Author: Mark Mann

The Short Report, February 12, 2020: Canada takes a step toward joining Horizon Europe; NSERC funding for basic research takes a dive; Google pursues rapid Canadian expansion

Published on February 12, 2020

Microsoft is partnering with Invest Ottawa and the Bayview Yards business accelerator to offer technical and business resources to entrepreneurs. Called Microsoft for Startups, the program gives innovative Ottawa companies access to its cloud services, enterprise sales team and partner ecosystem. – Ottawa Matters Canada Infrastructure Bank CEO Pierre Lavallée signalled the bank is considering an investment…

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Defence awards Patriot One Technologies $780,000 contract to secure its naval bases

Published on February 5, 2020

The Canadian surveillance firm was chosen by Innovation Solutions Canada (ISC) for the Department of Defence (DND) to roll out its multi-sensor platform at Canadian naval bases. Patriot One’s technology sidesteps concerns about AI for facial recognition by relying on other types of data.

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Short Report, February 5, 2020: Most Canadian boards still don’t include women; merit-based grants offer big economic returns; McMaster researchers establish a new form of computing

Published on February 5, 2020

A StatCan study of Canadian corporations in 2016/17 found that most of their boards didn’t include women: over 60% had no women members. The number of women on boards is growing, but very slowly, say experts. – BNN Bloomberg The University of British Columbia became the first Canadian post-secondary institution to join the Center for Open…

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Scaleup Q&A: Lightspeed CEO Dax Dasilva on building a growth culture through shared ownership

Published on January 29, 2020

We spoke with Lightspeed founder and CEO Dax Dasilva about why diversity is central to his company’s growth, when to take on external financing, and how he plans to accelerate his company’s global rise

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The Short Report, January 28, 2020: Late-stage growth investing; AI for the steel supply chain; quantum computing with lasers

Published on January 28, 2020

At the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, Innovation minister Navdeep Bains and Mastercard CEO Ajay Banga announced a joint investment to establish the new global Intelligence and Cyber Centre in Vancouver, B.C. MasterCard is investing $510 million, of which  $420 million is eligible under the Strategic Innovation Fund, while Ottawa is investing $49 million…

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Canada’s prosperity depends on immigration

Published on January 22, 2020

The downing of Flight 752 revealed — in the most devastating manner possible — a fundamental and poorly acknowledged truth about Canadian society: we would be a far, far less innovative and prosperous country without international students and immigrants.

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Scaleup Q&A: ApplyBoard co-founder Meti Basiri on achieving 12,525% revenue growth in three years

Published on January 22, 2020

For this month’s Scaleup Q&A, we spoke with Meti Basiri (CMO) about why they’re committed to Canada, what it takes to build a high-growth mission-oriented tech company, and why he doesn’t believe in bootstrapping.

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The Short Report, January 22, 2020: Ontario scholarship for Flight 752 victims; automation threat in Manitoba; superclusters unveil new projects

Published on January 22, 2020

The government of Ontario has created a scholarship fund to honour the 57 Canadians who died on Flight 752. The new fund will disburse scholarships of $10,000 to 57 students, one in memory of each victim. “Many of the victims were students and professors with bright futures, studying and teaching at Ontario universities and colleges, and…

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Opinion: Canada’s small cities and rural communities need more immigrants. Colleges and universities can help.

Published on January 15, 2020

International students provide immense benefits to Canadian schools and the communities that host them, especially when they remain past graduation. Most students choose higher-ed institutions in larger cities, but colleges and universities in smaller, rural and remote centres can do more to draw and retain foreign talent.

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By the Numbers: Higher education in Canada through a global lens

Published on January 15, 2020

Canada’s innovation ecosystem draws much of its strength from international students and immigrants. Here we look at some of the key figures and statistics underlying this vital trend. 

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