Ottawa Business Journal

With valuations down and a tight venture capital market, tech venture founders are looking for ways to stretch their working capital. In some cases, that means cutting expenses and laying off employees. In other instances, it means going back to early-stage investors for more money. The Capital Angel Network is answering this call in this challenging economic climate. With approximately 60 members, CAN says it’s staying committed to its portfolio companies with a significant increase in follow-on investments. In this episode of Techopia Live, Ottawa Business Journal publisher Michael Curran speaks with Suzanne Grant, executive director of CAN. Grant provides an update on the local angel scene, plus previews the upcoming National Angel Capital Organization Summit, which happens in Ottawa on May 7-8.

There is a misperception in the technology industry that startups can emerge from nowhere and achieve overnight success. While that can happen, it’s definitely the exception. It’s more common for success to emerge after a long period that is defined by setbacks and challenges. Alfred Jay’s entrepreneurial journey began back in 1998, the early days of the dot-com craze. Although early products such as CommunityZero attracted millions of users, Jay and his co-founder Philippe Dame came to the conclusion that a pivot was necessary. It was 2008, the financial crisis was taking hold and the co-founders believed their business model was flawed. That was the start of today’s Recollective, a qualitative online research platform that is used by some of the world’s most recognizable companies, including Mattel, Nikon, RBC and Michaels. The reset has paid off. Recollective revenues are up 400% in the past five years, headcount has increased from 24 employees in 2019 to 110 employees and the company boasts more than 2,000 customers. In this episode of Techopia Live, Ottawa Business Journal publisher Michael Curran talks with Jay about this quarter century working in local tech. Also, Jay talks about why Recollective is finding such traction with its customers these days and what artificial intelligence might mean to market research in years to come.

Techopia Live is heading out to the Ottawa Valley. Based in Arnprior, Convergence Design Services dates back to the 1990s, but more recently the company has quietly doubled its revenues, ranking sixth on the Fastest Growing Companies in Eastern Ontario. Convergence is keeping pace in the ever-changing world of technology with projects in electric vehicles, robotics, AI, Smart IoT and space. Its president Ben Seaman joined Convergence in 2019 to succeed a retiring owner-operator, but his electronic design experience dates back to the telecom heyday with JDS Uniphase, followed by positions at Honeywell Aerospace and Curtiss-Wright Defence Solutions. Seaman says the promise of working with senior engineering talent at Convergence lured him back for a second stint with the company. In this episode of Techopia Live, Ottawa Business Journal publisher speaks with Seaman about major projects underway at Convergence, the benefits of being based in Arnprior and the challenges of doubling revenues.

The road to entrepreneurship was a winding one for Adam Miron. While he was a biology student at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, British Columbia, Adam got involved in politics with the Liberal Party. It was the early 2000s and Stephane Dion was the Liberal leader. He asked Miron to come to Ottawa to work for the party. For the better part of a decade, Miron immersed himself in politics, then media with iPolitics and then some political consulting. He developed a keen interest in the intersection of public policy and market opportunities. That expertise served him well in 2013, when his brother-in-law Sebastien St. Louis presented Miron with a big idea: seize the opportunity presented by the legalization of medical marijuana. That was the beginning of Hexo Corp., a Gatineau-based producer of marijuana that, at its height, had a billion-dollar valuation and more than 1,000 employees. Miron’s involvement with Hexo ended in February 2022, when he resigned from the board to let new executives operate the company. With Hexo in his rearview mirror and other entrepreneurial pursuits concluding, Miron says he is feeling unencumbered these days. That’s good news for Invest Ottawa, which secured Miron as its co-chair in June 2023. He is now helping the city’s lead economic development agency as it transitions to a new CEO. In this episode of Techopia Live, Ottawa Business Journal publisher Michael Curran speaks to Miron about his passion for advising young entrepreneurs and what he is excited about at Invest Ottawa.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, many local technology companies have struggled with how to deal with hybrid and remote work, often referred to as the “new normal” in today’s workplace. There are so many conflicting opinions on how to maintain productivity and engagement in this shifting work environment. In this episode of Techopia Live, correspondent Riaz Sidi visits TechTuesday, a monthly event organized by the Wesley Clover Foundation. The February event was devoted to “The New Normal: Navigating Culture, Preferences and the Office.” Featured speakers in this episode include panelists Mary Clement of Ross Video, Amber Pate of Kinaxis, Heather Tyrie of Fullscript, plus Kanata MP Jenna Sudds and City of Ottawa councillor Cathy Curry. Check out future TechTuesday events here: https://www.wesleyclover.com/events/techtuesday/

When you think of internet service provider options for Ottawa, you’ll inevitably think of the big national companies that dominate this space, notably Bell and Rogers. What many people fail to realize is that local providers still exist. Way back in the 1990s, in the early days of the Internet, these local providers were essential. Most early adopters turned to these local ISPs to access the web and email. All these years later, one local ISP is still thriving. Storm Internet Services was launched in 1996 to serve Ottawa and Eastern Ontario. Today, Storm has approximately 9,000 residential and 1,000 commercial customers, offering DSL, fibre, wireless, cable connectivity, and IPTV. Storm has offices in Ottawa, Perth, and Chesterville, with local support and call centre staff. In this episode of Techopia Live, Ottawa Business Journal publisher Michael Curran speaks with Storm chairman and CEO Birket Foster about how this longstanding local ISP continues to thrive and how upcoming CRTC decisions could open up new opportunities.

Finding a winning idea in the technology sector is really hard. Identifying a concept, understanding market fit, doing the research, and securing clients is a daunting task for Canadian entrepreneurs, let alone new immigrants to the country. Mary Yazdani’s technology career dates back 20 years to her native Iran, where she earned a master’s degree in systems networking and telecommunications. In November 2016, Yazdani moved to Canada and only a few years later, she established herself as an award-winning entrepreneur, including an Immigrant Entrepreneur Award from the City of Ottawa in 2021 and a Forty Under 40 in 2023. At GenesisLink Consulting Services, which she founded in 2000, Yazdani spends much of her time consulting with new and established entrepreneurs on sales, marketing, R&D, human resources, and strategy. She is particularly passionate about helping immigrant entrepreneurs from Brazil, Portugal, India, Egypt, and other countries. In this episode of Techopia Live, the publisher of the Ottawa Business Journal speaks with Yazdani about her growing business ventures, her business model, and what might come next in her entrepreneurial journey.

Experience has taught rehabilitation counselor and Performance Plus Rehabilitative Care founder Linda Simpson that employers love hiring people with disabilities. Especially when they have trustworthy guidance on the best way to do it. That said, keeping up with standards and regulations isn't easy, especially for small employers operating on a shoestring budget. Since Linda is a small business owner herself who understands how to keep a business alive through turmoil and change, she brings a unique perspective and skill set to the table - it makes her the ideal resource for employers large and small. Today she'll be chatting with OBJ's Mike Curran about the accessibility standards employers need to know in 2024. What you'll learn: An overview of new accessibility standards for education and training Where employers should focus their efforts How the team at Performance Plus Rehabilitative Care can help Who should attend: Small business owners CEOs Human resource executives #disability #inclusion #disabilitypride #disabilityawareness #employment #humanresources #training

If you believe that innovation only happens inside semiconductor chips and software, think again. Two social entrepreneurs from Ottawa are determined to improve food security, especially for Indigenous communities in Canada’s North, through innovation in agriculture. Back in 2015, Corey Ellis and Alida Burke co-founded The Growcer and created a food system solution that allows “anyone anywhere to grow food locally.” Years later, they are perfecting hardware, education and distribution to help The Growcer flourish. The company has sold approximately 85 of its growing systems, which range in price from $250,000 to $350,000, and employs about 30 people, most based in Ottawa. Ellis and Burke say they are most proud about growing 10 million servings of vegetables through their systems in 2023. In this episode of Techopia Live, Ottawa Business Journal publisher Michael Curran talks to Ellis and Burke about their ambitious growth plans, including a lease plan to make the units more accessible for buyers who can’t make an upfront capital purchase.

The widespread adoption of artificial intelligence in 2023 was the innovation story of the year. It dominated news headlines as well as boardroom discussions. How will AI disrupt existing industries? How can it be used to increase efficiency? What are the broader implications of AI? In this bonus episode of Techopia Live, Michael Curran of Ottawa Business Journal and Susan Richards of numbercrunch explore what AI could mean to Ottawa’s technology sector. Plus, two local companies that are staking their futures on AI explain their opportunities and future plans. Special guests include Patrick Tan, CEO of Esprit-ai, and Orchid Jahanshahi, a vice-president at NuEnergy.ai.

OBJ publisher Michael Curran speaks with Perley-Robertson Hill & McDougall partner Dirk Bouwer about legal trends that are relevant to executives in the technology sector.

Wesley Clover International occupies a unique role in Ottawa’s technology ecosystem. It’s more than a company. It’s a foundation upon which dozens of technology startups have launched and scaled. Wesley Clover was founded by Sir Terry Matthews, the city’s greatest tech icon. After 51 years leading the local tech scene, Matthews is still hands-on with the company and its portfolio. He is supported by a team of executives, including Ben Morris, vice-president of technology strategies. Morris grew up in Kanata in the shadow of the community’s technology office towers. Today, he has a diverse job that varies almost daily. On behalf of Wesley Clover portfolio companies, Morris deals with banks, investors, prospective clients and generally solves problems to help the portfolio thrive. In this episode of Techopia Live, Morris speaks with Ottawa Business Journal publisher Michael Curran to provide an inside look at Wesley Clover and the tech trends that will shape the sector in 2024.

This year’s SAAS NORTH 2023 conference, held Nov. 15 at the Shaw Centre, attracted more than 1,000 attendees. Known as a hub for Canadian SaaS founders and their teams, the event heard from key players in the Ottawa community like Solon Angel, Kyle Braatz, Julia Elvidge and Sacha Gera. To join in on the fun, Techopia Live host Riaz Sidi took viewers to the event with him, getting reaction and highlights from heavy-hitting Ottawa leaders Urooj Qureshi, founder and CEO of Impactor App; Jennifer Francis, founder of SheBoot; Janeffer Gangji, founder of Exemplify Talent; and, Joanne Kiskis, vice-president of marketing at Polymath.

Supervising your employees while they’re at work is tough on its own. Being concerned about what they do outside the office makes it even tougher. But wait, is that really an employer’s business in the first place? The answer? Yes, when your reputation is at stake. Knowing how to determine if you're at risk depends on the employee, their role and what actually happened. Join us as Ottawa Business Journal publisher Michael Curran learns from Emond Harnden employment lawyers Sarah Lapointe and Fabienne Lajoie what you need to know about disciplining employees for off-duty conduct.

Techopia Live host Riaz Sidi visited SAAS NORTH 2023 conference, a two-day conference that attracted more than 1,000 attendees from around Canada, the U.S. and beyond on Nov. 15 at the Shaw Centre.  At the event, Sidi spoke with several key participants ‒ including Veronica Farmer of Wesley Clover, Solon Angel of FreshFounders, Andrew Lemoine of Autocorp.ai, Aydin Mirzaee of Fellow and Mark Stephenson of Cube Business Media ‒ to get their reaction to the conference and its highlights. Check out their conversations here, and stay tuned for more coverage.

Entrepreneurs make the world a better place. They solve big problems and innovate to find solutions that no one has ever considered. In doing so, entrepreneurs create jobs, wealth and even, on occasion, help address social issues. This episode of Techopia Live features the person who is leading the charge for entrepreneurs across Canada, Kayla Isabelle, CEO of Startup Canada. Kayla Isabelle is an Ottawa Business Journal and Ottawa Board of Trade Forty Under 40 recipient from 2022 and a Globe and Mail 2023 Changemaker. Kayla Isabelle joined Startup Canada in 2019 and gradually moved up the ranks. Today she manages an Ottawa-based team that supports more than 135,000 entrepreneurs across Canada, through its online program and cross-country tour. While Kayla Isabelle remains bullish on entrepreneurship in Canada, she says there are also troubling trends in this post-pandemic period.

Eastern Ontario is home to many businesses involved in the agriculture sector. From growers and producers, to transport and processing, it’s a sector that generates tens of billions of dollars each year in Ontario. With this issue of Eastern Ontario Business Journal, we focus on agriculture, “agrifood” and agritech. Our special section, Lay of the Land, gives an overview of the industry in the region, introduces some of the major players, and examines how traditional farming is melding with technology to create exciting new possibilities. In a podcast to complement the report, host Phil Gaudreau talks with two special guests to get their views on the state of the industry, the labour challenge, and what the future might look like. Check out the special report in the Eastern Ontario Business Journal.

Keeping up with employment case law isn’t easy, but it is important, especially when it comes to making sure your employment contracts are enforceable. Employers should be reviewing employment contracts regularly, particularly in light of a few recent decisions handed down by the Court of Appeal for Ontario. Emond Harnden LLP partner Paul Lalonde and associate Zoriana Priadka join us to review three notable cases touching on the issue of employment contracts. They’ll explain the key points, how to know if it’s time to take action, and how to avoid introducing additional risks when renegotiating employment contracts. Join OBJ's Michael Curran as he leads this discussion about mitigating your risks in an ever-evolving employment law landscape.

Fellow is joining the war on useless and inefficient meetings. Earlier this year, Shopify CEO Tobi Lutke told employees to purge their work calendars of all recurring meetings with more than two people. Lutke suggested that too much time was being wasted in ineffective meetings, resulting in lower productivity for Shopify. Aydin Mirzaee, a co-founder of Fellow and business colleague of Lukte, is responding to the rally call against useless meetings. This fall, Fellow unveiled a new feature set that helps managers limit inefficient meetings, including a calculator to reveal the true cost of group meetings. The new feature set works with Google Calendar and lets administrators impose guidelines on employees who are setting meetings. For example, it can restrict the number of employees invited to a meeting. It can also recommend excluding an employee who has too many meetings in a given period of time. Mirzaee says new data suggests that, in a post-pandemic business world, managers are now spending 14.5 hours, an increase from 9.4 hours in 2019. "While meetings are often cited as a huge source of productivity drain, this isn't about declaring an all-out ban on meetings. It's about proactively redefining an organization's meeting culture and changing the way meetings are conducted to boost productivity and reduce cost waste," says Mirazee. In this episode of Techopia Live, Ottawa Business Journal publisher Michael Curran speaks with Mirzaee to get his insights into how organizations can encourage productive and efficient meetings. Read more about Fellow here: https://obj.ca/company/fellow/

Area X.O. has been called Invest Ottawa’s “moonshot” project. On Sept. 27, the campus and its technology were on full display at an event called the Canadian Smart Mobility Demo Day. The event was planned by Invest Ottawa, along with Transport Canada and FedDev Ontario, to demonstrate smart mobility technology, autonomous vehicles and drones. It was attended by more than 1,200 entrepreneurs, developers and public sector officials who were all keen to witness and discuss the future of this technology segment. Reporting for Ottawa Business Journal, Techopia Live correspondent Riaz Sidi spoke with Michael Tremblay of Invest Ottawa, Luke Corbeth of IndroRobotics, Steve Magirias of Drone Delivery Canada, Jordan Wallace of GPS Ontario, and Fahed Hassanat of Sensor Cortek. For coverage of Invest Ottawa’s Area X.O, click here.

At a time when consumers are looking to save money given rising inflation, Ottawa-based Nuvyyo is providing TV watchers with a chance to cut the cord. Nuvyyo has unveiled a new version of its flagship device, called Tablo, that is capable of receiving over-the-air TV signals and digitally recording shows. Nuvyyo is now owned by E.W. Scripps Company, a Cincinnati-based broadcasting organization that acquired it for just under US$14 million in January 2022. That new ownership, which adds considerable marketing resources, and the new device could be a game changer for Nuvyyo. The latest Tablo will retail for just less than US$100 and be sold directly to consumers at www.tablotv.com and BestBuy.com. In this episode of Techopia Live, Ottawa Business Journal publisher Michael Curran talks to Nuvyyo CEO Grant Hall about the “most ambitious project” in the firm’s history.

After years of delays, Ottawa-based Telesat has struck a multibillion-dollar deal that should pave the way for its much-anticipated new network of low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellites. Just days ago, Telesat announced that it was pulling out of its agreement with Thales Alenia Space and instead going with Canadian aerospace firm MDA, which will build 198 advanced satellites. The change, expected to result in US$2 billion in capital cost savings, means Telesat can proceed with the project. In this episode of Techopia Live, Ottawa Business Journal publisher Michael Curran speaks with the president and CEO of Telesat, Dan Goldberg. A past recipient of the OBJ-Ottawa Board of Trade CEO of the Year award, Goldberg discusses what the deal will mean to Telesat customers and the economic impact on Ottawa-Gatineau, which should see hundreds of new jobs.

Invest Ottawa always takes a lead role in local economic development, especially when it comes to the technology sector. The organization hit some important milestones in 2023: the tenth anniversary of Invest Ottawa’s founding, the sixth anniversary of Bayview Yards and the graduation of 10 more companies from the IO Accelerator program. The leader of Invest Ottawa is Michael Tremblay, who took the helm in 2017 after a successful career at technology companies such as Microsoft, SAP, JDSU, EDS and Digital Equipment Corporation. In the episode of Techopia Live with Ottawa Business Journal publisher Michael Curran, Tremblay delves into the inner workings of Invest Ottawa, including how the organization is adapting to a changing economic climate, an update in the organization’s strategic plan, what comes next for Area X.O and a national expansion for SheBoot. You can read more OBJ coverage of Invest Ottawa on obj.ca.

In this bonus episode of Techopia Live, OBJ publisher Michael Curran talks with Jennifer Teoh, associate partner at EY in Ottawa and Forty Under 40 recipient in 2020. Jennifer works with CFOs and specializes in ESG (environmental, social and governance) reporting. Jennifer says that non-financial reporting data such as ESG is quickly becoming a differentiator for companies, which increasingly need to have quantifiable metrics around their ESG initiatives. Also featured in this episode is Heather Ward, the CEO and co-founder of Hyperion Global Energy. Hyperion says it has developed a groundbreaking carbon recycling system that transforms waste carbon emissions into mineral feedstocks at industrial scale. Ward provides an update on Hyperion and speaks about Ottawa’s growing cleantech sector.

Thanks to the pandemic, it took three years for Fidus Systems to celebrate its 20th anniversary. But CEO Alan Coady says the wait was well worth it. The Kanata-based company recently threw an anniversary bash, gathering most of its employees to mark five years of rapid growth. Coinciding with Coady’s appointment as CEO, the company’s headcount – including contractors – has increased from about 40 to 200 employees since Coady took the helm. Fidus specializes in electronic product development, typically partnering with clients to provide design solutions. Building on its two decades of technology know-how, Fidus now works with the “world’s most advanced technology companies” including Ciena, Cisco, Ericsson, Google, Microsoft and Tesla. In total, Fidus has completed more than 1,000 projects for its clients. In this episode of Techopia Live, Ottawa Business Journal publisher Michael Curran speaks with Coady about what is driving growth at Fidus and how the company will continue to leverage artificial intelligence to improve its technology services.

E-commerce experienced incredible highs during the pandemic followed by the lows that followed the health crisis. This topsy-turvy period has caused leaders at e-commerce companies to rightsize their businesses and adjust to “normalized adoption rates” of their customers. In Ottawa, companies such as Shopify, Noibu and Rewind are working to find the way forward. In this episode of Techopia Live, Ottawa Business Journal publisher Michael Curran talks with Rick Watson, who spent more than 20 years in e-commerce sector entrepreneurship. These days, Watson is based in New York City and operates RMW Commerce Consulting. Watson shares his perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing Shopify, especially when it comes to continuing innovation, staying strategically focused and moving upstream to secure Fortune 500 clients.

It's a common refrain in Ottawa’s technology sector: You can work in the local sector for decades and still be surprised that you don’t know all the success stories. This is the case JSI Telecom, a company founded in 1979 that has developed a global reputation for helping law enforcement, intelligence agencies and security organizations analyze data. JSI has more than 400 employees working around the world in offices near Washington, Frankfurt and Sydney. Just days ago, an external CEO took the helm of the family enterprise. Sacha Gera, a veteran of the local tech sector, who has worked for Nortel, Nokia, CGI, BlackBerry and Calian, is the new CEO, appointed to take the company to the next level, including fully exploring the potential of emerging artificial intelligence technology. Ottawa Business Journal publisher Michael Curran speaks with Gera in this episode of Techopia Live.

You might think the financial and operational success of your technology venture is based on things like sales, marketing, admin, research and development, and you would be partially correct. However, something that’s often forgotten is mental fitness of leaders in those companies – the people who are making daily decisions that impact the company and its team.

Techopia Live is going to the movies! In this episode, Ottawa Business Journal publisher Michael Curran speaks with one of the original employees at Research in Motion (RIM). Matthias Wandel started working at RIM in Waterloo in 1993, years before the company made its breakthrough into mobile messaging and played an important role in developing smartphones. With the launch of the critically acclaimed movie BlackBerry, Wandel takes us on a journey of the early days at RIM and provides a fact check on the movie’s dramatization of handheld device’s development. Join Techopia Live as Wandel contemplates what business lessons can be drawn from the demise of BlackBerry handheld devices.

Angel investing plays a critical role in the life cycle of early stage technology companies. In Ottawa, that role is largely filled by an organization called the Capital Angel Network. One of the top five most active angel groups in Canada, the Capital Angel Network was founded in 2009 and now has more than 40 members. Since inception, the Capital Angel Network has invested more than $65 million in local startups. In this episode of Techopia Live, Ottawa Business Journal publisher Michael Curran speaks with two of the Capital Angel Network leaders, Suzanne Grant and Jennifer Francis. Together, they discuss the opportunity created by a down investment market, the types of companies that should consider angel investing, and how the group is pushing for more diversity in its investments. For more information on the Capital Angel Network, click here: linktr.ee/capitalangels

With widespread remote work being a relatively recent development in Canadian workplaces, employers are facing new challenges. One in particular is the inability to directly supervise employees and the increased trust that must accordingly be placed in them, something that is not without risk.

Transportation and logistics companies have benefited from the widespread changes brought about by the pandemic. The shift to e-commerce over the past two years might have slowed down as health restrictions were lifted, but there is no turning back online ordering. Look no further than your average residential street and the number of trucks doing deliveries. Also, the shift to onshoring of manufacturing means that raw materials are being shipped more frequently by road, water and air. Eastern Ontario is already demonstrating that it's poised to become a transportation and logistics hub thanks to several advantages. With Hwy. 401 ‒ Canada’s busiest highway ‒ the shipping corridor of the St. Lawrence Seaway, the deep water port at Johnstown, air links and proximity to the U.S. border, more large warehouses are being erected and associated transportation companies are flourishing. These new companies are increasingly sophisticated, harnessing modern technology like robotics and sensors to track inventory and shipping. In this special podcast, the Eastern Ontario Business Journal’s Michael Curran turns spotlight to three transportation and logistics companies are evolving and expanding. Podcast guests include Ben Poirier from Minimax Express Inc., Jesse Mitchell from Strader-Ferris International and Jordi Wills from Wills Transfer Ltd. The podcast is complemented by a special report in Eastern Ontario Business Journal that can be found here: www.eobj.ca.

Thousands of job seekers converged at the Brookstreet Hotel in Kanata on March 28 to meet face-to-face with local technology companies who are hiring. The event, called Discover Technata, has become the largest technology recruitment event in Ottawa, this year attracting approximately 4,000 people and 40 companies. In this episode of Techopia Live, Ottawa Business Journal publisher Michael Curran speaks with Amanda Gordon of Kanata North Business Association and Amy MacLeod of MDA, an international space mission partner, robotics and satellite systems company with an office in Kanata. The discussion focused on the topsy-turvy technology recruitment scene with some local companies starving for talent and others shedding jobs. For more information on the tech sector in Kanata, visit the OBJ website here: https://obj.ca/company/kanata-north-business-association/

In this special episode of Techopia Live, we'll be diving into the world of artificial intelligence, a rapidly growing field that is transforming the way we interact with technology. AI is being used in a wide range of industries, from healthcare and finance to transportation and entertainment, and has the potential to revolutionize the way we live and work. Joining us today is the University of Ottawa's Dr. Herna Viktor, one of the AI thought leaders in Ottawa who will be sharing their insights and perspectives on the latest developments in this exciting field. By the way, this intro was written by ChatGPT!

Invest Ottawa, the city’s lead economic development agency, recently celebrated a big milestone, its 10th anniversary. At its home, Bayview Yards, and virtually, Invest Ottawa delivers a wide range of programs to new entrepreneurs and established businesses. Select companies are invited into accelerator and scale-up programs. In the episode of Techopia Live, Ottawa Business Journal publisher Michael Curran speaks with Nick Quain, vice-president of venture for Invest Ottawa. Three award-winning companies ‒ Ekidna Sensing, LearnExperts and Trellis ‒ that benefited from Invest Ottawa programs are featured. Quain shares his take on why these companies could be the next big thing in technology in Ottawa.

We know that equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) can help foster a more productive workplace and create a place where your employees can thrive. But a recent Gallagher survey found that 60 percent of employers still lack a clearly articulated EDI strategy — and by that we mean more than a sentence or two in a policy book. With so many approaches to EDI training available, it’s understandable for employers to feel overwhelmed about knowing where to start. If you want your team to benefit from diversity training but still have questions, this webinar is for you. PMC Training has brought on diversity trainer Lalith Gunaratne, who believes a “compassion first” approach is the best way to create a safe space where constructive conversations can happen.

A career in the technology sector offers many advantages -- innovation, global markets, a fast-paced and dynamic work environment. For all its allure, one problem persists in the technology sector, including at a local level. It’s the lack of gender equity in the tech labour force. Experts estimate that women make up less than 30 per cent of technology workers and that percentage isn’t rising fast enough. In this episode of Techopia Live, Ottawa Business Journal publisher Michael Curran turns to two local experts in gender equity with very different experiences. Thusha Agombi graduated with an engineering degree more than 20 years ago, spending most of her career working in Ottawa. Charlotte Karam is a researcher and academic who specializes in inclusive human resource systems. She is also the director of the executive MBA program at the Telfer School of Management. In recognition of International Women’s Day 2023, Techopia Live turns its attention to gender equity in the local technology sector.

Are you ready to don a suit of armour, brandish medieval weapons, explore dungeons and slay dragons? If so, be sure to check out Ottawa-based mobile gaming developer Northern Forge Studios. The studio recently caught the attention of serial entrepreneur Jason Flick, who was looking for new projects after vacating the CEO chair at You.i TV. Flick, a Pokémon GO enthusiast, stumbled across Northern Forge game Orna, a GPS role-playing game. Flick was shocked to learn the game’s developer was located in his hometown. Now a co-founder at Northern Forge, Flick is drawing on his entrepreneurial savvy to scale the company. So far, so good. Orna has been downloaded more than 2.3 million times and has more games coming online. In this episode of Techopia Live, Ottawa Business Journal publisher Michael Curran interviews Flick about his newfound passion for mobile gaming.

Have you ever wondered about the future of technology? More specifically about the future of wireless telecommunications networks that are more and more pervasive in our everyday lives? We’re not simply talking about smartphones – think about GPS, or autonomous vehicles. OBJ’s Michael Curran sat down with Halim Yanıkömeroğlu, a professor of Systems and Computer Engineering at Carleton University to talk about what the future of wireless connectivity could like for Ottawa and beyond.

Getting your house in order on the legal front is essential when building a successful technology company. In this bonus episode of Techopia Live, OBJ publisher Michael Curran speaks with Conor Cronin, a corporate and securities lawyer at Perley-Robertson, Hill & McDougall LLP. Cronin shares his thoughts on technology trends for 2023 as they pertain to legal matters.

Network administration, especially when it comes to security, is getting ever more complicated. That’s especially true when you consider powerful trends such as machine learning and the exponential traffic spike coming from 5G. What are network admins to do? Enter Kanata-based Corsa Security, which specializes in network security virtualization. Corsa helps large enterprises and security providers, deploy, scale and optimize virtual firewalls. In this episode of Techopia Live, Ottawa Business Journal publisher Michael Curran speaks with Carolyn Raab, the co-founder and chief product officer of Corsa. She provides the latest on Corsa, including its success, its challenges and what comes next the company as its hits 10 years in business.

What do Canada and Sweden have in common? (Besides the fact they won’t face each other in the World Cup.) Swedish-based global tech design company Syntronic is building its presence in Canada, more specifically Ottawa. Since arriving in Canada, Syntronic has grown its workforce to approximately 550 employees, many of them located in Kanata. This fall, Syntronic continued its growth by acquiring Stittsville-based manufacturing company Lloyd Douglas Solutions. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. This marks the second local acquisition for Syntronic, which previously purchased DragonWave’s operations in 2022. In this episode of Techopia Live, Ottawa Business Journal publisher Michael Curran talks with Syntronic’s senior vice-president, Darrell Wellington, who is based in Kanata. Wellington, who has worked for more than 20 years in the local technology industry for companies such as MOSAID and BlackBerry, says Syntonic is having a big impact on Ottawa and its technology sector.

The pandemic was hard on everybody. From a business perspective, however, few were harder hit than hospitality and tourism operators. People weren’t going out. Events were cancelled. And, as things came roaring back earlier this year, a large number of workers had left the sector. On this week’s Eastern Ontario Business Journal podcast, Phil Gaudreau explores how tourism recovery is looking in eastern Ontario today and what’s in store for 2023. He’s joined by Emilie Williams of Tulips and Maple Catering, Claudia Van Wijk of OWL Rafting, and Ryan Gilbertson of the Ottawa Valley Tourist Association. Be sure to like and subscribe to be notified of future videos from the Ottawa Business Journal!

As the jingle goes, good things groooow in Ontario. As it turns out, good things are made in Ontario too! Maybe you drove to work in an Ontario made car today. When you stopped to blow your nose – ‘tis the season, right? – you might have used a tissue made right here in Ontario. As you sat in your office chair…guess what, eastern Ontario makes furniture too. From planes and trains to boats, from concrete to cables, and from cameras to screens, on this very special edition of the Eastern Ontario Business Journal podcast, host Phil Gaudreau looks at some of the stuff made and built in Eastern Ontario as well as the recently released magazine of the same name. He's joined by JP Giroux of the Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium, Patrick Tallon of Tulmar Safety Systems and Daniel Liao of St Lawrence College. Educators: make sure you check out the STUFF Student Activity Guide available at stuffmadeandbuilt.ca.

Kyle Braatz is on a mission to change health care. That’s a lofty goal, but the company he leads and co-founded is growing in leaps and bounds with revenues exceeding $600 million. In September, Braatz was named the 2022 CEO of the Year by Ottawa Business Journal and the Ottawa Board of Trade. Over almost 12 years, Braatz has taken the company from an idea he and business partners Brad Dyment and Chris Wise hashed out in his living room to a multinational enterprise that provides nutritional supplements and other natural health-care products as well as treatment plans to more than five million patients. Now with 900 employees, about 300 located in Ottawa, Fullscript raised US$240 million in equity financing – the biggest such funding haul in the nation’s capital since the dot-com boom in the early 2000s – and acquired one of its biggest competitors. [CKEBLOCK]adslotposition1_content_embed[/CKEBLOCK] There is no stopping the University of Ottawa alumnus, who is the 23rd recipient of CEO of the Year, joining a who’s who of local business executives, including Shopify co-founder Tobi Lütke, Calian Group’s Kevin Ford and Kinaxis CEO John Sicard. CEO of the Year is sponsored by Boyden, a specialist in executive recruitment with offices in Ottawa. For more about Braatz, read this profile in Ottawa Business Journal: https://obj.ca/article/local/fullscript-co-founder-kyle-braatz-named-ottawas-2022-ceo-year

Canada has a long and successful history in mining. While some might think the industry’s best days are behind it, experts say a convergence of factors ‒ economic, geopolitical and environmental ‒ could mean mining is poised for unprecedented growth in Canada. This growth is critical to Canadian manufacturers, including Ottawa’s own technology sector, because these minerals are key components in electronics hardware. In this episode of Techopia Live, Ottawa Business Journal publisher Michael Curran speaks with Pierre Gratton, the president and CEO of the Mining Association of Canada. Also, Peter Nicholson, president of the Foundation WCPD, talks about a joint event planned with the mining association on Nov. 3 at Hub350 in Kanata. More information about that event here.

Under normal business circumstances, growth is kind of what we expect. You open a business and, assuming you know what you’re doing, you keep introducing new products or improving your existing ones, money gets made, bills get paid. Simple, right? OK, maybe not so simple. Especially during a pandemic. But there are a few businesses in eastern Ontario that have enjoyed significant success during the past two years. In this month's edition of the EOBJ Podcast, host Phil Gaudreau speaks to Anne Howland, editor of the EOBJ, about the Fastest Growing Companies 2022 competition. He also speaks to three top 10 finalists: Sarah Cadorette with Plan A Kingston and Quinte, John Witherspoon from HFI Pyrotechnics, and Kathrine Christensen of Marble Rock Developers. To meet the full top ten, check out our other video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-7DZXcky2I Congratulations to all of our FGC 2022 winners! Be sure to LIKE this video and SUBCRIBE to be notified of future episodes and videos from the OBJ!

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of bikini lines? If you’re part of Ottawa’s tech scene, you might think of an up-and-coming startup that’s quite literally turning heads with its products. Founded in 2016, Bushbalm specializes in “advanced skin care products” that can be used after waxing bikini line areas. Its first big break came in 2020, when Bushbalm appeared on Dragons’ Den and gained lots of media attention. That momentum continues today with Bushbalm ranking first on OBJ’s 2022 Fastest Growing Companies list with three-year revenue growth of 5,570 per cent. In this episode of Techopia Live, OBJ publisher Michael Curran speaks with Bushbalm CEO David Gaylord about his entrepreneurial journey, the Dragons’ Den pitch, how the startup is using marketing automation to drive its sales and what’s next for the Ottawa-based startup.

In this post-pandemic world of work-from-everywhere, IT services are quickly changing. Still, many businesses take these services for granted, things like cloud computing, cybersecurity and network monitoring. This lack of attention can be a big mistake, sometimes even crippling company operations. In this episode of Techopia Live, Ottawa Business Journal publisher speaks with Mitchell Carkner, CEO at Decisive Group Inc. Mitchell, a Forty Under 40 recipient from 2022, has a background that includes almost a decade in the Canadian Armed Forces, many more years at IBM and a two-year stint as the CEO of Decisive Group. Decisive positions itself as a “digital transformation” partner for public and private sector organizations, specializing in IT planning, cloud storage, data centres and increasingly cybersecurity. With work-from-everywhere, Mitchell says there are more network endpoints making IT security more complicated and systems more vulnerable to “bad actors.” Decisive says hiring experts in cybersecurity is becoming more difficult, creating growth opportunities for the Ottawa-based firm, which now boasts approximately 75 employees.

One of Ottawa’s most iconic technology companies is changing its brand after 37 years and boldly looking to the future. Christa Quarles, who has spent two years as CEO, is championing a new corporate brand that better reflects its wide software portfolio, which ranges from CorelDraw to products such as Parallels, which helps users run Windows on a Mac computer. The new corporate name, a variation on “all you do,” could also help with future acquisitions. Quarles says the company will remain committed to Ottawa – it’s hiring right now – but is also embracing the freedom of remote work. Quarles says Alludo is embracing the future of work and looking to create software that facilitates that.

The cost of housing increased dramatically through the pandemic. Politicians of all stripes are proposing a wide variety of remedies to the problem, and the most common one is: build more houses. Ontario's Housing Affordability Task Force and the main Ontario political parties all seem to agree we need 1.5 million new homes by 2031. In this month's EOBJ podcast, Phil Gaudreau gets into how they came up with that number, whether we can actually build that many homes, and why this topic matters with help from Prof. Mike Moffatt of Western University and the Smart Prosperity Institute; Ian Arthur, CEO of nidus3D; and Andy Cockburn, carpenter and president of the Lanark-Leeds Homebuilders Association. Be sure to LIKE and SUBSCRIBE to be notified when new episodes are available. Smart Prosperity Institute report: https://institute.smartprosperity.ca/1.5MillionMoreHomes

Noibu is one of Ottawa’s hottest e-commerce companies. In the 2022 Fastest Growing Companies competition, Noibu reported three-year revenue growth of 1,721 per cent, grabbing second spot in the top-10 ranking. Noibu, which specializes in finding technical bugs in e-commerce sites, continues to gain momentum. In this episode of Techopia Live, OBJ publisher Michael Curran gets the inside story on Noibu with co-founder and CTO Filip Slatinac. The tech exec shares the company’s origin story, explains how Noibu is helping clients and teases what’s next.

After many months of sky-high valuations for privately-held technology companies, record-setting venture capital deals and bullish stock markets, the winds of change are blowing across the technology sector landscape. Some technology stocks have tumbled in value and there are signs that venture capitalists will become more stingy with new and follow-on financings. While many of these shifts are industry wide, Ottawa’s tech sector is not immune to changing economic conditions, as evidenced by the recent Shopify layoffs. If you’re the founder or CFO of a local tech company, what risks should you consider and what actions should you take? In this episode of Techopia Live, OBJ publisher Michael Curran speaks with Susan Richards, the managing partner of Numbercrunch Inc., and Elizabeth Audette-Bourdeau, CEO of Welbi, about financial strategies for changing economic times.

Kinaxis is bucking a downward trend for global technology firms. As others lag, Kinaxis has just opened a multi-million dollar headquarters in Kanata and has also posted record financial results, upping its guidance for investors. Kinaxis CEO John Sicard speaks with Ottawa Business Journal publisher Michael Curran in this episode of Techopia Live podcast.

Canada's unemployment rate dipped below five per cent earlier this year, the lowest it has been since a time when bell bottom pants were all the rage, walkmans played cassette tapes, and a Trudeau was prime minister — just not the current guy. There are signs that things are changing, however. Recent layoffs at companies like Shopify and hints of a recession have affected the hiring situation for a lot of the big players. Yet there remain significant challenges in hiring in many industries and at many small businesses. Today on the Eastern Ontario Business Journal Podcast, Phil Gaudreau speaks to experts from the DiscoverAbility Network (Ontario Chamber of Commerce), Tourism Industry Association of Ontario, and City of Cornwall. They offer up valuable tools, programs and incentives for employers looking to hire. Be sure to LIKE and SUBSCRIBE to stay up to date on the latest videos from the Ottawa Business Journal and Eastern Ontario Business Journal.

Microsoft 365 and Teams have become essential to most companies, especially given the reality of remote work. So what happens when these platforms become unstable or don't work? Enter Martello Technologies, longtime specialist in monitoring and debugging IT networks. The Ottawa-based software maker, publicly traded on the TSX Venture exchange, is undergoing a pivot to grow its client base and revenues. Martello CEO John Proctor speaks with Techopia Live host Michael Curran in this episode.

High-speed internet access? Doesn’t everyone have that? Well, not if you live in some of the more rural or remote regions of our province. This edition of the Eastern Ontario Business Journal Podcast takes a look at the sometimes thorny issue of connectivity with guests Jim Pine from the Eastern Ontario Regional Network; Joe Hickey, CEO of Rock Networks; and Richard Allen on behalf of Frontenac County. The discussion examines what governments of all stripes are doing — or should be doing — to improve rural internet access in Eastern Ontario, what some of the challenges are in getting powerful internet connections out to the countryside, and how the pandemic has changed that conversation in the past two years.

The “right to disconnect” is an issue that has gained prominence over the last few years, especially since the pandemic resulted in many employees working from home for extended periods of time. The Ontario government’s Bill 27, the Working for Workers Act, 2021, amended the Employment Standards Act, 2000 to require employers with 25 or more employees to have written policies in place on disconnecting from work. The initial deadline to put these policies in place was June 2, 2022. While these policies have been commonly described as “right to disconnect” policies, they do not create a freestanding “right to disconnect.” Join Neil Dzuba and Patrick Twagirayezu as they host a webinar alongside OBJ's Michael Curran about the “right to disconnect” and the Bill 27 requirement to implement disconnecting from work policies.

Calian Group CEO Kevin Ford has set a bold goal. Through organic growth and acquisitions, the company wants to achieve $1 billion in annual revenues. Achieving that goal will depend on a series of successful acquisitions. Remarkably, Calian acquired 11 companies during the pandemic. In this episode of Techopia Live, OBJ's Michael Curran and EY's Warren Tomlin co-host to ask Calian's CEO about his M&A playbook.

The deck is stacked against technology startups. Success is an unsure bet. To boost their odds of success, some startups join incubators and accelerators, programs that can speed the pace of growth and overcome common hurdles. In this episode of Techopia Live, OBJ publisher Michael Curran talks with Leo Lax and Stef Reid of L-SPARK, the SaaS accelerator based in Kanata. Lax talks about how corporate accelerator programs are becoming more central to its mission, specifically with companies such as BlackBerry and Calian Group.

When bootstrapped tech entrepreneurs need to take the next step in their development, who do they turn to? In Ottawa, there is a group of early-stage investors who are willing to test assumptions, provide capital and offer guidance. That group is the Capital Angel Network. OBJ publisher Michael Curran talks with its executive director, Suzanne Grant in this episode of Techopia Live.

Ottawa has a multicultural technology sector workforce, including immigrants from around the world. When Russian tanks started to roll into the Ukraine weeks ago, a number of tech sector leaders, especially those with Ukrainian roots, jumped into action. Watching a mass exodus of Ukrainian refugees, these volunteers wondered if Ottawa could provide a safe haven for people fleeing the war-torn country. In this episode of Techopia Live, OBJ publisher Michael Curran talks with two volunteers from UkrainetoCanada.org, Kostyantyn Khomutov and Olga Davidson.

It is the perennial question for emerging technology firms. What is the right path to grow revenues and scale? For Trellis the right path was a $1.5-million seed funding round to accelerate growth. For Lightship Security there was a different path. Lightship recently agreed to be acquired by a Spanish cybersecurity firm that does business in 70 countries. Two Ottawa-based companies. Two very different growth strategies. OBJ OBJ publisher Michael Curran and Numbercrunch co-founder Susan Richards co-host this lively discussion about growth strategies for technology companies.

It’s a trap that many founders fall into. They’re so focused on research and development or building out a product that they fail to properly organize their new business venture. Important documents like shareholder agreements get misplaced. They also fail to track and protect valuable intellectual property. Two female founders from Ottawa have a possible solution. It’s called Fortress.Legal. In this episode of Techopia Live, OBJ publisher Michael Curran speaks with Natalie Raffoul about the SaaS startup.

In this episode of Talking Tourism, Mark Sutcliffe chats with Mark Goudie about the importance of Lansdowne to Ottawa's tourism sector and how the community space has become Ottawa premiere meeting place for sports, festivals and business events. Talking Tourism is sponsored by Ottawa Tourism: https://ottawatourism.ca/en

Ottawa-based BluMetric is riding high these days on a green wave. That's true from an environmental engineering perspective and when it comes to the company's financial results. The cleantech firm ended its fiscal 2021 with sales growth of 24 per cent, leading to record revenue and a record EBITDA of $5.3 million. The strong financials allowed BluMetric to post a top-50 performance on the TSX Venture exchange. In this episode of Techopia Live, OBJ publisher Michael Curran talks with the CEO of BluMetric, Scott McFabe, about how his team plans to leverage the improved financial performance into new opportunities and growth potential.

What changing COVID rules mean for employment policies? How must employers react? And if COVID-19 policies need updating, what key changes must be made? Finding the right answers doesn’t have to be complicated. Emond Harnden LLP, one of Ottawa’s leading labour and employment law firms, is here to guide employers through these critical updates.

During the pandemic, many businesses and consumers have experienced problems related to an ongoing shortage of semiconductor chips. That “chipset famine” is manifesting itself in a shortage of automobiles, computers, smartphones and other devices. In this episode of Techopia Live, OBJ publisher Michael Curran speaks with a technology sector veteran with more than 30 years of experience in semiconductors. This episode features a discussion with the president and CEO of CMC Microsystems, Gordon Harling.

Experts say that quantaum computing could arrive as soon as 2025. This evolution in computing will bring many benefits and some significant threats. Among those threats is the likelihood that quantum computing will break today's digital encryption. Quantropi, founded in Ottawa in 2018, is working to counteract the quantum threat. In this episode of Techopia Live, OBJ publisher Michael Curran speaks with Quantropi co-founder James Nguyen about the start-up, its solution and what to expect in 2022.

Techopia is making its own news. In this episode, OBJ publisher Michael Curran speaks with EY Ottawa managing partner Warren Tomlin. Having cut his teeth at Corel in the 1990s, Tomlin shares his observations on the local tech sector and how Techopia and EY will support its growth.

When the Ottawa-based CEO of IMI wanted a better understanding of how his employees were doing, he set out to build Rhonda, an AI-powered digital persona that could check in with employees and monitor their satisfaction. Now Rudi Asseer is taking Rhonda to market as a SaaS solution that other companies can use to connect with employees and strengthen company culture.

It started as an informal group for rookie CEOs, including Tobias Lutke of Shopify, who would meet for coffee or drinks. Years later, the group known as Fresh Founders is gaining momentum in terms of members and financial resources. In 2022, Fresh Founders is considering focusing on more cities and creating a more formal structure. In this episode of Techopia Live, OBJ publisher Michael Curran speaks with Solon Angel, the founder of MindBridge and someone who is looking to play a bigger role in Fresh Founders.

In part two of an interview with Knak, OBJ publisher Michael Curran talks with Knak CEO Pierce Ujjainwalla about the Ottawa-based software company’s US$25-million venture capital raise from Insight Partners. Ujjainwalla talks about how the venture capital was secured and how it will be used to accelerate the company’s growth.

If you’re someone who thinks email marketing is a thing of the past, think again. Knak is an Ottawa-based software company that specializes in codeless email marketing and landing pages. Knak has 25 million reasons why email marketing is a technology product that is ripe for innovation. In this episode of Techopia Live, OBJ publisher Michael Curran talks with Knak CEO Pierce Ujjainwalla.

In this episode of Techopia Live, Alvaro Pombo reviews the financial fundamentals for Ottawa-based ProntoForms and shares pearls of wisdom on how to lead a growth-oriented micro-cap in the Canadian market. The 20-year CEO also explores the challenge of enterprise sales growing at scale and the values that ProntoForms holds at its core.

Alvaro Pombo has very deep roots in Ottawa’s technology sector. He was CIO of Newbridge Networks way back in 1999, when it was sold to Alcatel. Instead of staying with the buyer, Pombo reflected on his earlier career, when he helped ExxonMobil with IT automation for field workers. It was this experience that led to the founding of ProntoForms, where Pombo recently celebrated 20 years as its founder and CEO.

In May 2019, Paul Vallee made a bold move. He decided to sell a majority stake in Pythian to instead focus his considerable expertise and talents on a spinoff called Tehama. That startup specializes in something called “desktop as a service” and says it wants to be the technology platform for any work that happens with a keyboard and mouse. With a pandemic disrupting work and instantly creating millions of remote workers, Vallee says Tehama its market opportunity has grown one hundred fold.

Artificial intelligence is one of the most powerful technology trends in the world. When it comes to AI, Ottawa has a notable enterprise leading the way. Almost seven years ago, Solon Angel and a small team founded MindBridge AI. Think of it like anti-virus for financial statements. It’s product uses AI and machine learning to find errors in financials and sometimes fraud. In this episode of Techopia Live, OBJ publisher Michael Curran speaks with Solon Angel about the company’s history and its future.

Having held off raising capital for years, Ottawa-based startup Rewind landed a bonanza of cash in 2021, a total of US$80-million in venture capital. In this bonus episode of Techopia Live, OBJ publisher Michael Curran speaks with Rewind CEO Mike Potter and the money raised, the expectations set and what comes next in 2022.

In this bonus episode of Techopia Live podcast, OBJ publisher Michael Curran dives into the backstory of one of Ottawa's hottest technology firms, Rewind. Co-founders Mike Potter and James Ciesielski share their beginnings in the technology sector and the origin story of Rewind.

When you think about high potential technology companies based in Ottawa, Assent Compliance is near the top of that list. In this episode of Techopia Live, Assent Compliance CEO Andrew Waitman gives an update the company that many say will become the city's next unicorn.

One of Ottawa's veteran technology sector CEOs reflects on the technology sector almost two years into a pandemic and gazes into the crystal ball to prognosticate about 2022. Ottawa Business Journal publisher Michael Curran speaks with Assent Compliance CEO Andrew Waitman in this episode of Techopia Live podcast.

More companies are incorporating artificial intelligence into their business operations. Yet few executives consider how they will monitor or mitigate the potential biases and risks of AI. In this episode of Techopia Live host Sherry Aske speaks with Niraj Bhargava, CEO of NuEnergy.ai, an Ottawa-based company that helps its clients measure and manage trust in AI technology.

In this episode of Behind the Headlines podcast, Ottawa Business Journal publisher Michael Curran speaks to Paul Guindon, CEO of Commissionaires Ottawa Group, about an acquisition that creates a security powerhouse with nearly 5,000 local employees a more than $250 million in annual revenue. Also, Nelligan Law's Eytan Rip talks about the Ontario government's decision to extend the Worker Income Protection Benefit until July 2022.

More companies are incorporating artificial intelligence into their business operations. Yet few executives consider how they will monitor or mitigate the potential biases and risks of AI. In this episode of Techopia Live host Sherry Aske speaks with Niraj Bhargava, CEO of NuEnergy.ai, an Ottawa-based company that helps its clients measure and manage trust in AI technology.

In this episode of Talking Tourism, Mark Sutcliffe sits down with the RA Centre's Tosha Rhodenizer to hear about the latest initiatives happening at the legendary sports facility.

Learn how Algonquin helps companies such as Mercury Filmworks and Nokia find talent in this challenging labour market.

In this episode of Behind the Headlines podcast, Ottawa Business Journal publisher Michael Curran speaks to editor David Sali about the second largest commercial real estate deal in Ottawa history. Nelligan Law's Bryan Thaw provides more legal tips on investment properties. Plus, Mary Rowe, one of Canada's leading urban experts ponders the future of central business districts in a post-pandemic world.

Learning how to incorporate accessibility into a workplace not only expands companies’ labour pools, but also works to make employment an accessible, tangible possibility for all Canadians.

Right now, most companies understand the importance and value of data, but are simply overwhelmed by the sheer volume of it and lack a strategy for leveraging it effectively.

Ottawa start-up Creative Layer is launching with $3-million in funding behind it and a plan to capture an emerging sector within the product personalization market. In this episode of Techopia Live, host Sherry Aske speaks with Creative Layer CEO Nazim Ahmed, who is coming off an exit from Canvaspop.com.

In this episode of Behind the Headlines podcast, Ottawa Business Journal publisher Michael Curran speaks to editor David Sali about an avalanche of private investment in Ottawa's technology sector, Nelligan Law's Bryan Thaw give legal tips on investment properties and the Ottawa Board of Trade's Sueling Ching previews the 2021 Best Ottawa Business Awards virtual celebration.

When the pandemic hit, Ottawa-based Bandzoogle didn’t miss a beat. The online platform for musicians flipped its business model and added new tools to help artists engage with fans. In this episode of Techopia Live podcast, host Sherry Aske talks with Bandzoogle CEO Stacey Bedford to determine how the company has maintained 18 years of dominance as the number one website builder for musicians.

In this episode of Behind the Headlines podcast, OBJ publisher Michael Curran talks to editor David Sali about a record setting US$240 million investment in Ottawa-based Fullscript. The company's CEO, Kyle Braatz, and its chief medical officer, Dr. Jeffrey Gladd, explore the possible impact of the massive venture capital deal. Finally, Malini Vijaykumar of Nelligan Law talks about the "right to disconnect" in the age of work from anywhere.

The talent shortage is particularly acute in the technology sector, which needs employees with highly specialized skills. Some Ottawa tech companies are recruiting foreign talent to help fill their needs. Warren Creates, an immigration law specialist from Perley-Robertson Hill & McDougall LLP, talks about how the pandemic impacted immigration and the right questions to ask before embracing this recruitment strategy.

In this episode of Behind the Headlines podcast, OBJ publisher Michael Curran talks to editor David Sali about how the pandemic and environmental goals might cause the federal government to reassess its downtown office portfoilio, Nelligan Law's Malini Vijaykumar provides an update on mandatory vacinne policies and WCPD's Peter Nicholson reports on major charitable gifts during the pandemic.

Less than five years ago, the co-founders of Wicket set out to disrupt an industry by launching an integrated platform to help associations manage their data. Fast forward to 2021, and the company has bootstrapped its way to the list of Ottawa's fastest growing companies and is rapidly expanding into the US market.

At a time when the competition for good employees is intense, Ottawa Business Journal speaks to the experts at Meldrum Horne and Associates to explore how company-sponsored retirement savings plans can forge a deeper connection with employees.

In this episode of the Behind the Headlines podcast, Ottawa Business Journal publisher Michael Curran speaks with editor David Sali about Bruce Linton's plan to salvage Ruckify through a merger with Fat Llama, a U.K. rental platform. Also, part two of a discussion with Nelligan Law's Jim Anstey about how to mitigate the legal risks when employees work from home. Finally, Krista Kealey of the Ottawa International Airport Authority provides an update on local air travel.