Shopify outdid internal revenue projections but missed analyst expectations for earnings in the final quarter of 2025, as its merchants posted strong sales through the e-commerce platform. The Ottawa e-commerce giant announced its Q4 earnings before the markets opened today. Several analysts upgraded ratings ahead of today’s earnings results as Shopify’s stock rallied yesterday. In…
In late 2022, the federal government asked for feedback from the private sector about the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC), ahead of a regular legislative review of the Crown corporation. “[BDC] are now our primary competitor. If anything, they’ve turned into the Goliath of growth capital in Canada.” The Centre for Digital Entrepreneurship and…
Elevate has announced the 14 winners of its 2026 CIX Startup Awards, which each year recognize some of Canada’s top emerging, early- and growth-stage tech startups. Ninety-four investors from the CIX Selection Committee chose the winning companies from a pool of more than 370 applications. This year’s recipients include Vancouver-based venture capital secondary marketplace Hiive,…
Montréal luxury e-commerce platform Ssense will return to the hands of its founders after an unsuccessful attempt by its lenders to block a deal. The bid includes plans for the business’ continued operation, a cash payment of $58.5 million, and assuming some liabilities. In a ruling on Feb. 4, a Superior Court of Québec judge…
Before AI, software developers already had to contend with a flood of information. As large-language models (LLMs) have sped up the pace of development, keeping all the context in one place and arranging it in order of importance remains a persistent challenge. Ben Vinegar, founder of Toronto-based Modem, knows this firsthand. As a former VP…
Toronto-based fraud prevention platform Lenders API has been acquired by Edmonton’s Trust Science, which helps lenders vet prospective borrowers with limited credit histories. The Canadian FinTech companies claim that this deal, which was announced Tuesday, “creates Canada’s first industry-wide defence system against coordinated lending fraud.” The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. “Lenders…
If you watched the Super Bowl last weekend, you’ve probably spent just as much time talking about the ads as you have the game. The NFL championship is one of the world’s biggest advertising events, but what if there was a way to ensure audiences only saw the ads they cared about, without all the…
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Whether it’s a quick smooch goodbye, a full-on romantic kiss, or a warm peck on the cheek from a loved one, kissing does more than just feel good; it can actually be good for you, too. As Valentine’s Day approaches, there’s no better time to explore how a simple…
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM The long battle against Guinea worm disease may soon reach a historic milestone: total eradication. In 2025, just 10 human cases were reported globally, according to The Carter Center, the United States nonprofit leading the decades-long eradication campaign. If successful, Guinea worm (dracunculiasis) will become only the second human…
Blair Attard-Frost is an assistant professor of political science at University of Alberta and a fellow at the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (Amii). If Canada is trying to build public trust in AI, why is the country’s recent AI strategy consultation an untrustworthy mystery box? In October 2025, Canada’s AI and Digital Innovation Minister Evan…
