Latest news with #DanielWigdor
National Post
a day ago
- Business
- National Post
AXL teams with RSM Canada to build AI solutions for Canada's future
Article content TORONTO — AXL, a Canadian venture studio transforming world-class applied AI research into high-growth companies, and RSM Canada LLP ('RSM'), a leading global provider of assurance, tax and consulting services, have entered into a strategic collaboration. Together, the two organizations are driving innovation by challenging existing models and reimagining what's possible in professional services by integrating AI advancements with real-world business needs. Article content As part of the collaboration, RSM will serve as the exclusive provider of accounting, tax and consulting services to AXL, offering strategic guidance, compliance expertise, and growth planning support. Additionally, RSM will act as a preferred provider of these services to AXL's portfolio of startup companies. Article content RSM is also one of several leading Canadian organizations participating in AXL's AI Catalyst program, a corporate partnership initiative designed to validate and accelerate breakthrough ideas driven by real industry demand. The goal is to fast-track the commercialization of high-potential AI applications and ensure Canadian innovations are built into the country's economic future, rather than being exported before they scale. Article content 'Canada doesn't have an innovation gap, it has a commercialization gap,' says Dr. Daniel Wigdor, co-founder and CEO of AXL. 'With RSM, we're taking demand signals from the market and moving fast to turn that into scalable, enterprise-ready solutions. This is execution over hype. This is how Canada leads—not just in ideas, but in outcomes.' Article content Canada leads in AI academic research but struggles to retain its economic benefits, as much of its advancements are commercialized internationally. Article content Fewer than 20 per cent of mid-sized Canadian companies have begun adopting AI, according to the OECD, citing barriers such as limited technical talent, high costs and an uncertain return on investment. These findings are echoed in RSM's 2025 Middle Market AI Survey, which highlights similar challenges and underscores the need for practical, scalable AI solutions tailored to the middle market. Article content Meanwhile, nearly 75 per cent of AI patents from Canada's top institutes are acquired by international tech firms, with only 7 per cent remaining in the country. The United Nations also estimates that fewer than half of Canada's top AI innovations are ever patented, highlighting a critical disconnect between invention and impact. Article content By integrating real-time industry feedback, the AXL-RSM collaboration advances Canadian AI venture growth, commercialization and talent development, ensuring solutions scale domestically and drive lasting economic impact. Article content 'We're seeing incredible momentum around AI and the value it can unlock,' said Harry Blum, national managing partner at RSM Canada. 'With AXL as a strategic collaborator, we're accelerating innovation—helping businesses move beyond legacy models and positioning them to grow, compete and thrive in a future-ready economy, while embedding AI across our own solution sets.' Article content The relationship represents a direct commitment to Canada's AI ecosystem, powering homegrown innovation while reinforcing a shared commitment to helping Canadian businesses lead in the digital economy. RSM recently committed US$1 billion globally to AI, with a focus on helping middle market businesses adopt AI, especially those ready to innovate but lacking scale or resources. This initiative by RSM further aligns with AXL's vision of positioning Canada as a global leader in applied AI by bridging the gap between research and commercialization. Article content Together, AXL and RSM aim to unlock the next wave of AI-driven economic growth, bringing AI solutions that empower Canadian businesses and proving the benefit of AI not just in theory but in practice. Article content To learn more about how AXL is fuelling Canada's AI research-to-commercialization pipeline, visit their website at Article content About AXL Article content 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. For more information, visit and connect with us on Article content About RSM Canada Article content RSM empowers middle market companies worldwide to take charge of change. The clients we serve are the engine of global commerce and economic growth. Our unique middle market perspective makes RSM the natural choice for growth-oriented, internationally active organizations seeking relevant insights and tailored, innovative solutions for a complex and changing world. With a global reach spanning more than 120 countries, we instill confidence in a world of change by bringing the full power of RSM to make a lasting impact on our clients, colleagues and communities. Article content RSM Canada LLP provides public accounting services and is the Canadian member firm of RSM International, a global network of independent assurance, tax and consulting firms. RSM Canada Consulting LP provides consulting services and is an affiliate of RSM US LLP, a member firm of RSM International. For more information visit like us on Facebook, follow us on X and/or connect with us on LinkedIn. Article content Article content Article content Article content Contacts Article content For media inquiries: Article content Article content Article content Article content
CTV News
10-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
University of Toronto professor launches venture studio to build 50 AI companies
Daniel Wigdor, CEO and Co-Founder of AXL and a computer science professor at the University of Toronto, joins BNN Bloomberg to discuss fast-tracking AI commercialization in Canada. A Toronto university professor aims to make the city a global technology leader by launching 50 artificial intelligence (AI) companies to ensure Canada benefits economically from its own research while retaining talent at home. 'Right now, in Canada, 75 per cent of the patents that get filed in the AI space go to global tech giants,' Daniel Wigdor, computer science professor at the University of Toronto and co-founder and CEO of Axl, told BNN Bloomberg Thursday. 'Of the remaining 25, only seven per cent stay here in Canada. But we lead the world in this technology and AI applied technology as well. And despite that fact, we're doing all this great research here, but it's not making its way into Canadian innovation and Canadian corporations.' According to the Canadian Press, about three-quarters of AI patents produced by researchers in Canada leave the country, and most end upin the hands of Big Tech. Wigdor has founded several companies applying technologies to create products, employing hundreds of people across North America and raising over $100 million in revenue and funding, according to Axl's website. In 2020, he sold Chatham Labs to Facebook and became the founding director of Meta's Reality Labs in Toronto. He holds 60 patents. Through Axl, a Toronto-based venture studio, Wigdor aims to build 50 AI-powered companies within the next five years to fuel Canada's research-to-commercialization pipeline. 'What we're looking to do is create the right opportunities and talent networks here in Canada, so that we can pick up those results and begin to commercialize it here,' said Wigdor. Axl is located at the Schwartz-Reisman Innovation Campus at the University of Toronto, co-located with the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence and the University of Toronto's Computer Science Department and startup accelerators. The studio assists clients by identifying business problems they may have and applying new and existing AI while using academic research rather than working to build innovative AI servers from scratch. They work to automate tasks and functions for a company to partner on future projects together. 'We have many partners established already, and we're excited to announce them over time,' said Wigdor. 'There's the foundational technologies of large language models and the servers and things that people are throwing billions and billions of dollars at right now, but all the real money in any platform is always made through the applications that get built over top of it. And that's the space that we're looking to operate. And so the partners that we're looking for are those companies that have problems that they themselves don't know could be solved with these amazing technologies.' Axl recently closed on a $15 million venture fund. They are currently working with Dentons and Dillion Consulting Limited. 'We partner with great, innovative companies,' said Wigdor. 'We've announced, for example, our partnership with Dentons, which is Canada's global law firm. Through that partnership, we go deep with our corporate partners. We study their business over the course of several weeks and months, we gain a deep understanding of all the opportunities that exist.' 'In the Dentons' case, within the firm themselves, for things they would be a customer of, but then also for Dentons' clients, what are the opportunities and problems that they're having that we could solve with AI that other people don't know could be solved that way? And so, what that means is, before we found one of our companies, we already have a validated problem, a first customer and a strategic investor.'
National Post
25-06-2025
- Business
- National Post
AXL and Dentons Announce Strategic Partnership to Advance Legal Innovation with AI
Article content TORONTO — Today, AXL, a Canadian venture studio transforming AI research into high-growth companies, and Dentons, Canada's Global Law Firm, have announced a strategic partnership to shape the legal industry's next evolution with AI. Article content Together, Dentons and AXL will co-develop ventures that will accelerate the pace of innovation across the legal field and bring outdated workflows, pricing, access, and indeed, the very definition of legal services, into the future. Dentons also becomes the exclusive legal partner to AXL and the preferred provider to its growing portfolio of ventures, bringing legal insight into the early stages of AI innovation and commercialization. Article content 'This partnership reflects our ongoing commitment to staying at the forefront of legal innovation and AI,' said Tim Haney, CEO of Dentons Canada. 'By collaborating closely with AXL, we will unlock new models for how technology can enable us to provide exponential value to our clients through innovation.' Article content AXL is led by one of Canada's top innovators, Dr. Daniel Wigdor, who is fuelling Canada's AI research-to-commercialization pipeline with a mission to launch 50 AI-powered companies over the next five years. Its proprietary model merges cutting-edge AI research from the University of Toronto with real-world industry insight through its AI Catalyst program, a corporate partnership initiative designed to validate and accelerate breakthrough ideas. Article content 'We're proud to partner with Dentons, a firm with global scale, legal sophistication, and a strategic AI roadmap that's moving legal innovation forward,' said Dr. Daniel Wigdor, Co-Founder and CEO of AXL. 'Together, we're launching companies that will define what practical and scalable AI applications will look like in practice.' Article content Dentons joins a growing group of leading Canadian organizations collaborating with AXL in 'think tanks' to explore high-impact applications of AI that will drive efficiency in their industries. Beyond shaping the direction of new ventures, Dentons will be involved in bringing companies to market, ensuring each company is built on genuine market demand, atop deep customer insights, and is positioned for scale. Article content 'With AXL, we are not just offering legal services to startups – we are contributing to the formation of AI ventures from day one,' said Mike Hollinger, Partner and Toronto Leader of Dentons' Venture Technology and Emerging Growth Companies Group. 'Together, we are reimagining how legal services are delivered. This partnership puts Dentons and AXL at the center of that transformation.' Article content Through collaboration and visionary thinking, Dentons and AXL will co-create and deliver cutting-edge AI tools to drive innovation – from Canada, for the world. Article content 'The last time legal services fundamentally changed, it was because of a research lab,' added Dr. Wigdor. 'Lawyers modelled the modern law firm after Thomas Edison's lab — teams of associates supporting partners to boost output and value. Dentons and AXL are now picking up where that transformation left off, building the next wave of practical, scalable AI applications for law.' Article content To learn more about this strategic partnership, watch this video with Tim Haney and Daniel Wigdor at Dentons' North American AI Legal Summit. Daniel's keynote address can also be viewed here. Article content About Dentons Article content Dentons is Canada's Global Law Firm – capitalizing on expansive geographic reach and national strength to provide a tailored experience for clients, wherever they do business. We collaborate with our clients and incorporate our deep understanding of their priorities to achieve the best outcome, blending the creative with the practical. We are more than legal advisors, we are global problem-solvers. Article content Globally ranked in the Top 10 for venture and M&A deals (Pitchbook), Dentons' Venture Technology and Emerging Growth Companies Group has acquired a reputation as one of Canada's top legal advisors to growth-oriented technology companies. Access our Startup Resource Hub for legal insights and templates. Article content About AXL Article content 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 For Dentons media inquiries, contact: Article content Article content Magatte Diop Article content Article content Dentons Canada Article content Article content Article content Article content Rachael D'Amore Article content Article content Article content
Business Wire
25-06-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
AXL and Dentons Announce Strategic Partnership to Advance Legal Innovation with AI
TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, AXL, a Canadian venture studio transforming AI research into high-growth companies, and Dentons, Canada's Global Law Firm, have announced a strategic partnership to shape the legal industry's next evolution with AI. Together, Dentons and AXL will co-develop ventures that will accelerate the pace of innovation across the legal field and bring outdated workflows, pricing, access, and indeed, the very definition of legal services, into the future. Dentons also becomes the exclusive legal partner to AXL and the preferred provider to its growing portfolio of ventures, bringing legal insight into the early stages of AI innovation and commercialization. 'This partnership reflects our ongoing commitment to staying at the forefront of legal innovation and AI,' said Tim Haney, CEO of Dentons Canada. 'By collaborating closely with AXL, we will unlock new models for how technology can enable us to provide exponential value to our clients through innovation.' AXL is led by one of Canada's top innovators, Dr. Daniel Wigdor, who is fuelling Canada's AI research-to-commercialization pipeline with a mission to launch 50 AI-powered companies over the next five years. Its proprietary model merges cutting-edge AI research from the University of Toronto with real-world industry insight through its AI Catalyst program, a corporate partnership initiative designed to validate and accelerate breakthrough ideas. 'We're proud to partner with Dentons, a firm with global scale, legal sophistication, and a strategic AI roadmap that's moving legal innovation forward,' said Dr. Daniel Wigdor, Co-Founder and CEO of AXL. 'Together, we're launching companies that will define what practical and scalable AI applications will look like in practice.' Dentons joins a growing group of leading Canadian organizations collaborating with AXL in 'think tanks' to explore high-impact applications of AI that will drive efficiency in their industries. Beyond shaping the direction of new ventures, Dentons will be involved in bringing companies to market, ensuring each company is built on genuine market demand, atop deep customer insights, and is positioned for scale. 'With AXL, we are not just offering legal services to startups – we are contributing to the formation of AI ventures from day one,' said Mike Hollinger, Partner and Toronto Leader of Dentons' Venture Technology and Emerging Growth Companies Group. 'Together, we are reimagining how legal services are delivered. This partnership puts Dentons and AXL at the center of that transformation.' Through collaboration and visionary thinking, Dentons and AXL will co-create and deliver cutting-edge AI tools to drive innovation – from Canada, for the world. 'The last time legal services fundamentally changed, it was because of a research lab,' added Dr. Wigdor. 'Lawyers modelled the modern law firm after Thomas Edison's lab — teams of associates supporting partners to boost output and value. Dentons and AXL are now picking up where that transformation left off, building the next wave of practical, scalable AI applications for law.' To learn more about this strategic partnership, watch this video with Tim Haney and Daniel Wigdor at Dentons' North American AI Legal Summit. Daniel's keynote address can also be viewed here. To learn more about how AXL is fuelling Canada's AI research-to-commercialization pipeline, visit their website at About Dentons Dentons is Canada's Global Law Firm – capitalizing on expansive geographic reach and national strength to provide a tailored experience for clients, wherever they do business. We collaborate with our clients and incorporate our deep understanding of their priorities to achieve the best outcome, blending the creative with the practical. We are more than legal advisors, we are global problem-solvers. Globally ranked in the Top 10 for venture and M&A deals (Pitchbook), Dentons' Venture Technology and Emerging Growth Companies Group has acquired a reputation as one of Canada's top legal advisors to growth-oriented technology companies. Access our Startup Resource Hub for legal insights and templates. Redefining possibilities. Together, everywhere. For more information, visit 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.
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
AXL and Dentons Announce Strategic Partnership to Advance Legal Innovation with AI
TORONTO, June 25, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, AXL, a Canadian venture studio transforming AI research into high-growth companies, and Dentons, Canada's Global Law Firm, have announced a strategic partnership to shape the legal industry's next evolution with AI. Together, Dentons and AXL will co-develop ventures that will accelerate the pace of innovation across the legal field and bring outdated workflows, pricing, access, and indeed, the very definition of legal services, into the future. Dentons also becomes the exclusive legal partner to AXL and the preferred provider to its growing portfolio of ventures, bringing legal insight into the early stages of AI innovation and commercialization. "This partnership reflects our ongoing commitment to staying at the forefront of legal innovation and AI," said Tim Haney, CEO of Dentons Canada. "By collaborating closely with AXL, we will unlock new models for how technology can enable us to provide exponential value to our clients through innovation." AXL is led by one of Canada's top innovators, Dr. Daniel Wigdor, who is fuelling Canada's AI research-to-commercialization pipeline with a mission to launch 50 AI-powered companies over the next five years. Its proprietary model merges cutting-edge AI research from the University of Toronto with real-world industry insight through its AI Catalyst program, a corporate partnership initiative designed to validate and accelerate breakthrough ideas. "We're proud to partner with Dentons, a firm with global scale, legal sophistication, and a strategic AI roadmap that's moving legal innovation forward," said Dr. Daniel Wigdor, Co-Founder and CEO of AXL. "Together, we're launching companies that will define what practical and scalable AI applications will look like in practice." Dentons joins a growing group of leading Canadian organizations collaborating with AXL in "think tanks" to explore high-impact applications of AI that will drive efficiency in their industries. Beyond shaping the direction of new ventures, Dentons will be involved in bringing companies to market, ensuring each company is built on genuine market demand, atop deep customer insights, and is positioned for scale. "With AXL, we are not just offering legal services to startups – we are contributing to the formation of AI ventures from day one," said Mike Hollinger, Partner and Toronto Leader of Dentons' Venture Technology and Emerging Growth Companies Group. "Together, we are reimagining how legal services are delivered. This partnership puts Dentons and AXL at the center of that transformation." Through collaboration and visionary thinking, Dentons and AXL will co-create and deliver cutting-edge AI tools to drive innovation – from Canada, for the world. "The last time legal services fundamentally changed, it was because of a research lab," added Dr. Wigdor. "Lawyers modelled the modern law firm after Thomas Edison's lab — teams of associates supporting partners to boost output and value. Dentons and AXL are now picking up where that transformation left off, building the next wave of practical, scalable AI applications for law." To learn more about this strategic partnership, watch this video with Tim Haney and Daniel Wigdor at Dentons' North American AI Legal Summit. Daniel's keynote address can also be viewed here. To learn more about how AXL is fuelling Canada's AI research-to-commercialization pipeline, visit their website at About DentonsDentons is Canada's Global Law Firm – capitalizing on expansive geographic reach and national strength to provide a tailored experience for clients, wherever they do business. We collaborate with our clients and incorporate our deep understanding of their priorities to achieve the best outcome, blending the creative with the practical. We are more than legal advisors, we are global problem-solvers. Globally ranked in the Top 10 for venture and M&A deals (Pitchbook), Dentons' Venture Technology and Emerging Growth Companies Group has acquired a reputation as one of Canada's top legal advisors to growth-oriented technology companies. Access our Startup Resource Hub for legal insights and templates. Redefining possibilities. Together, everywhere. For more information, visit About AXLAXL 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. View source version on Contacts For Dentons media inquiries, contact: Magatte DiopDentons For AXL media inquiries, contact: Rachael D'AmoreCategory Communicationsrd@ Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
