Vancouver-based AgTech company Miraterra has secured a $16-million CAD seed extension to refine its soil measurement technology and bring it to more customers. Over the past three years, the independent Terramera subsidiary has expanded from a Digitizer (a digital microscope that took soil readings using Raman spectroscopy—a chemical analysis technique that uses light) to a…
We’re excited to share that Jacqueline Loch has joined BetaKit as General Manager. With deep experience leading media organizations in Canada, Jacqueline brings a track record of building high-performing teams, growing revenue, and developing compelling media products. Jacqueline will help drive products and partnerships that connect companies to one of the most important audiences in…
Chexy has raised a $14-million CAD Series A round to fund its expansion from helping tenants earn credit card rewards into supporting more everyday expenses, including business payments. The round was led by Khosla Ventures, one of Silicon Valley’s most reputable venture firms, which has backed giant tech companies like OpenAI, DoorDash, Stripe, and Instacart….
Calgary’s Denvr Dataworks and Ottawa’s Dominion Dynamics have announced a partnership to develop a sovereign simulation environment for unmanned drones that fly alongside crewed fighter jets. “We believe Canada can be a world leader in building autonomous systems that operate in extreme environments.” Denvr provides purpose-built, high-performance AI and cloud infrastructure. The partnership will see…
Kitchener-Waterloo-based information management company OpenText has made what appear to be significant layoffs, BetaKit has learned. “[More than 17] years working on the same product and they fired me in 8 [minutes].” On Monday afternoon and continuing into Tuesday morning, OpenText employees began posting on social media that they were looking for work. Some of…
In one month, Toronto will play host to some of Canada’s most ambitious health companies. “The global healthcare market is fracturing, and Canada urgently needs to determine its ‘middle power’ identity.” Louise Pichette, MaRS On April 23, MaRS Impact Health will convene over 1,000 entrepreneurs, investors, researchers, and policymakers from across Canada’s health innovation ecosystem….
Toronto-based large language model developer Cohere has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to collaborate with Swedish aerospace and defence contractor Saab. Saab announced the MOU yesterday. The agreement establishes a framework for advanced AI collaboration in support of Saab’s GlobalEye surveillance jet. The two companies plan to explore partnering to embed Cohere’s AI into…
Montréal-based fabless semiconductor company Spark Microsystems has closed another $17 million CAD in Series B follow-on financing. “We chose to extend our Series B with existing investors because they already have deep conviction in our technology.” Spark, which specializes in next-generation short-range wireless communications, will use the funding to continue commercializing its patented, low-energy ultra-wideband…
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Digital dating has changed the way we connect, creating a new vocabulary of phrases such as ghosting, orbiting, and breadcrumbing. While these activities may appear fairly innocent on the surface, they can have serious consequences for our mental health and well-being. Psychotherapist Danielle Sukenik speaks to the emotional cost of…
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM The idea that your body works against you when you exercise has circulated in fitness and science communities for years. Work out more, the theory goes, and your metabolism quietly dials back somewhere else (suppressing immune function, trimming reproductive hormones, slowing the thyroid) to keep your total daily calorie…
