The BetaKit Podcast Channel

"It's pretty clear the government has gone down a lot of the laundry lists from businesses and entrepreneurs and just said, 'OK, well, what if we do all of the above?'" The federal government's budget "about entrepreneurs" is here. Budget 2026 contains updates to past commitments (defence & dual-use), expected new commitments (capital gains tax cuts), and a few big surprises (BDC/EDC merger?). It's a lot. Budget 2026 shows a federal government trying to do everything, everywhere, all at once. How is that going to work out? BetaKit's Policy Power Panel once again assembles to talk prioritization, efficacy, and sweat the details. Featuring: Laurent Carbonneau (Council of Canadian Innovators), Jaxson Khan (Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy), and Vass Bednar (Canadian Shield Institute).  -- The BetaKit Podcast is presented by Float.  See how Float brings cards, bill pay and international payments together on its website. -- Related Links: What's in Budget 2026 for Canadian tech? The feds plan to merge BDC and EDC. What might that mean for Canada's largest VC investor? Canada to implement QSBS-style tax incentive and "level playing field" with US ALL of BetaKit's Budget 2026 coverage

"The United States economy definitely has a cold right now. And when the US sneezes, the whole world catches a cold." Economic commentator and New York Times bestselling author Kyla Scanlon joins to discuss the concerning connection between debt and the AI data centre buildout, how AI companies drive the US economy with impunity, and the impacts of AI adoption on the labour market. Related Links: Waving the AI bubble red flags Religious Scholars Met With Anthropic. What They Heard Stunned Them.  -- Amid global uncertainty, the path forward is clear: Canada's moment to build is now. Presented by Uber Canada, DMZ, and National Bank of Canada, BetaKit Most Ambitious is back, telling stories of nearly 100 Canadian innovators strengthening our nation's autonomy, security, and prosperity. Read BetaKit Most Ambitious now.  

"I think that we will look back on prediction markets the same way we look back on altcoins and … NFTs."  Canada's newest FinTech unicorn also seems poised to become Canada's newest bank. In a wide-ranging interview, Koho CEO Daniel Eberhard discusses what both milestones mean for the company, the impact of international competition flooding into Canada, the possibilities of launching a telecom (!), and why Koho won't touch prediction markets. Let's dig in. -- Amid global uncertainty, the path forward is clear: Canada's moment to build is now. Presented by Uber Canada, DMZ, and National Bank of Canada, BetaKit Most Ambitious is back, telling stories of nearly 100 Canadian innovators strengthening our nation's autonomy, security, and prosperity. Read BetaKit Most Ambitious now.

"Transformative technology doesn't become transformative when we invent it. It becomes transformative when we adopt it." AI and quantum are two potentially transformative technologies at very different stages of development. Leaders from Xanadu (Nikki Bhatia), Nord Quantique (Marc-Antoine Lemonde), IonQ (Lisa Lambert), and CGI (Chris Juryn) discuss where they intersect live on stage at ALL IN 2026. -- Amid global uncertainty, the path forward is clear: Canada's moment to build is now. Presented by Uber Canada, DMZ, and National Bank of Canada, BetaKit Most Ambitious is back, telling stories of nearly 100 Canadian innovators strengthening our nation's autonomy, security, and prosperity. Read BetaKit Most Ambitious now.

"I think—and I hope I'm right—that we can build the next OpenAI, or Anthropic, or world model here in Canada." Mila entrepreneur-in-residence Alex Shee joins to explain the cultural shift among academic institutions toward supporting the entrepreneurial journeys of locally trained AI scientists and the "generational opportunity" it could create for Canada. Recorded live at ALL IN 2026. -- Amid global uncertainty, the path forward is clear: Canada's moment to build is now. Presented by Uber Canada, DMZ, and National Bank of Canada, BetaKit Most Ambitious is back, telling stories of nearly 100 Canadian innovators strengthening our nation's autonomy, security, and prosperity. Read BetaKit Most Ambitious now.

"We're focused on 'the future of', so that gives us a lot more liberty of the type of speakers we can book." Elevate is the type of tech festival that plays host to everyone from Akon to Al Gore to Michelle Obama. This year, Kyle Lowry—The Greatest Raptor of All Time—will take the stage. CEO and co-founder Lisa Zarzeczny joins to share lessons learned and funny stories from a near-decade of Elevate, alongside how she has modified the program to address the pressing questions facing Canada today. -- Amid global uncertainty, the path forward is clear: Canada's moment to build is now. Presented by Uber Canada, DMZ, and National Bank of Canada, BetaKit Most Ambitious is back, telling stories of nearly 100 Canadian innovators strengthening our nation's autonomy, security, and prosperity. Read BetaKit Most Ambitious now.

"They're building AI that they're selling as so powerful that it is exceeding its limitations." We've talked a lot about AI on The BetaKit Podcast, but there's one topic we tend to ignore: the AI bubble. No longer! BetaKit Managing Editor Sarah Rieger joins to wave a few select AI bubble red flags (circular financing! Rogue AI agents! A lack of Situational Awareness!) to try and understand what is driving behaviour that might burst. ---- The BetaKit Podcast is presented by CPPO. How is prepaid being used as a vital system for moving money across the country? During this year's CPPO Symposium, CPPO's Co-Founder and Executive Director, Jennifer Tramontana, explains how prepaid powers Canadians to move money across the nation every day digitally. From neo-banks and gig worker wage access to youth money management tools, nearly 50% of Canadians now utilize digital-first offerings. To discover how prepaid innovation is fueling Canada's digital ecosystem, visit CPPO's website.   

"My god. Every time I ask you people for questions, I instantly regret it."  What is Canada's most overrated tech company? How do we keep young founders in the country? Is BlackBerry making a comeback? What are Canada's must-read business books? In a special mailbag episode of The BetaKit Podcast, BetaKit editor-in-chief Douglas Soltys answers your burning tech questions. Let's dig in! -- Amid global uncertainty, the path forward is clear: Canada's moment to build is now. Presented by Uber Canada, DMZ, and National Bank of Canada, BetaKit Most Ambitious is back, telling stories of nearly 100 Canadian innovators strengthening our nation's autonomy, security, and prosperity. Read BetaKit Most Ambitious now.  

"When we talk about sovereignty, we're talking about strategic capacity. Can you govern yourself with the tools that you have?" What would happen if, overnight, Canada suddenly lost all access to American tech? Canadian Shield Institute managing director Vass Bednar joins to answer that question before discussing how Canada can bootstrap digital self-reliance in the face of weaponized integration and the best ways to evaluate the federal government's 'elbows up' policy initiatives. Related: A Day in the Life Without American Tech (Infographic) -- Amid global uncertainty, the path forward is clear: Canada's moment to build is now. Presented by Uber Canada, DMZ, and National Bank of Canada, BetaKit Most Ambitious is back, telling stories of nearly 100 Canadian innovators strengthening our nation's autonomy, security, and prosperity. Read BetaKit Most Ambitious now.

"There has never been a more exciting time to found and build a company in Canada." A *killler* lineup of Startupfest speakers joins for a live recording of The BetaKit Podcast at the Startupfest village in Montréal's Grand Quay. In a rapid-fire talk show format, these luminaries discuss the leading causes of startup death, hard-won lessons in company scaling, the virtues of AI, and why now is the most exciting time to build a company in Canada. Featuring: Johnathan Nightingale - Co-founder of Raw Signal Group Fatima Khamitova - Director, Startups at Vector Institute Vishar Yaghoubian - CEO / Co-founder of Toothpod Melissa Nightingale - Co-founder of Raw Signal Group  -- The BetaKit Podcast is presented by MaRS Connect. Discover ground-breaking solutions on MaRS Connect, a curated digital platform designed to accelerate real connections between Canada's top startups and serious adopters, investors, and ecosystem leaders. Visit MaRS Connect to learn more.