"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.

"You have just seen control of one of the most popular social media platforms in one of the most influential countries in the world switch from one foreign power relative to you to another."

Canada and the US have both claimed national security concerns over TikTok. Our country's (unclear) response might not matter in the face of US-mandated corporate restructuring. As Grok's unchecked deepfake image generation on X raises thorny legal questions, Canada might not have the leverage to regulate.

What is a middle power like Canada to do in the face of algorithmic media controlled by global superpowers (and their supporters)? CBC News senior reporter Anis Heydari joins to discuss.

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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:

Court allows TikTok to continue operating in Canada, for now

Grok's non-consensual sexual images highlight gaps in Canada's deepfake laws

"How do I create the 'wow' moment for my end user? And slowness never creates the wow moment."

PolarGrid founder and CEO Rade Kovacevic believes GenAI video and voice will be killer apps once they can function in real-time. Enabling real-time GenAI requires uncorking the inference bottleneck that the hyperscalers have helped build.

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.

"The workweek will continue until morale improves."

Jared Lindzon and Joe O'Connor's new book, Do More in Four: Why It's Time for a Shorter Workweek, argues that the future of work will feature more productive employees working fewer days. How is that supposed to happen when boomers still run the world, Gen Z is still Gen Z, and AI is coming for all of our jobs anyway? Let's dig in.

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Solve for X is back! The latest season of the MaRS podcast is exploring more world-changing ideas. Join journalist Manjula Selvarajah as she talks to the people behind the latest innovations in tech and science.

Get a jump on the future. Listen to season 4 of Solve for X wherever you get your podcasts.

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The BetaKit Podcast is presented by CADSI: the national voice of Canada's defence, security, and emerging technology sectors, representing more than 1,000 companies from innovative SMBs to global primes.

CADSI advocates for a resilient and sustainable defence and security sector by engaging government, shaping policy, and strengthening Canada's role with global partners. We create platforms that connect industry with decision-makers, foster collaboration, and reinforce Canada's position as a reliable partner in international security.

Visit defenceandsecurity.ca to grow your defence business with CADSI.

"Maybe we will see the robots that we want in our lives in 2026. But be prepared: they will definitely be controlled by people in India with Xbox controllers."

Robots, and IPOs, and AI, Oh My! Managing editor Sarah Rieger joins to ask the biggest tech questions of 2026, after evaluating which 2025 tech questions were definitively answered.

Solve for X is back! The latest season of the MaRS podcast is exploring more world-changing ideas. Join journalist Manjula Selvarajah as she talks to the people behind the latest innovations in tech and science.

Get a jump on the future. Listen to season 4 of Solve for X wherever you get your podcasts.

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The BetaKit Podcast is presented by QuickBooks on the Intuit platform, built to help Canadian businesses work smarter, more efficiently, and make confident decisions.

QuickBooks on the Intuit platform is an all-in-one connected business solution that leverages the power of artificial intelligence and human expertise to simplify how you run and grow your business. From managing cash flow and payroll to delivering personalized, proactive insights leveraging the power of AI agents, QuickBooks helps you spend less time crunching numbers and more time growing your business.

Visit quickbooks.intuit.ca to see how Intuit QuickBooks can help you outdo the work.

"2025 is the year that we committed to the bit, and all pretences went away."

Special guest star Rob Kenedi (Decelerator) joins for The BetaKit Podcast's annual tradition: stuffing your holiday stocking with the biggest tech stories of 2025. Have a different take on tech this year? Let us know: [email protected].

Solve for X is back! The latest season of the MaRS podcast is exploring more world-changing ideas. Join journalist Manjula Selvarajah as she talks to the people behind the latest innovations in tech and science.

Get a jump on the future. Listen to season 4 of Solve for X wherever you get your podcasts.

--

The BetaKit Podcast is presented by QuickBooks on the Intuit platform, built to help Canadian businesses work smarter, more efficiently, and make confident decisions.

QuickBooks on the Intuit platform is an all-in-one connected business solution that leverages the power of artificial intelligence and human expertise to simplify how you run and grow your business. From managing cash flow and payroll to delivering personalized, proactive insights leveraging the power of AI agents, QuickBooks helps you spend less time crunching numbers and more time growing your business.

Visit quickbooks.intuit.ca to see how Intuit QuickBooks can help you outdo the work.

"Can you imagine a quarter—25 percent—of Canada isn't sure if they'll be employed next year? That is a wild statistic."

Kevin Kliman, president of Canadian business at Employment Hero, joins to explain why Canada's workforce is underemployed and anxious about 2026. He also shares data indicating things are particularly bad for Gen Z, before offering tips on how they can make their mark in the modern workforce—with AI.

Solve for X is back! The latest season of the MaRS podcast is exploring more world-changing ideas. Join journalist Manjula Selvarajah as she talks to the people behind the latest innovations in tech and science.

Get a jump on the future. Listen to season 4 of Solve for X wherever you get your podcasts.

--

The BetaKit Podcast is presented by QuickBooks on the Intuit platform, built to help Canadian businesses work smarter, more efficiently, and make confident decisions.

QuickBooks on the Intuit platform is an all-in-one connected business solution that leverages the power of artificial intelligence and human expertise to simplify how you run and grow your business. From managing cash flow and payroll to delivering personalized, proactive insights leveraging the power of AI agents, QuickBooks helps you spend less time crunching numbers and more time growing your business.

Visit quickbooks.intuit.ca to see how Intuit QuickBooks can help you outdo the work.