Latest news with #CanadianTech
CTV News
4 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
New Canadian app Gander wants to bring ‘the social back to social media'
Five Canadian tech entrepreneurs are hoping that what's good for the goose is good for Gander, the name of a new social media platform they are developing specifically for Canadian users. Ben Waldman, founder and CEO, enlisted the help of four co-founders to develop Gander, a social media app for Canadians to share stories freely without facing divisive content, disinformation, and trolls on the internet. 'Just because Canada doesn't have a social media platform, doesn't mean we shouldn't,' Waldman told BNN Bloomberg in a Tuesday interview. 'I think this is the time we can do it.' The social media site will feature prompts to write posts and upload videos enabling users to tailor their feed to the types of content they enjoy. Users will then be able to toggle their content to large, public domains or strictly to a Canada-only network should they choose. 'One of the big focuses for us is bringing the social back to social media,' said Waldman. 'I love creators. I love, like many people, to flip through TikToks and just consume content and on other platforms, but I think there's a certain overwhelming percentage of people that aren't using social media to socialize anymore.' The app is expected to launch in October as an alternative to U.S. tech companies Meta and X, formerly Twitter. Consumers will be able to take a gander through the app and view their friends' stories and content they value rather than what an algorithm provides. The goal is to encourage people to interact with each other more frequently. 'The idea is to start these small pods of communities across Canada where those people will be able to invite their friends or invite their colleagues, so that ultimately, we're creating this network of people again, that all know each other,' said Waldman. He says users on the app will be verified to ensure they are human, not a bot, and must be of age to use it. They will have the right to post content based off the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms as long as it is not considered hate speech. Explicit content will be labeled to users so they can decide whether they want to engage. There will also be tools to identify disinformation and bias in articles. 'We want to integrate these kinds of features in to start bringing Canadians and people generally back together again, because we used to be able to have conversations across the table, even if they were contentious, without being so divided with so much risk to our democracy,' said Waldman. He said users will be able to consume content the way they want whether it features a hockey team, band or posts from their mother, for example. It will be catered to their preference as well, allowing them to enjoy videos more or written content if they choose. 'The feed becomes under your control, and you get to consume it the way you want to,' said Waldman. 'Do you like to consume text content? Kind of like Twitter? Go for it. That's if that's your jam. Do it. If your preference is to swipe videos, then choose to do that, all while making sure that what you want to see is in front of you based on your decisions, not ours.'
CTV News
5 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Canadian tech execs say building up ecosystem means resisting allure of U.S., acquisition
TORONTO — A trio of the biggest names in tech say they resisted the allure of the U.S. and businesses that saw them as a takeover target and hope the next generation of Canadian entrepreneurs will do the same. Shopify Inc. president Harley Finkelstein, Cohere co-founder Aidan Gomez and Wealthsimple CEO Michael Katchen feel the future of the country's tech ecosystem is dependent on entrepreneurs building in Canada. In charting their rise, they faced plenty of temptation to flee the country or give in to businesses that wanted to buy their firms. Years ago, Gomez says Cohere was facing a nine-figure acquisition offer it ultimately turned down. He now feels any exit from the Canadian market would be a failure and coaches entrepreneurs who write to him not to incorporate in the U.S. Finkelstein says Shopify felt similar pressure, when it was raising a Series A and some investors made their funding conditional on a move south of the border. He says Shopify refused and eventually found an investor group that didn't care where the company was based. Their remarks came at the inaugural Toronto Tech Week, which will span more than 300 events uniting the country's entrepreneurs this week. Tara Deschamps, The Canadian Press
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Tech execs say building up tech ecosystem means resisting allure of U.S., acquisition
TORONTO — A trio of the biggest names in tech say they resisted the allure of the U.S. and businesses that saw them as a takeover target — and hope the next generation of Canadian entrepreneurs will do the same. Shopify Inc. president Harley Finkelstein, Cohere co-founder Aidan Gomez and Wealthsimple CEO Michael Katchen feel the future of the country's tech ecosystem is dependent on entrepreneurs building in Canada. In charting their rise, they faced plenty of temptation to flee the country or give in to businesses that wanted to buy their firms. Years ago, Gomez says Cohere was facing a nine-figure acquisition offer it ultimately turned down. He now feels any exit from the Canadian market would be a failure and coaches entrepreneurs who write to him not to incorporate in the U.S. Finkelstein says Shopify felt similar pressure, when it was raising a Series A and some investors made their funding conditional on a move south of the border. He says Shopify refused and eventually found an investor group that didn't care where the company was based. Their remarks came at the inaugural Toronto Tech Week, which will span more than 300 events uniting the country's entrepreneurs this week. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 24, 2025. Companies in this story: (TSX:SHOP) Tara Deschamps, The Canadian Press Sign in to access your portfolio
National Post
17-06-2025
- Business
- National Post
AXL Launches Venture Studio with $15M to Build 50 AI Companies, Fuelling Canada's Global Leadership in AI Research-to-Commercialization
Article content TORONTO — Today, AXL, a new Canadian venture studio transforming world-class AI research into high-growth companies, has launched with a plan to build 50 AI-powered companies over the next five years to fuel Canada's research-to-commercialization pipeline. This is enabled by an oversubscribed first closing of its venture fund of $15 million CAD. With this, AXL will form and scale homegrown innovation — and keep it here. Article content Daniel Wigdor, one of Canada's top innovators and AXL's Co-Founder and CEO, is reinvesting back into the Canadian tech ecosystem as the fund's lead investor, following the sale of his previous company, Chatham Labs, to Meta, where he served as the founding director of their Toronto research centre. Article content Article content AXL is also backed by a coalition of successful Canadian entities and strategic industry investors rallying around the future of AI in Canada, including David Martin, Founder of Smart Technologies; Gord Kurtenbach, former Head of Autodesk Research; Joshua Greer, Founder of Real-D; Frank Mersch, Chief Investment Officer and Senior Portfolio Manager of Front Street Capital; Rob McEwen, Chairman and Chief Owner of McEwen Mining; and many of Canada's leading professors in applied AI. Article content As the global AI race heats up, Canada faces mounting pressure to retain its intellectual property and top talent to secure its leadership. Over the past decade, American firms have acquired 70 Canadian AI companies and counting, while Silicon Valley firms have opened large local offices, resulting in the loss of valuable intellectual property and potential upside. According to a study by Element AI in 2018, Canada experienced a net talent outflow, underscoring the challenge of retaining its top AI minds. Article content 'Canada has a long history of pioneering breakthroughs, including AI, yet we've repeatedly failed to capture the value of our own innovations as our talent and biggest ideas scale somewhere else,' said Daniel Wigdor, Co-Founder and CEO of AXL. 'We're here to change that by connecting Canada's AI excellence with real market needs and the full-stack support that founders need to win globally.' Article content Where research becomes scalable ventures Article content Founded by a team of seasoned tech entrepreneurs and executives — Daniel Wigdor, Tovi Grossman, David Sharma, and Ray Sharma — AXL combines decades of experience scaling companies worldwide in a mission to bridge cutting-edge research with commercial success. Article content AXL's proprietary venture studio model integrates access to AI research from the University of Toronto with market insights from Canada's top businesses through its AI Catalyst program. In this corporate partnership initiative, leading Canadian companies like Dillon Consulting partner with AXL to investigate how AI could reshape their businesses, often becoming the first customer and strategic investor in resulting ventures. Article content This blend creates an environment where ventures are rooted in validated industry demand, supported by a full-stack team that manages everything from prototype and application development to legal, finance, sales, and growth strategies. Article content 'Our corporate partnerships are the engine that transforms lab breakthroughs into ventures with real-world traction,' said David Sharma, Chief Growth Officer at AXL. 'By collaborating directly with Canada's private sector, we ensure that innovation is guided by genuine industry needs and positioned for rapid adoption. This approach closes a critical gap in Canada's innovation system, turning bright ideas into scalable solutions that deliver long-term value for our partners and the broader economy.' Article content Seeing beyond the horizon Article content NVIDIA's Jensen Huang has called Canada the 'Epicentre of Modern AI,' but what's lesser known is Canada's leadership in applied computing, the field that converts foundational research into practical tools. Applied computing bridges the gap between advanced technology and everyday life, making advanced technology more accessible to all. Article content 'The transformative power of AI will come from impactful, practical applications, not just large models or infrastructure,' said Wigdor. 'Focusing solely on building bigger models risks missing the real opportunities in creating tools that genuinely empower people and open new possibilities in our daily lives.' Article content Canada's 'AI moment' is here. It's a once-in-a-generation opportunity to fundamentally shift the balance of power in the tech industry. While the rest of the world rushes to commoditize infrastructure, AXL can see past that horizon by investing in the application layer, well beyond what Silicon Valley is currently betting on. Article content 'If we do this right, we won't be saying things like 'Toronto is the Silicon Valley of Ontario.' Two decades from now, San Francisco will be trying to brand itself the 'Toronto of California,'' added Wigdor. Article content Canada's path to a self-sustaining, world-leading AI ecosystem Article content AXL is committed to nurturing a new generation of founders by providing capital, mentorship, operations, and the infrastructure necessary to turn ideas into impactful ventures, with the broader mission of creating a thriving, self-sustaining AI ecosystem that retains talent, intellectual property, and economic prosperity within Canada. Article content 'We believe that Canadian entrepreneurs deserve the opportunity to build and scale world-class AI-powered companies here at home,' added Wigdor. 'With AXL, we're creating the infrastructure and community needed to transform innovation into lasting impact.' Article content To learn more about how AXL is fuelling Canada's AI research to commercialization pipeline, visit their website at ABOUT AXL AXL is a Canadian venture studio transforming world-class research into high-growth companies that shape the future of applied AI. Led by seasoned tech entrepreneurs and applied AI experts, AXL's mission is to ensure Canada's top breakthroughs are built and scaled at home. By connecting academia with real market demand and full-stack venture creation, AXL helps Canada move from invention to impact, anchoring talent, intellectual property, and long-term economic value within the country. Article content Article content Article content Article content Contacts Article content Article content Article content
