Roman Khrystynych

We’re excited to announce that Erode AI will have a booth at this year’s Innovation Week 2024: Startup Studio Station in Calgary! Last year, we had an incredible time engaging with the community, sharing ideas, and learning from others who are passionate about innovation. This year, we’re bringing even more to the table. Erode AI is revolutionizing weather forecasting with cutting-edge generative AI technology, and we’re excited to show you how far we’ve come. Whether you’re in energy, agtech, insurance, or curious about the future of weather forecasting and weather-derived outcomes we’d love for you to stop by! 👥 Let’s talk about the challenges you face in your industry and how hyper-focused, AI-driven forecasting can help you solve them. 📅 Save the Date: 👉 When: November 20, 10am - 3pm 👉 Where: Platform Calgary #InnovationWeek2024 #GenerativeAI #WeatherForecasting #YYCInnovation #ErodeAI #Startups #FutureOfForecasting

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Cohere CEO Aidan Gomez says that #1 blocker for Enterprise GenAI use cases is data privacy and #2 blocker is the cost (implies ROI). He also explained what Canadian AI startup, Cohere does and how they make money. A must watch for anyone who is interested in Enterprise GenAI use cases. He also said that GenAI fear mongering is cheap ways to get attention (I am paraphrasing, he didn’t use the word cheap). Quite a bit commentary on Google Cloud AI developments as well. Other mentions Oracle and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Aidan comes across as a mature tech leader for his young age. He sounds more realistic and less me too, in GenAI hyped era. Aidan was talking to CNBC’s Steve Kovach. https://lnkd.in/g36SFYfn ____________________ Last month, Cohere has raised $450 million in funding from returning investors such as Nvidia and Salesforce Ventures, as well as new investors including Cisco and Canadian pension fund PSP Investments cc David Vellante David Linthicum John Furrier Ron Miller Shelly DeMotte Kramer Robert Hof

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The Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) tax incentive is one of Canada's most powerful tools for fostering tech innovation - enabling businesses to recoup up to 65% of their R&D salary costs. Here's the troubling reality though: While this program distributes ~$4B annually to 20,000 businesses, an unnecessary "SR&ED consulting industry" has emerged that extracts $400M-800M from these funds. Why? These consultants capitalize on companies' fears about complex paperwork, despite the fact that 94% of SR&ED applications are approved. They charge 10-20% of the tax credit simply to complete forms. Let that sink in: Nearly a billion dollars meant for Canadian innovation is instead diverted to middlemen who add minimal value. At Publicus, we're passionate about streamlining government processes through automation. While SR&ED reform isn't our current focus, we believe in raising awareness about the systemic, government-related inefficiencies that hold back Canadian tech companies. #CanadaTech #GovTech #Grants #Innovation

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Well RIP 🪦 my inbox from folks asking for the code we went through 😅 Check out our latest cookbook 👨‍🍳 to walk through safeguarding your workflows with Optimodel (https://lnkd.in/g8wchawU)

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The October Montreal.rb talk will be on how to "Tame Complex Queries with Database Views", given by David Cornu, a Staff Software Developer at Patch. Date/Time: Wednesday, October 2, 2024 at 7pm Location: Anticafe Montreal (294 Saint-Catherine St W, Montreal, Quebec, Canada) RSVP link: https://lnkd.in/er8Hz24N Description: PostgreSQL views are a useful tool to make query logic reusable and maintainable. This talk will cover their pros and cons, a couple of real-world use cases, and how to use them in Rails apps using the Scenic gem. Speaker: David is a staff software developer at Patch (a climate tech startup). He cracked open Why’s Poignant Guide to Ruby in 2009 and has been in and out of Rails apps since. #montrealrb #montreal #ruby #rails #talk #presentation #softwareengineering #softwaredevelopment #programming #community

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As the founder of tabii.cloud, I’ve learned a thing or two about staying laser-focused. 🎯 We’re all about one thing: providing private and secure SOCKS proxies for seamless access to the Canadian internet. 🇨🇦 In my previous startup gig, we tried to juggle too many balls at once. The result? Thrash—not the cool kind you find in skate parks, but the chaotic, work-sanity-draining kind. 🌀 The Power of Singular Purpose: Imagine a tightrope walker. Their entire existence hinges on that thin line. Similarly, when your startup zeroes in on a single product, it’s like finding your balance. 🎪 The Thrill of Mastery: Becoming the go-to in your niche is exhilarating. It’s not about being a jack-of-all-trades; it’s about being the ace. 🃏 Customer Love: When you pour heart and soul into one thing, your users feel it. They become loyal fans, spreading the word like confetti. 🎉 Peace Amid Chaos: Remember that startup chaos? Well, focus is your lifeboat. It keeps you afloat when the waves get wild. 🌊 So, embrace the Zen of Singularity and unleash a cascade of positive outcomes. 🙏 #StayFocused #TabiiCloud #StartupLife #TorontoTech

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✈️ We made it to Toronto (and Niagara Falls 😄) for Collision Conf! When your company’s CTO is also your husband AND you have a toddler in the mix, getting a startup off the ground has its challenges. But so does everything else in life. So does juggling any job, career or endeavor while also trying to balance family life. But we make it work. And it doesn’t hurt to have a strong support system that also wants to see you succeed. I am wholeheartedly thankful to my mom whom our son calls gama, who is not only our biggest champion, but is there every step of the way ensuring we can be where we need to be for PhrenTech. I often joke that I will be our mental health platform’s first user, because I’m going to need it 😅. “Do the hard things,” is what I keep reading. Well, here we are, doing the hard things. And fitting in some beautiful memories along the way. Looking forward to all the meetups tonight for the kickoff party! 🎉 Any other founders out there trying to juggle family and business? What are some of your strategies to make it all work? #foundersjourney #startup #collisionconference #balancingact

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This is a final reminder for the October 2024 Montreal.rb Ruby Meetup, "Tame Complex Queries with Database Views", taking place tonight at 7pm at Anticafe, Montreal: https://lnkd.in/dXhQ6k2G Please remember to follow these instructions when you arrive at Anticafe by 7pm (294 Saint-Catherine St W, 3rd floor, Montreal, Quebec):  - Upon entry, please check in on Anticafe's computer in the 2nd floor (free coffee and snacks are available in the 2nd floor).  - After checking in, please head to the 3rd floor to attend the Montreal.rb event  - When the talk ends (around 8pm), please leave immediately to the Networking Event location next door: NYKS Bar (1250 Rue de Bleury, Montréal, QC) - Upon leaving, please mention that you are with Andy to have your fee covered by Montreal.rb. The event is maxed out already, so if you haven't RSVP'd, you can RSVP for the next month's event instead, before the topic is chosen (if you are a Software Developer with 6 years of experience, you are welcome to present; just submit a title, description, and bio to get your talk booked): https://lnkd.in/d7RrRnQW See you all tonight! #ruby #montreal #meetup #talk #rails #db #sql #database #databaseviews

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When I first heard the term "Quality Engineer" getting popular a couple years ago, I was a bit skeptical. I know my Canadian friends do not like the term "engineer" for those of us in software development. And I'm hesitant to label anyone so that they sound like they're "in charge" of quality. I was persuaded to embrace the term by João Proença in his talk at ATD USA about it. And this post from Katja Obring also makes a great case for it. https://lnkd.in/eZP4XVKF I do think this is a big part of our future as testing specialists. (and hello, Alan Page and Brent Jensen, I like your "testing coach" term, and personally, I also like "testing consultant"). When I introduce myself, I still say I'm a tester by trade. And, I do think we need a term that conveys the huge contributions QEs/testing coaches/testing consultants/quality advocates make to their organizations. #HolisticTesting #AgileTesting

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We turned a skeptic into a full-fledged AI believer after closing a deal driven entirely by AI within just 30 days of launch. Two weeks ago, we went live with Zemlar Offices, Ontario's largest co-working operator with over 25 buildings. The Challenge: - High volume of inbound leads 24/7 - Leads coming from 10+ third-party sites - Limited capacity to respond quickly and convert effectively Waleed R. Javed, ZEMLAR Offices head of sales, knew there was money left on the table due to these challenges. But Zemlar was cautious about AI solutions after being burned before by a provider that couldn't handle their unique, complex workflows and that hallucinated too often. Fast forward two weeks: Our AI agent autonomously closed a sale for one of Zemlar's products. No human intervention. No phone calls. No 60-minute meetings. Just pure, efficient AI-driven sales. All in all, companies with genuine challenges are often the most open to trying new solutions. Past disappointments with AI can lead to caution, but also to greater appreciation when the right solution comes along. And in the next 6-12 months, most businesses will start to realize that AI Isn't replacing humans. It's augmenting their capabilities, handling routine tasks so the sales team can focus on high-value interactions. P.S. Are you still skeptical?

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“Who in the audience already thinks that AI is conscious?” I asked a Vancouver AI crowd last night. Check out the first 3 minutes of my presentation below. Full video on YouTube: https://lnkd.in/ge-dc3wa Thrilled to be able to have conversations about consciousness in AI. Thanks to Kris Krüg for the opportunity! #ConsciousAI #YouAreConscious #VancouverAI

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Navigating Sales Growth in Vancouver’s Tech Industry – A Case Study The tech ecosystem in Vancouver is thriving, but I often see startups struggling to build a scalable sales process. Recently, I worked with a local SaaS company (8 employees) to revamp their B2B sales program. By focusing on understanding their ideal clients and creating a customized lead generation strategy, they saw a 30% increase in qualified leads in just 3 months! The key takeaway? Knowing your market and having a clear sales process is essential for staying competitive in Vancouver’s tech space. If you’re a Vancouver startup or new software/tech company looking to scale, let’s discuss how you can improve your sales strategy. Send me an email so we can select the best date and time for our first 15min call... [email protected] #VanTech #BCStartups #VancouverTech #SaaS #SalesConsulting

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A customer with a team of several dozen developers mentioned they are not satisfied with the current development speed and are struggling to find good hires despite job postings. This is a common issue that remains unresolved for many. While outsourcing to freelancers or external partners is an option, they prefer full-time employees to avoid wasted training costs. In this context, they subscribed to GitAuto, seeing it as a potential interim solution with its AI coding agent capabilities.

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WAIT Are you telling me that now Shopify is using LLM's to make more simple the generation of GraphQL queries?? 😮 .dev Assistant gotta be one of the best features for developers from Shopify, you don't know how complicated it can be for someone to jump into GraphQL without previous knowledge (and the docs are not so easy to read for the beginners). This definitely will push a lot of new features and developments within stores! 🙌 🙌 🙌 This is an amazing way, and a very useful one too, of using LLM's instead of just adding a chat helper to your favorite instant messaging app 😅 Check a demo video from Shopify here! https://lnkd.in/eQcbUg2D #Shopify #ShopifyPlus #GraphQL #Storefront #APIs #LLM #FrontEnd #Learning #Lifehacks

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Come learn more about AI, how to prepare, and the critical elements needed to start this journey. #SmartMTX

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By popular demand, I'm sharing the list of all tech events in Toronto for May here 👇 https://lnkd.in/eQc5yhjY Whether you're looking to learn from the best founders in the city, getting introduced to your next lead investor, hoping to land that next tech role, or just hang out with some of the coolest people changing the world, with over 130+ tech events on the list, there's bound to be something for you! My recommendations for events coming up? 1. Start with Toronto Tech Fest's exclusive Opening Gala experience (formal wear, food, drink, speakers, and secret passwords 🤫) 90% of all tickets sold, grab the last ones before they're gone! https://lu.ma/TTFGALA 2. Come see what people in the city are building at Demos Only! with Google. If you think you have the chops, sign up to demo what you're building yourself! https://lu.ma/qkmyfpyp 3. 6 of the top female founders will be battling it out at the Woman Founder Pitch Battle at the 6six. Signups are still live and pitching slots are open for women founders currently building their businesses. https://lu.ma/he8edd0d 4. Close out the week with a 1000+ person Founder Rooftop Mixer Party at Lavelle. This is shaping up to be the biggest startup gathering of the season, with an opportunity to meet, mingle, and learn with top founders, investors, operators, and business executives from across the tech space. https://lu.ma/b7jlqx2w If the list was helpful, please consider dropping me a like 👍 and helping to repost 🪃! Mell Truong Frank Chen Eric Lay Parry Chan Arda Erturk Victor Ou Oliver Xin ✨ Interested in more events in May? Check out lu.ma/torontotechfest for a whole month of amazing May tech events in Toronto! 👉 Got questions on the hottest tech events? Chat with us and stay in the know: lnkd.in/gNiWyJXv 📣 Want a list of all the tech events happening this month in Toronto? Click below 👇

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3 things I wish someone told me about software delivery. 1. It has nothing to with Canada Post. Or any other postal service. 2. Releasing software generally doesn't feel anything like that scene in Free Willy of the killer whale leaping out of the water over the storm barrier. 3. Developing and delivering software is really hard - so I'm still not sure why it's called "software" and not "hardware". [photo: Blacks Rapids lock, Rideau River, Ottawa] — I'm Russell 🐿️. A long time engineer discovering new life as a first-time solopreneur. #devops #continuousdelivery #softwaredevelopment #testdrivendevelopment #platformengineering

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🌟 Celebrating a Milestone: Shopify App Development with Stripe Connect & Microservices Excited to share a recent milestone - completing a Shopify app development project! This project involved managing orders, leveraging Stripe Connect for payouts, integrating Shopify GraphQL, and implementing a microservice architecture. 💻💳 1. Project Overview: Streamlining order management for Shopify merchants with Stripe Connect, Shopify GraphQL, and a microservices approach. 2. Challenges & Solutions: Overcoming challenges in payment flows, GraphQL optimization, and microservices orchestration resulted in a high-performing application. 3. Key Learnings: Insights gained in payment gateway integrations, GraphQL efficiency, and microservices architecture contributed to professional growth. 4. Team Collaboration: Collaborative efforts with skilled team members were instrumental in achieving project success. 5. Impact & Results: Positive outcomes include improved order processing, streamlined payouts, and enhanced scalability. 6. Gratitude: Grateful for the opportunity, team support, and continuous learning in backend development. Here's to celebrating achievements and embracing new challenges in backend development! 🚀💼 #ShopifyDevelopment #StripeConnect #Microservices #BackendDevelopment #GraphQL #EcommerceApps #TechAchievements #ProjectManagement #DeveloperLife #TechInnovation

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Not many people know the story of "why" Zenhub exists...so here it goes👇 Back in 2014, the team that would come to be "Zenhub" was a scrappy group of devs and PMs working at a product studio up in Vancouver. When clients are paying you to do work, they (rightfully so) want to understand where that work is at and “when is this going to be done?” The problem was that we could never answer that question… No matter what project management solution we tried (and believe me, we tried them all), we kept coming back to the same core problem. Context switching... Ie. our devs always felt like they were being forced away from where they were working from (ie. GitHub) in order to update our PM tools. So they didn't update them. Needless to say, this wasn't leading to a productive relationship with our clients. So our devs got together on a weekend to try and fix the problem. What they hacked together was a simple Chrome extension to bring a Trello-esque "task board" into GitHub. And as they say, the rest was history. Well, not really, but we’ll save that story for another set of posts… Reducing context switching has been core to our mission from day one. But while GitHub was the home for teams back in 2014, that's changed. Today that home is Slack. While I know people have a lot of mixed feelings about Slack, it has (for better or worse) become where “work” happens in most modern organizations. That’s why today, we’re announcing early access for an entirely new Slack integration that’s going to be a game-changer for how teams use Zenhub. While platforms evolve, that idea of “reducing context switching” has remained a constant, and we’re excited to double down on that mission with Slack. With this new integration teams will be able to create, plan, and track work in Zenhub all without having to leave a Slack channel. If you want to get hands on with what we’re building and join our early access program, check out the link in the comments below. #slack #github #developers #agile #scrum #projectmanagement #devex

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