The BetaKit Podcast Channel

“There was kind of an ‘aha’ moment last May. And it triggered a conversation that I believe was really frank on both sides.” CVCA CEO Kim Furlong joins to discuss the comments she made in May about the future of VCCI, the potential renewal of that program, selling its value to policymakers, and what Canadian venture will look like in 2023. Sponsored by AWS.

“If this is the environment we’re in today, what should we do?” Aleeza Hashmi (Bessemer), Michelle Yu (Georgian), and Laura Lenz (OMERS) join BetaKit senior editor Meagan Simpson for a conversation about why the beginning of 2023 will be just as hard for startups to fundraise in. Recorded live at SAAS NORTH on the BetaKit Keynote Stage. Sponsored by Caravel Law.

"If we take a look at some of the salaries we were seeing, it was probably four engineers and our entire round was gone." Eva Lau (Two Small Fish), Shawn Hewat (Wavy), and Kathleen Chan (Calico) discuss what it was like to raise a seed round in 2021 and what changed in 2022 so founders are ready for 2023. Recorded live at SAAS NORTH on the BetaKit Keynote Stage. Sponsored by Caravel Law.

"There was a bit of ego raising." "I think it has been a disaster." "I read BetaKit for the truth." Canadian tech luminaries try to make sense of a crazy year in this compilation of interviews recorded live at SAAS NORTH. Featuring: Laura Lenz (OMERS Ventures), Leo Lax (L-SPARK), Louis Têtu (Coveo), Ria Bhavnani (Shopify), Peter Housley (Unbounce), Natalie Archibald (Clio), and Sean Silcoff (Globe & Mail). Sponsored by Caravel Law.

"Are we willing to let companies die in Canadian tech?" "Yes." VC Matt Roberts joins for a special episode of the BetaKit Podcast recorded live at SAAS NORTH, answering attendee and speaker questions about the impacts of the current tech downturn, the FTX clustercuss, and Canada's next BlackBerry. Sponsored by Caravel Law.

"If any AI startup comes to you and says, 'we found how to evaluate truth,' you should hold a reasonable doubt. I don't think we're close to this." Ex-Googler and former Element AI co-founder Philippe Beaudoin joins to explain why the internet is broken and pitch his new company, Waverly, which hopes to fix it. We hold his feet to the fire. Sponsored by Caravel Law.

"If Canadian VCs weren't allowed to talk to journalists anonymously, they would never say anything." The BetaKit Podcast's monthly AMA episode answers listener questions about what the future holds for Shopify, Wealthsimple, venture funding, and tech in the 2020s.

"One of the things that's funniest in tech is the complete and utter lack of self-awareness." Comedian and podcaster Alexis Gay joins to share her transition from working in tech to creating content that perfectly articulates the absurdities of working in tech. Sponsored by HardTech, Canada’s biggest hardware event, taking place November 9th.

"I think it's hard to beat the optimist out of a VC." The Globe and Mail's Sean Silcoff joins to discuss whether or not the Canadian tech boom is fizzling out. Public policy expert Vass Bednar joins to discuss which Canadian companies are quietly adopting and emulating big-tech strategies to their benefit. Sponsored by HardTech, Canada’s biggest hardware event, taking place November 9th.

"There's a direct relationship between the mental health of the entrepreneur and the performance of the company." Econa founder Dr. Michael Freeman returns to discuss how the current tech winter is impacting founder mental health, and how that is impacting company performance. Sponsored by GSoft and SAAS NORTH.