invalidating 25 ideas, which would seem discouraging but they grew and developed a lot through this process (even though they didn’t know it at the time) 🔸 At one point they did a mind-boggling 500 one-on-one interviews in the span of 6 weeks 🔸 The only sustainable advantage you can in a startup is knowing your customer better than anyone else 🔸 PMF is a moving target 🔸 PMF is treated as a verb at LumiQ 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 🔸 Be curious, open-minded, and be willing to kill your babies 🔸 If you keep going, you will eventually create your own luck 🔸 Lots of people get stuck in sunk-cost fallacy land, but you should listen to your gut and pivot when it doesn’t feel right 🔸 Founders have a reputation for being like cockroaches, and rightfully so, shamelessness can take one quite far I also asked Michael during the QA on what his emotionally compelling reason was for overcoming so many challenges to get the company to where it is today, and his answer was really insightful and relatable. He said that 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞. Furthermore, if you’re not crazy AND stupid you probably shouldn’t do this! Thanks for bestowing your wisdom on us Michael Kravshik, CPA, CA and I hope I captured your words and sentiments correctly! 😃 #startups

92

15 Comments

We are raising $250,000 to fuel the growth of our retail automation startup Afiari Inc. to onboard at least 10,000 paying businesses over the next 18 - 24 months. Firstly, what is Afiari and what are we building? Afiari is enabling retail (physical) businesses to sell online and automate operations from purchasing to point-of-sale. Our long-term goal is to be able to connect data points from points of sale back to manufacturing and this we will do by first, creating a path for digitization by providing the tools that will help retail businesses manage not just their inventory but also purchasing processes, supplier management, receiving invoice payments automatically, and of course selling their products via our marketplace. It’s an ecosystem and we are ready to push the boundaries of the market. So why should you invest in us?  The first is that, we don’t die! We have been in the space for the past three years, learning, experimenting, pivoting, and repivoting. We have also built out the solution that we are beginning to see adoption for, we now want to grow massively while generating real-time revenue from across our products. Today, we have 8 paying businesses and 22 businesses onboarded in total. Our strategy is to get enough businesses to use our solution as ERP for their businesses while we gradually derive the potential of online sales via our marketplace by driving demand to these vetted businesses. The final reason to invest is that we know that this is incredibly hard and that is what gets us excited. We don’t just want to build for the sake of it, we always work from the ground up and attack the problems from the root. It is a more difficult approach but it is also incredibly rewarding. So, if this makes sense to you, then let’s have a chat about it. I am available to meet in person or virtually depending on your location. Reach out to me via DM, email at [email protected], or call +2347062029656

97

16 Comments

Clinton Anderson emphasizes that AI-based forecasting is the ideal starting point for optimizing operations. By integrating this with solutions, businesses can enhance labor productivity, improve communication, and boost employee satisfaction. Feedback on Fourth IQ has been overwhelmingly positive, with the key realization that AI is not a future concept but a current, actionable tool. It can be deployed across every sector to deliver immediate value, directly impacting the bottom line. #AI #Technology #Solutions #Hospitality Branded Hospitality Ventures Hospitality Hangout Podcast Mary Hamill Thomas French Annie Smith Andreas Mettler Chris Carrigan Lisa Scroggins Jordan Bradley

7

1 Comment

Canada's Brain Drain is undeniable! 🌍 Why are ambitious Canadian startup founders flocking to the US? 𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 The US economy is 12.5x larger but its VC industry is 30x larger. In 2023, US VC deals were $150-200 billion while Canada was ~$6 billion. 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗹𝘆 𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 In the US, speed and risk-taking reign supreme. It's a dynamic environment where ideas rapidly transform into reality, unlike the more cautious pace in Canada. 𝗕𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 With an economy 12.5x the size of Canada’s, the US offers unprecedented reach and potential for growth. 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗧𝗮𝘅𝗲𝘀 Although not the main factor, higher taxes in Canada add to the challenges. Recent hikes in capital gains taxes have not helped. For Canada to thrive in the innovation economy, it's time to tackle these hurdles head-on. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  Excerpt from a discussion I had with Mark Nashman. Link to the full video in the comments. #startups #venturecapital #investing #Canada #culture

45

23 Comments

💡 Why Every New Founder Needs to Hear This: Real Talk About the Highs and Lows of Entrepreneurship I had an amazing time on the latest episode of Collisions YYC with Jade Alberts and Tyler Chisholm! There’s something truly special about having real conversations with these two—discussing both the highs and the lows of being an entrepreneur. 🎢 In this episode, we dive deep into what it really takes to navigate the rollercoaster of startup life—how to manage those big wins, like landing a new client, and how to push through the tough moments, like missing payroll. We shared some hard-earned lessons on avoiding the common mistakes founders make, staying grounded through the chaos, and most importantly, knowing when to keep going and when it’s time to pivot. 🌱 For all the new founders out there: This journey isn’t easy, but it’s totally worth it. Prepare yourself for the challenges, and keep in mind that the highs and lows are all part of the adventure. 🚀 🎧 Tune in to hear these raw, real, and invaluable insights from Team Awesome: https://lnkd.in/e6CKrASG 💬 I’d love to hear your thoughts—what challenges have you faced as a founder? And how did you know when it was time to pivot or keep pushing through? #TeamAwesome #KeepBeingAwesome #Koridor #Entrepreneurship #FoundersJourney #CollisionsYYC #StartupLife #YYCFounders

13

1 Comment

What excites PAR Technology the most is their ongoing mission to enhance and elevate the customer experience across the board. They’ve been focused on ensuring that all of their products are designed to seamlessly integrate, creating a cohesive ecosystem for their clients. Data plays a pivotal role in their strategy—PAR is committed to not only providing easy access to data but also offering valuable insights and actionable breakdowns that help businesses make informed decisions. This approach underpins their dedication to innovation and operational excellence. Branded Hospitality Ventures #POS #Technology #Hospitality #Marketing Hospitality Hangout Podcast Keith Pascal Tori D. Savneet Singh Dan Costello Ben Carroll Jeff Carpenter Joe Yetter Shane Gau Steven Downer Joshua Tuokkola Paul Rubin Karl Ruter

11

I’ve noticed many founders don’t realize how much non-dilutive capital is flying under the radar in Canada. So I’ve shared a list of alternatives you should know about before choosing to raise capital: 1. Business Scale-up and Productivity (BSP): BSP provides funding to help you scale your operations and increase your market reach. It’s a great way to drive growth without sacrificing equity. 2. Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP): IRAP offers financial support for research and development. It’s perfect for taking your technical ideas to the next level. 3. Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED): SR&ED provides tax incentives for technical development. It’s one of the most generous programs in Canada, helping you reclaim a portion of your R&D costs. 4. FedDev Ontario: If you’re based in Southern Ontario, FedDev offers funding to help businesses scale, innovate, and compete globally. It’s a solid option for companies looking to make a big impact. 5. Canada Small Business Financing Program (CSBFP): This program helps small businesses access loans for purchasing or improving assets like equipment or property. It’s designed to help companies grow and invest in their infrastructure. 6. CanExport SMEs Program: If you’re looking to expand into international markets, CanExport provides funding to cover costs related to market research, business travel, and participation in international trade events. 7. Canada Media Fund (CMF): For those in the digital media industry, CMF offers funding for the development, production, and marketing of innovative media projects. 8. Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) Programs: OCE offers various funding programs aimed at driving innovation and commercialization in Ontario. Their programs often focus on collaboration between businesses and academic institutions. 9. Mitacs Accelerate: This program provides funding to support research internships, allowing companies to collaborate with universities to solve specific challenges while benefiting from academic expertise. 10. Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF): Targeted at larger-scale projects, SIF offers funding to support R&D, commercialization, and the growth of innovative businesses in Canada. 11. Women Entrepreneurship Strategy (WES) Ecosystem Fund: This fund supports organizations that help women entrepreneurs grow their businesses. It’s part of a broader effort to increase women’s participation in the economy. 12. Innovative Solutions Canada (ISC): This program helps Canadian startups by funding R&D projects that address government challenges. It’s a great way to secure funding while working on real-world problems. 13. Alberta Innovates: For businesses in Alberta, Alberta Innovates offers several funding programs to support R&D, commercialization, and business growth. They focus on fostering innovation in sectors like energy, health, and technology. Have I missed any?

16

3 Comments

Canadian Founders Shouldn’t need to leave Canada. We need to fix our system. 🍁 Last week I was catching up with a founder from Canada. She had just returned from spending 3 months in SF. She said it was insane how the entire ecosystem there is built to incubate and launch startups but then also support them for the entire lifecycle through Series A and beyond.  In Canada we’re ok at getting companies started but then we have little support beyond that and we ultimately lose them to the valley. Her suggestion was to take all the money the Canadian government is throwing at our tech sector, and instead use it to send our Founders to SF for 3 months for a Founder crash course. As a Canadian, hearing that is super depressing but also accurate. My roadmap at Developer Capital is to find and fund great Canadian companies in the pre-seed and seed round, but then get them into the US for their Series A. Why? Valuations are better, risk appetites are sharper and it will help your sales when breaking into the US market. How can we as a country support them and encourage them to stay in Canada? The Challenge: Canada’s Startup Ecosystem is Broken 💔 If we don’t want to lose our brightest founders to the US, we need to re-evaluate our approach. We need to provide the SF experience right here at home. Here’s what we can do: ⚫ Access to capital. Yeah, im sure you’ve heard this before. Pre-seed doesn’t exist in Canada. Developer Capital is trying to change that but we’re only one firm. There needs to be more deal flow sharing amongst the pre-seed and seed stage funds. This one’s on us in the VC community. We can do better. We can share our deals. We can get out in the world more and meet Founders. Rather than waiting for others to validate our own opinions we can lead rounds and be first money in. ⚫ Ecosystem support. It’s pretty nuts the difference this one makes. When a company comes out of SF they instantly have access to a network of 1000’s of early adopter companies to go out and buy their product. And the VCs who invest ask all their Portcos to take a deep look at buying these great new products. Incestuous? Yes but it works, and gets these start ups to millions in ARR fairly quickly. ⚫ The right infrastructure: Accelerators and incubators sometimes get a bad rap, but the good ones do the job of acting like a bootcamp to get your company launched, understand how to get financed, and then how to iterate until you find product market fit. Canada needs to up its game and come out with a couple of AAA accelerators. If McGill is the “Harvard of the North” why can’t Canada have a “YC of the North”? I’m not pretending to have all the solutions. This is clearly a “hard problem to solve”. But as a proud Canadian I know we can do better and I want to be able for our best companies to stay here forever (whatup Shopify). We have the talent and the ideas; now we need the infrastructure and the networks to match. Let's make Canada a powerhouse! 🍁 🚀

104

33 Comments