The BetaKit Podcast Channel

"If your entire technology is coming from a single country, and that country decides that every now and again they're going to shut off access to you, that's not a foundation you can build on." The US government just ordered Anthropic to ban access to its most advanced AI models, Fable 5 and Mythos 5. Seems like now is a good time to talk about sovereign AI. Cohere co-founder Nick Frosst joins to discuss how Canada's AI champion is built different than the other frontier LLM providers, how Star Trek informs the type of AI future the company is trying to create, and why he doesn't make a point of listening to Marc Andreessen about AGI. Did the Anthropic model ban prove Cohere is right about sovereign AI? Let's dig in. -- Amid global uncertainty, the path forward is clear: Canada's moment to build is now. Presented by Uber Canada, DMZ, and National Bank of Canada, BetaKit Most Ambitious is back, telling stories of nearly 100 Canadian innovators strengthening our nation's autonomy, security, and prosperity. Read BetaKit Most Ambitious now.

"Everywhere I go, BetaKit is there. They grill me. Every time I say something, I say 'I wish I didn't say that' because BetaKit recorded it." Couldn't attend BetaKit Most Ambitious: Town Hall? Don't worry. Enjoy our Vantage Points panel on Canadian defence and dual-use tech, featuring leaders from Dominion Dynamics, Sentinel R&D, and Xanadu, followed by a fireside chat with AI Minister Evan Solomon. -- Amid global uncertainty, the path forward is clear: Canada's moment to build is now. Presented by Uber Canada, DMZ, and National Bank of Canada, BetaKit Most Ambitious is back, telling stories of nearly 100 Canadian innovators strengthening our nation's autonomy, security, and prosperity. Read BetaKit Most Ambitious now.

"I know people with amazing ideas, but they don't have the right investment to take their idea to the prototype stage. At the prototype stage, they don't have the ability to take it to the manufacturing stage. So guess what happens? Another company from outside the country comes and snatches 'em up. It was heartbreaking to see that our amazing talent is being sucked away." After decades in public service roles, former Minister of Defence Harjit Sajjan is reporting for duty once again as a defence-tech entrepreneur with Vancouver-based Juno Industries. Sajjan joins this week to offer a SITREP for Canada, including his thoughts on the Defence Industrial Strategy and Juno's plans to become an innovation hub for defence in Canada. -- 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 2026, is coming May 21-22 at the Metro Toronto Convention 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. Go here to learn more and secure your spot. -- 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.

"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: podcast@betakit.com. 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.

"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. -- 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

"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. -- 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.

"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

"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. -- 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.