Latest news with #Marland
Business Insider
6 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
See the 8-slide pitch deck AI video calling platform Lyra used to raise a $6 million seed round from Y Combinator and 468 Capital
Lyra has raised $6 million to expand its AI-native video meeting platform. The San Francisco and New York-based startup lets customers turn sales calls into real-time whiteboards and keep all their conversations about a project in one place. The product was born when its 23-year-old founder, a marketing consultant, said he realized that go-to-market strategies are repetitive and manual. He thought they could be optimized with AI. "We basically just took a huge bet that everyone is wrong, all the AI note takers are wrong," said Courtne Marland, Lyra's cofounder and CEO. "Instead, you actually need to rebuild the conferencing platform itself because then you can control the entire screen." Once a meeting is scheduled in a virtual calendar, a link for a Lyra meeting is created, just like it is for existing meeting platforms. A team then has a call in which participants can collaborate on a screen share. Lyra's AI generates notes that can be shared after the meeting. The startup, which is now valued at $40 million, was part of Y Combinator's spring 2025 batch. From its November launch, the company's revenue climbed from $20,000 to $700,000 in six weeks. Marland said Lyra is now powering over 200 hours of calls per week and competes with Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams. The $6 million seed round was led by 468 Capital, with participation from Rebel Fund, Y Combinator, and executives from companies like Ramp, Gusto, and Zapier. The round is Lyra's second, following a small pre-seed round in November with contributions from three angel investors. Lyra's product is priced on a pay-per-minute basis. Packages start at $6,000, which gets users about 200,000 minutes. Pricing is customized after this amount, but gets cheaper with more minutes. With the cash injection, Maland wants to invest in the startup's infrastructure, which is under stress because of quick growth. "It's a mission-critical software, which means people don't ever rip it out of their business," he said. "So it needs to work 100%, all the time." Marland said that the company also wants to expand its go-to-market team by hiring engineers, product designers, and a head of growth. The company has a total of 5 employees, including the two cofounders. Check out the pitch deck Lyra used to secure the fresh funding.
CBC
16-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Lawn signs, local forums — how candidates communicate with voters
The federal election campaign is past the halfway point, with election day less than two weeks away. But while many voters will watch the party leaders' debates tonight and tomorrow, they will ultimately cast a ballot for a local candidate. While campaign lawn signs featuring candidates' names are in full bloom, local debates are few and far between this election. Are these long-standing practices still relevant in the social media age? "I'm a firm believer that election signs are doing a public service," said Alex Marland, a political scientist and professor at Acadia University. "When it comes to debates, that's a totally other affair." Fewer debates a common trend Only a few Edmonton-area ridings have debates or multi-candidate forums scheduled. My Radio 580 held a Punjabi-language radio debate on April 11, featuring three candidates from Edmonton Southeast — Conservative Jagsharan Singh Mahal, NDP candidate Harpreet Grewal and Liberal candidate (and current Edmonton mayor) Amarjeet Sohi. In St. Albert-Sturgeon River, all five candidates in that riding participated in an election forum on April 2. In the riding of Edmonton Centre, a debate organized by the Wîhkwêntôwin Community League is taking place Wednesday. All 10 candidates running in the riding were invited, and nine have confirmed attendance, with the exception of Conservative candidate Sayid Ahmed. Colten Bishop, the events manager for the community league, said the campaign told organizers that it was committed to door knocking and unable to attend. "And we respect their decision," he said. Based on the RSVPs for the free event, Bishop said they're expecting close to a capacity crowd of 200. That enthusiasm was also apparent in the responses from the campaigns that confirmed. "They were very quick to respond," said Bishop. "We've even had candidates that have had to shift their schedules around quite significantly so they could be a part of this." The diminishing importance of local debates of forums is a trend playing out beyond Alberta, according to Marland. Debates are "adversarial by nature," and candidates might be wary of getting ganged up on — particularly incumbents. "And in an age of social media and people having smartphones, the risk is very high of them saying something or a controversy emerging that is going to damage their prospects," said Marland. By contrast, he said the leaders' debates are a "focusing event — they are the time when most people start really paying attention to the campaign." A 'low cost' form of communication Election signs, however, are still a useful tool. At a minimum, they make sure that even people who might not follow the news are aware an election is taking place. John Pracejus, a marketing professor at the University of Alberta, said campaign signs can help increase awareness of a local candidate's name. They can also have a "bandwagon" effect — making it seem like a candidate is so popular, they must be worth considering voting for. Partisan signs can be a target of theft or vandalism during election campaigns. Nevertheless, Pracejus said they offer considerable value for money in terms of messaging. Outdoor signs "are actually a relatively low cost way of communicating simple messages, and I don't think that's changed," he said. "I think the impact of digital outlets and the digital platforms like Meta and Google have really largely been on radio, television, newspapers, magazines, things like that that really don't have a very big chunk of consumer attention anymore." Not only do physical signs avoid any algorithmic manipulation by social media platforms, they also cut through individualized silos of media consumption — one of the few mediums that can still do so in the digital age, noted Pracejus. Those polarized echo chambers are also Marland believes voters are not well served by adversarial local debates. "What should be happening at the local level is people should be talking about town halls, they should be talking about meet-the-candidate events — things not involving aggression [or] polarization, but instead, encourage meeting people and having good conversations."
CBC
10-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
MP or PM? What New Brunswickers will be thinking about at the ballot box
Social Sharing Fredericton resident Brady Green says when he thinks about how he will vote in the upcoming election, his local candidates are top of mind. "I think people should be voting for the person who matters more in their community — the person who's going to be doing more for … wherever they live," Green said. But not everyone feels that way. Preston Harper, who lives in Oromocto, said he doesn't care who is on the ballot locally — his priority is seeing the federal government switch hands. Barb Hammond Roy, who lives in Fredericton, wants the Liberals to stay in power, feels similarly about her local candidates and she thinks most others agree. "People do identify more with Carney than the local people," she said. Alex Marland, a political scientist at Acadia University, said that according to the research, the majority of Canadians will be thinking on a national level in a federal election campaign. Voters will be most likely thinking about party leaders, the parties themselves and possibly party-specific issues and policies, he said. WATCH | What some New Brunswickers say about voting local in a federal race: Does the name on the ballot really matter? 24 minutes ago Duration 2:00 Alex Marland, a Nova Scotia-based political scientist, says research shows voters tend to focus more on policies, the party and the party leader during a federal election. But there are some cases where a local candidate could make the difference. But in terms of local candidates, Marland said it really only makes a difference in close races. "The problem is, for political parties, they have no idea where the close races are," he said. "Some you can tell. So it doesn't make a lot of sense, you know, for the Conservatives, or frankly, for any party, to spend a lot of resources in Alberta, where a lot of people are going to vote Conservative. "But it does make sense to compete in New Brunswick, because ... election polling suggests that some of these seats could flip depending on the amount of local activity." However, people won't be thinking about their local candidates without being activated to do so, said Marland. If a local candidate is engaging with people — through lawn signs, donations, volunteering, door-knocking — that may motivate voters to start giving more thought to the candidate. In Atlantic Canada, Marland said people often have deep attachments to their communities because ridings aren't necessarily as densely-populated as they are in big cities. As a result, he said people may have more of a connection with their local candidates. "If you're in a big city, let's say Toronto, and you're in a coffee shop, you can look around the coffee shop, and at any given time, most of those people are not your constituents," said Marland. "On the other hand, if you were to go into a … community store in a rural area in Atlantic Canada, you're going to go in and you're going to know the person working behind the counter." And Marland said research shows that personal communication has far more of an impact than communication through "mass media or electronic means." Marland said it's not likely someone will shift their party allegiance in order to vote for a local candidate they like or know personally. "If local candidate factors really mattered, we would see far more Canadians being predisposed to voting independent," said Marland. "Because … even if you like the local candidate, if somebody is with a political party, they're still beholden to that party's kind of demands and restrictions on what they can do in terms of advocacy. "So you might like playing darts with somebody, but if they get elected with a party, they can't really represent you the same way an independent can."
CBC
08-04-2025
- Business
- CBC
Provincial budget to be tabled Wednesday amid tariff chaos, Liberal leadership race
Newfoundland and Labrador's provincial budget is generally among the biggest political events of the year, but a trade war, a Liberal leadership race and a federal election are casting a long shadow over this year's fiscal plan. The budget, which provincial Finance Minister Siobhan Coady will unveil on Wednesday, comes less than a month before Premier Andrew Furey will make his exit, and a new premier — either John Hogan or John Abbott — will take his place. Political scientist Alex Marland says the premier still has the chance to put his stamp on this year's budget. "He could put forward ideas that end up being legacy pieces for himself. But there's no question what he's probably unlikely to do is do anything that will really make things difficult for his successor," Marland said in an interview with CBC Radio's The St. John's Morning Show. The budget lands in the middle of a federal election, which itself is under the shadow of the ongoing trade war with the United States — and the possibility of an economic recession. "It's going to be very hard to sustain public interest when everybody is consumed about what's happening in the United States. It's just the reality of things. Or even what's happening in Ottawa," Marland said. Still, Marland said, the ongoing economic uncertainty — and an upcoming provincial election — means the 2025 budget likely won't be hard on the wallet. "It would be almost tone deaf of any government in this country to move forward with a budget that doesn't recognize that the public is experiencing economic distress," he said. According to data from the University of Toronto, Newfoundland and Labrador had the highest rate of severe food insecurity in Canada in 2023 — with 26 per cent of people having difficulty accessing food. Josh Smee, CEO of Food First N.L., says Newfoundland and Labrador is doing more to address poverty than some other provinces — with a caveat. "It's still not enough to make a big enough dent in this," he said. For several years, Food First N.L., along with other advocacy organizations, have been asking the provincial government to index social support programs to inflation, but that hasn't happened yet. "It's a hard thing to bring into a conversation because it's a little bit … technical or academic," he said. "But it actually makes a huge difference." Uncertainty: word of the year? U.S. President Donald Trump announced new reciprocal tariffs on countries around the world last week, but eased back on Canada. Jessica McCormick, president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour (NLFL), says she breathed a sigh of relief, but is still bracing for what could come next. "We're getting a bit of a reprieve from the most immediate and direct impacts, but I don't think anybody is genuinely thinking that we're on the other side of this," she said. McCormick said the fallout from the U.S.-Canada trade war was a central theme in the NLFL's provincial budget submission, which asks the government to develop a workforce strategy for megaprojects like Churchill Falls, invest in public services and continue holding roundtable discussions on the response to the tariffs. "We need our governments to show leadership and have a clear plan for how we're going to support working people in this province to alleviate … those cost of living pressures that people were already facing," she said. So far Newfoundland and Labrador hasn't experienced job losses seen in other parts of the country, but Rhonda Tulk-Lane, CEO of the Atlantic Chamber of Commerce, says business owners are still grappling with uncertainty. "That's really been, say, the word of the day, the month, the year, and it's a word you don't want to hear when you're working and supporting the business community," she said. Tulk-Lane said her organization's asks include cutting regulatory red tape, eliminating the payroll tax, reviewing the current tax system and making a plan to get back to a balanced budget. Last year's budget didn't contain any new taxes, tax increases or fee increases — but the deficit was also much worse than expected, at $433 million. "Businesses have to do it everyday. Citizens have to do it. We have to spend within our means.…Ten out of the last 12 budgets have been deficits. So we really need accountability and fiscal responsibility," Tulk-Lane said. Coady is scheduled to give her budget speech at 2 p.m. NT on Wednesday.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Provincial budget to be tabled Wednesday amid tariff chaos, Liberal leadership race
Finance Minister Siobhan Coady is scheduled to unveil the 2025 provincial budget at 2 p.m. NT on Wednesday. (Danny Arsenault/CBC) Newfoundland and Labrador's provincial budget is generally among the biggest political events of the year, but a trade war, a Liberal leadership race and a federal election are casting a long shadow over this year's fiscal plan. The budget, which provincial Finance Minister Siobhan Coady will unveil on Wednesday, comes less than a month before Premier Andrew Furey will make his exit, and a new premier — either John Hogan or John Abbott — will take his place. Political scientist Alex Marland says the premier still has the chance to put his stamp on this year's budget. "He could put forward ideas that end up being legacy pieces for himself. But there's no question what he's probably unlikely to do is do anything that will really make things difficult for his successor," Marland said in an interview with CBC Radio's The St. John's Morning Show. The budget lands in the middle of a federal election, which itself is under the shadow of the ongoing trade war with the United States — and the possibility of an economic recession. "It's going to be very hard to sustain public interest when everybody is consumed about what's happening in the United States. It's just the reality of things. Or even what's happening in Ottawa," Marland said. Still, Marland said, the ongoing economic uncertainty — and an upcoming provincial election — means the 2025 budget likely won't be hard on the wallet. "It would be almost tone deaf of any government in this country to move forward with a budget that doesn't recognize that the public is experiencing economic distress," he said. According to data from the University of Toronto, Newfoundland and Labrador had the highest rate of severe food insecurity in Canada in 2023 — with 26 per cent of people having difficulty accessing food. Josh Smee, CEO of Food First N.L., says the provincial government's social support isn't doing enough to reduce poverty in Newfoundland and Labrador. (Abby Cole/CBC) Josh Smee, CEO of Food First N.L., says Newfoundland and Labrador is doing more to address poverty than some other provinces — with a caveat. "It's still not enough to make a big enough dent in this," he said. For several years, Food First N.L., along with other advocacy organizations, have been asking the provincial government to index social support programs to inflation, but that hasn't happened yet. "It's a hard thing to bring into a conversation because it's a little bit … technical or academic," he said. "But it actually makes a huge difference." Uncertainty: word of the year? U.S. President Donald Trump announced new reciprocal tariffs on countries around the world last week, but eased back on Canada. Jessica McCormick, president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour (NLFL), says she breathed a sigh of relief, but is still bracing for what could come next. "We're getting a bit of a reprieve from the most immediate and direct impacts, but I don't think anybody is genuinely thinking that we're on the other side of this," she said. Jessica McCormick is the president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour. (Darrell Roberts/CBC) McCormick said the fallout from the U.S.-Canada trade war was a central theme in the NLFL's provincial budget submission, which asks the government to develop a workforce strategy for megaprojects like Churchill Falls, invest in public services and continue holding roundtable discussions on the response to the tariffs. "We need our governments to show leadership and have a clear plan for how we're going to support working people in this province to alleviate … those cost of living pressures that people were already facing," she said. So far Newfoundland and Labrador hasn't experienced job losses seen in other parts of the country, but Rhonda Tulk-Lane, CEO of the Atlantic Chamber of Commerce, says business owners are still grappling with uncertainty. "That's really been, say, the word of the day, the month, the year, and it's a word you don't want to hear when you're working and supporting the business community," she said. Rhonda Tulk-Lane is the CEO of the Atlantic Chamber of Commerce. (Darrell Roberts/CBC) Tulk-Lane said her organization's asks include cutting regulatory red tape, eliminating the payroll tax, reviewing the current tax system and making a plan to get back to a balanced budget. Last year's budget didn't contain any new taxes, tax increases or fee increases — but the deficit was also much worse than expected, at $433 million. "Businesses have to do it everyday. Citizens have to do it. We have to spend within our means.…Ten out of the last 12 budgets have been deficits. So we really need accountability and fiscal responsibility," Tulk-Lane said. Coady is scheduled to give her budget speech at 2 p.m. NT on Wednesday. Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Click here to visit our landing page.
