The BetaKit Podcast Channel

"Verticalized AI applications right now are available, right now accelerating industry after industry." Canadian tech luminaries close the year discussing AI disruption, the state of SaaS, and what marketing should be saved for the DMs in this compilation of interviews recorded live at SAAS NORTH. Featuring Reid Robinson (Zapier), Joella Almeida (MedEssist), Solon Angel (Fresh Founders), Sarah Stockdale (Growclass), Danielle Gifford (Movement51), Patrick White (L-SPARK). Sponsored by Float (Finance on auto-pilot) and Ada (a full customer service team, powered by AI).

"If you're pension-backed you gotta deliver returns, buddy." OMERS Ventures senior managing partner Michael Yang recounts a turbulent year for the pension-backed VC firm, and what the future holds for "OV 3.0". Sponsored by Cisco Secure Firewall and Ada: a full customer service team, powered by AI.

"Capital efficiency is actually really sexy." Satish Kanwar (Good Future) and Katy Yam (Real Ventures) join for a special episode recorded live on the BetaKit Keynote Stage at SAAS NORTH, discussing the different paths available for Canadian entrepreneurs, and why 100,000 fewer are choosing to walk them compared to 20 years ago. Sponsored by Sponsored by Float (Finance on auto-pilot) and Cisco Secure Firewall.

"We all have to thank Elon Musk for all that amazing innovation and disruption that's happening. Many changes that he has brought to X are now driving that interesting innovation." Buffer Chief Product Officer Maria Thomas discusses how social media has changed over the company's 13-year history and how the company is building a headless ecommerce equivalent for posting 'content' on a fractured internet. Sponsored by Float (Finance on auto-pilot) and SAAS NORTH (use the code 'betakit25' to get your tickets).

"What happens when the technologists decide what they do is more important than the government and they don't want to play by those rules? Rob and Douglas hold a post-mortem on the fever dream that was financial innovation and competition in Canada before discussing what Minister Freeland's recent announcements signal about the government's intentions. Your interlocutors then unpack Marc Andreessen's Techno-Optimist Manifesto, its approach and intentions, and how it stands in direct contrast with US President Biden's recent AI executive order. Sponsored by Float (Finance on auto-pilot) and SAAS NORTH (use the code 'betakit25' to get your tickets).

“When you’re a FinTech you’re a second-class citizen when it comes to accessing infrastructure, and so you’re spending a lot of time trying to innovate on table stakes, which takes away from the actual innovation that you want to offer.” Wealthsimple VP and chief compliance officer Hanna Zaidi joins for a wide-ranging conversation on what's impeding financial services modernization, and what Canadians are missing because of it. Sponsored by Float (Finance on auto-pilot) and SAAS NORTH (use the code 'betakit25' to get your tickets).

“So many Canadian organizations today are sending their dollars, their economic capital, to AWS, to Azure, to Google. There really is no Canadian response to this today." Tenstorrent senior director of business development Eric Duffy explains why the company’s leadership pedigree and open standard tech have attracted interest from Korean auto manufacturers and consumer electronic companies alike, before discussing the opportunities and gaps before Canadian hardware companies competing with Apple, NVIDIA, and Intel. Recorded live at ALL IN 2023 in Montréal. Sponsored by Float (Finance on auto-pilot) and SAAS NORTH (use the code 'betakit25' to get your tickets).

"So there are good things about the state of the market today compared to where we were in the 2000s. There are things that are not as good, and then you have fundamental issues that occurred in the aftermath of the dotcom era that never got solved." Investor and Canadian tech archeologist Matt Roberts (CMD Capital) discusses his journey to investigate the last 20-plus years of venture capital in Canada, what he learned, and which parts of our past continue to rhyme. Sponsored by Dynabook—make smart business moves with Dynabook Tecra A40 & A50 laptops—and Cisco Secure Firewall.

"I profoundly believe that open source is the way forward for AI so that we avoid this monopoly of power."   Hugging Face Climate Lead + AI Researcher Dr. Sasha Luccioni discusses the need to make AI "less bad for the planet," how tracking carbon impacts and sharing data can help, and how the company she works for is trying to be the GitHub for AI. Recorded live at ALL IN 2023 in Montréal.   Sponsored by Big Data & AI Toronto and Cisco Secure Firewall.

"We don’t need more referees in Canada. We need more builders. Let other countries regulate while we take the more courageous path."   A COVID isolation emergency podcast, Rob and Douglas catch up on the latest tech news, which—surprise!—is AI-focused. Featuring: hot takes on the latest AI lawsuits, new uses to help combat climate change and the just-announced Voluntary Code of Conduct for generative AI (the one that Shopify's CEO said he would not support). We also gripe about the price of the new iPhones.   Sponsored by Big Data and AI Toronto, Oct 18 & 19. Get your tickets today!