The BetaKit Podcast Channel

"We have a collective action problem. Somebody has to take the first step and say, 'Hey, we're going to deploy a lot of capital here in Canada. We're gonna bet that Canada is going to grow more over the next 20 years than it did over the last 20 years."
Recent data shows that the bottom has fallen out of Canadian venture capital, erasing any post-pandemic highs and taking the country back about a decade in terms of both dollars raised and dollars deployed by our nation's VCs.
What's the reason for Canadian venture's slow decline? What is the impact on the ecosystem? And most importantly, what can be done to reverse the trend?
A power panel of grumpy men in venture join to discuss: Matt Roberts (RBCx), Jesse Wiebe (Startup TNT), and Ben Bergen (CVCA).
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The BetaKit Podcast is presented by Zoho, developers of a unique and powerful software suite that transforms the way you work.
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Related Links:
A perfect storm": 2025 was the worst year for Canadian VC fundraising since 2016 
Capital concentrates as Canadian VC market narrows: report
CVCA and NACO offer competing visions for feds' $750-million venture envelope
 The feds asked investors for candid feedback on BDC. It was never actioned

"Speed is of the essence. This is a super dynamic marketplace. Canada is losing entrepreneurs, we're losing the next generation of founders, and we need to do things, quick."
More than a decade ago, Canada launched the Start-up Visa program to attract entrepreneurial talent from around the world. After years of complaints of delays, fraud, and abuse, the program was suspended while featuring a whopping 10-35 year wait time. Boris Wertz (Version One Ventures) and Lucy Hargreaves (Build Canada) join to discuss what went wrong and what a functional entrepreneurial immigration program might look like.
Related links:
Canada suspends Start-Up Visa as feds look to transition to new program
Entrepreneurs face more than a decade wait for Canada's Start-up Visa
Why is the Start-up Visa program struggling?
Canada Can Attract the World's Best Entrepreneurs

"BDC is powerful in the sense that it can make or break a fund… And a lot of people are trying to close funds right now."
In 2022, the federal government commissioned a report asking Canada's VCs what they thought about Crown corporation BDC. The report was effectively forgotten, and the feedback was never actioned. Why? What did the report have to say about Canada's largest venture investor? And with Canadian VC in a multi-year lull, is BDC's "steady hand" approach preferred or simply necessary?
BetaKit reporter Madison McLauchlan joins to discuss.
Related Links:
The feds asked investors for candid feedback on BDC. It was never actioned
BDC head says bank pulled back from life sciences "too early" as it preps new VC fund
BDC unveils $4-billion defence technology platform
Another fund partner leaves BDC
"A perfect storm": 2025 was the worst year for Canadian VC fundraising since 2016

"If we don't get our AI ducks in a row at some point and we miss that boat to shore up our industries right now, it's not really going to matter what regulations we have on the table. Because we won't have control."
The federal government has released the results of its public consultation on AI, including over 30 submissions from Minister Solomon's AI task force. Former ISED senior policy advisor Jaxson Khan joins to discuss how the consultations might inform Canada's AI future, and why the task force was "remarkably consistent" in its diagnosis, but not its prescriptions.
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The BetaKit podcast is presented by Fasken Emerging Tech, supporting trailblazing startups, venture capital funds and acquirers of high-growth tech companies for over 30 years.
If you're curious about the health of Canada's tech M&A scene, you've got to check out Exit InSights. It's a first-of-its-kind report from Fasken's Emerging Technology & Venture Capital Group that analyses private M&A activity among VC-backed and high-growth tech companies. You'll learn how buyers and sellers are maximizing value, minimizing risk, and navigating one of the most vibrant tech ecosystems out there.
Download your free copy of the report.
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Related links:
Ottawa releases findings from AI task force and public consultation
We read every submission from Canada's AI task force: here's what they said
The real debates Canada's AI strategy must navigate
The year Canada realized it needs sovereign tech

"It's important for the success of Y Combinator to see people investing at a very, very early stage. And if it means, to keep them happy so that they're investing in YC companies, they will do what it takes."
Globally recognized tech accelerator Y Combinator will no longer directly invest in Canadian-domiciled startups. Is the change a huge blow to Canada, a big nothingburger, politically motivated, or perhaps simply "formalizing what's inevitable?"
Maverix Private Equity founder and managing partner John Ruffolo joins to discuss fuzzy data, "bullshit" narratives, and the real problems hampering Canadian tech.
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The BetaKit podcast is presented by Fasken Emerging Tech, supporting trailblazing startups, venture capital funds and acquirers of high-growth tech companies for over 30 years.
If you're curious about the health of Canada's tech M&A scene, you've got to check out Exit InSights. It's a first-of-its-kind report from Fasken's Emerging Technology & Venture Capital Group that analyses private M&A activity among VC-backed and high-growth tech companies. You'll learn how buyers and sellers are maximizing value, minimizing risk, and navigating one of the most vibrant tech ecosystems out there.
Download your free copy of the report.