Plus: Fight brews over Magnet Forensics’ proposed $1.8 billion acquisition.
Welcome to BetaKit’s startup stories of the week! Here, you will find the week’s most important news, features, and editorials published on BetaKit.
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Top Stories of the Week
Jobber closes $100 million USD Series D amid strong demand for home services
As other tech companies face difficulty raising cash, Jobber has secured capital with claims its customer base has seen strong demand from consumers for necessary home services.
Fight brews over Magnet Forensics’ proposed $1.8 billion acquisition by Thoma Bravo
Nellore opposes the Canadian cybersecurity firm’s acquisition by American private equity giant Thoma Bravo on the grounds that the current price tag undervalues Magnet.
Thinkific, WonderFi, VerticalScope face leadership changes following layoffs
Thinkific, WonderFi, and VerticalScope are the latest companies to publicly announce departures in their leadership teams as the tech sector grapples with a volatile market.
Alphabet commences Canadian layoffs
While American staff were let go when the six percent reduction was first announced, international workers, including those in Canada, had yet to be informed about whether they were affected.
Mark Usher named CIBC Innovation Banking lead after Mark McQueen announces departure
Usher has been named the president and executive managing director of CIBC Innovation Banking and senior vice-president of Innovation Banking. Usher will assume his new role on February 28.
As unregulated crypto players collapse around the world, Netcoins expands into the US
Netcoins is one of the 11 crypto trading platforms currently registered with securities regulators in Canada. The company is also one of the first and only regulated Canadian crypto firms to expand into the US to date.
Report maps Indigenous representation in BC tech, calls for need to address systemic barriers
They were one of a number of respondents in the report from the First Nations Technology Council (FNTC) that stresses that for the equitable participation of Indigenous people in the tech sector, adequate support and access to opportunities are needed.
Latest Funding, Acquisitions, and Layoffs
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VAN – Levr.ai – $1M (read more)
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WIN – Conquest Planning – $24M (read more)
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TOR – RBC acquires Canadian operations of Ojo (read more)
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TOR – Peggy – $10.8M (read more)
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TOR – Koho lays off 14 percent (read more)
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OTT – Raven.ai – $12M (read more)
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MTL – GSoft acquires Didacte (read more)
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HAL – NovaResp Technologies – $2M (read more)
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HAL – The Rounds – $1.6M (read more)
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STJ – SiftMed – $2.7M (read more)
POWERED BY: CANADA FOUNDATION FOR INNOVATION Make 2023 your year for innovation
Mitacs and the Canada Foundation for Innovation are collaborating to help Canadian startups and tech innovators jumpstart their business with access to project funding, state-of-the-art labs, and business development and research experts.
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WHAT COMES AFTER THE ATTENTION ECONOMY?
“We all want AI to do our jobs for us—the boring parts. What we’re doing here is making computers more human-like, and sadly, they’re getting all the fun jobs. Because those are the jobs that don’t have to be perfect.”
Entrepreneur and author Alistair Croll joins to discuss what will become scarce and what will become abundant in the new economy created by generative AI.
WHY I KILLED MY STARTUP
“It’s not like a light comes down from heaven and says ‘now you shall stop your company.’ But, man, was it very difficult emotionally.”
Entrepreneur and BetaKit Podcast co-host Rob Kenedi explains the process of launching and eventually shuttering his startup, Staid.
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