"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.

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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.

"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.

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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.

"It seems irrational, and irrational behaviour is where drama lives, it's where comedy lives. It's where all the fun is."

A communications tycoon built an empire turning airwaves into cash. Now, his son, long dismissed by his father, is fighting for control of the family business. Meanwhile, one shrewd public servant is determined to derail the company's billion-dollar takeover.

Is this a plot point from season three of Succession? No! It's a Canadian story… and it's all true—mostly. Award-winning playwright Michael Healey joins to discuss Rogers v. Rogers, his new play based on the Alexandra Posadzki book of the same name.

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.

Related links:

• Purchase tickets to see Rogers v. Rogers.
• Exploring the city Google couldn't buy
• Canadians want competition. Our Competition Commissioner needs better tools to fight for it.
• Inside Anthony Lacavera's fight for Freedom Mobile
• Jesse Wente wants Canada to "tax the hell" out of Big Tech, but he's open to cutting deals

"It used to be that Silicon Valley was the kind of Mecca of the entrepreneur. What's happening is everyone has got the tools that used to be crowded in there. Now what we need to do is get the capital."

Minister Evan Solomon sits down with C100 Executive Director Michael Buhr to discuss the country's future in AI and the feds' commitments to innovation. Recorded live on the BetaKit Keynote Stage at SAAS NORTH.

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.

Related links:

• What's in #Budget2025 for Canadian tech?
• Canadian tech sees #Budget2025 as "about-face" from last government's stance on business
• Is SaaS dead? Tech leaders debate whether it's time for requiem or rebirth

"The technology is there, and everyone loves cool technology, but it doesn't need to be a party trick. It needs to be something that's driving a meaningful business outcome, so pick your challenging problems."

OpenText's Shannon Bell (EVP, Chief Digital Officer & Chief Information Officer) explains how she rolled out AI systematically at one of Canada's largest tech companies. As OpenText embraces human and digital resource management, has it found a return on its investment? Let's dig in. Recorded live on the BetaKit Keynote Stage at SAAS NORTH.

The BetaKit Podcast is presented by Uber Canada.

Uber Canada is helping to reduce drunk driving and make it safer to get around according to 87% of Canadian riders. Alcohol remains a factor in a quarter of crash fatalities on public roadways in Canada - and Uber Canada is working with MADD Canada (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) to bring that number to zero. With over 100,000 designated drivers on the road, Uber plays a vital role in this fight.

See how the impact is real.

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The BetaKit Podcast is also 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.

"In the beginning, we were like, 'this must be a scam' because with the way things move in Waterloo and Toronto, it seemed way too fast."

A chance pitch competition connection took Colare co-founder Nain Abdi from Waterloo to Silicon Valley. He explains what pulled his company south, why his peers are eager to make a similar leap, and what (if anything) could convince him to return to Canada.

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.

Related Links:

• Canadian tech looks to poach H-1B visa castaways as its own "ambitious founders" flee
• Socratica's IRL revolution is powered by the love of making
• Why Canada doesn't buy Canadian tech
• Canadian tech leaders tell the next generation to learn to say "no" at Homecoming

"Too many American subs dominate this market. Eighty percent of what we buy is from American companies. We wanna reverse that. We wanna make 80 percent of what we buy from Canadian companies. So we frankly don't care what we do as long as we are a Canadian defence company."

Dominion Dynamics founder and CEO Eliot Pence wants to build Canada's first "defence prime." On this episode of The BetaKit Podcast, he explains why defence tech matters to Canadian innovation and the future of the country before digging into the recent federal budget commitments. Recorded live on the BetaKit Keynote Stage at SAAS NORTH.

The BetaKit Podcast is presented by Zoho, developers of a unique and powerful software suite that transforms the way you work.

Zoho's flagship user conference, Zoholics Toronto 2025, is coming November 18-19 at the Toronto Congress Centre! Join hundreds of business leaders, customers, and Zoho experts for two days of learning, inspiration, and connection. Explore the latest in AI, automation, and cloud-powered collaboration—and see how Zoho's all-in-one suite helps organizations work smarter and grow faster.

Visit https://events.zoho.com/ZoholicsCanada2025 to learn more and secure your spot.

Related links:

• #Budget2025 hints at full scope of federal government's defence agenda

It's a power-packed post-Budget panel podcast featuring a plethora of Canadian policy wonks! Vass Bednar (Canadian SHIELD Institute), Benjamin Bergen (CCI), and Jaxson Khan (Aperture AI) join to explore the story Budget 2025 tells of Canada, and what juicy nuggets of tech policy and financial commitments need to be dunked in the dipping sauce of greater detail. Let's dig in!

The BetaKit Podcast is presented by Zoho, developers of a unique and powerful software suite that transforms the way you work.

Zoho's flagship user conference, Zoholics Toronto 2025, is coming November 18-19 at the Toronto Congress Centre! Join hundreds of business leaders, customers, and Zoho experts for two days of learning, inspiration, and connection. Explore the latest in AI, automation, and cloud-powered collaboration—and see how Zoho's all-in-one suite helps organizations work smarter and grow faster.

Visit https://events.zoho.com/ZoholicsCanada2025 to learn more and secure your spot.

Related links:

• What's in #Budget2025 for Canadian tech?
• After years of disappointment and delay, #Budget2025 commits to a "competitive and innovative" financial system
• #Budget2025 hints at full scope of federal government's defence agenda
• Canadian tech sees #Budget2025 as "about-face" from last government's stance on business

"We were sleepwalking our way into this new economy, and we've had a bit of a wake-up call."

Ian Rae, CEO of Aptum and a member of Minister Evan Solomon's AI Task Force, has been building internet infrastructure since 1994. Recorded the day after the AWS outage, Rae joins to explain why such outages happen and what they reveal about the economics of the internet and Canada's digital sovereignty goals.

This episode of The BetaKit Podcast is brought to you by The Cyber Challenge—your pathway to new sales, industry connections, and non-dilutive funding.

The Cyber Challenge, powered by Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst and CCTX, helps Ontario-based tech startups tackle real-world cybersecurity challenges. You will gain direct access to major industry players, test your solutions in real-world settings, and unlock new market opportunities—all at no cost. That's right, there is no equity required.

If you're ready to scale, refine, and be a leader in cybersecurity innovation, apply today at www.thecyberchallenge.ca.

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The BetaKit Podcast is presented by Xero: the global small businesses platform, designed to make life easier for small businesses–anywhere, any time.

Running a business is demanding enough without the burden of bookkeeping. Xero's global platform is designed to take accounting off your plate, giving you the freedom to focus on what you do best. By unifying essential tools like accounting, payroll, and payments, Xero helps you automate tasks and gain the clarity you need to make smarter decisions.

Join a global community of forward-thinking businesses. Discover what Xero can do for you at: https://bit.ly/42AT8iV.

"If you're a founder in Canada, you have a playbook, which is: try to get outside of the country as soon as possible. Try to sell outside of the country."

Raymond Luk thinks the "cultural belief we're not good enough" creates a homecourt disadvantage for Canadian tech. He's trying to kickstart a solution to our nation's procurement woes with a new summit called Source Canada, so buyers and sellers can speed date. Is a cultural kick in the pants enough to get Canada to buy Canadian tech? Let's dig in.

This episode of The BetaKit Podcast is brought to you by The Cyber Challenge, powered by Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst and CCTX—your startup's pathway to sales, industry connections, and non-dilutive funding.

Ontario's critical sectors depend on operational technology systems that weren't designed for today's cyber threats. Unlike IT, operational technology environments demand specialized solutions — and startups can lead the way.

Join our free webinar on October 24 to learn about the risks critical sectors face, and how startups can seize this opportunity.

When: Friday, October 24, 2025 Time: 12 - 1PM EST | Where: Virtual (Zoom) | Cost: Free

Register today at thecyberchallenge.ca.

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The BetaKit Podcast is presented by Xero: the global small businesses platform, designed to make life easier for small businesses–anywhere, any time.

Running a business is demanding enough without the burden of bookkeeping. Xero's global platform is designed to take accounting off your plate, giving you the freedom to focus on what you do best. By unifying essential tools like accounting, payroll, and payments, Xero helps you automate tasks and gain the clarity you need to make smarter decisions.

Join a global community of forward-thinking businesses. Discover what Xero can do for you at: https://bit.ly/42AT8iV.