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The BetaKit Podcast Channel features weekly podcasts discussing both Canadian tech and innovation, as well as global tech from a Canadian perspective.
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If your Twitter feed’s a dumpster fire, and your dinner table discussions aren’t what they used to be, The Backbench has the insights you need on Canada's most important political issues. Each Tuesday, we’ll ask bold questions and offer sharp analysis, giving you the tools to challenge any perspective — maybe even your own. With the next federal election looming, you’ll want us in your ears and your back pocket. The Backbench is made by Noor Azrieh, Aviva Lessard and Sam Konnert. Hosted on A ...
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Sault Ste. Marie, ON: So effin good (ft. Douglas Soltys)
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Today we are bringing you a great episode from our friends at Canardian! Sault Ste. Marie. Population 71,000. A place best known as the hometown of Roberta Bondar, the first woman in space, Treble Charger, and countless NHL players. Douglas Soltys, host of The BetaKit Podcast, joins the show (instead of going to therapy) to discuss the best pizza i…
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After a couple of weeks of pats on the back and trying to find Pierre Poilievre a new home, we’re finally seeing how Mark Carney’s government plans to tackle the country’s biggest problems and who he’s putting in charge to do it. Next week, King Charles is set to kick off parliament with the throne speech, and we’ll finally have MPs back in the Hou…
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Why Faire’s co-founder wants to bring Silicon Valley’s DNA to Canada
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“ I think every ecosystem is different, but we can learn a lot from Silicon Valley, and we can merge what we have here.” Faire co-founder and Chief Architect Marcelo Cortes explains his journey from Brazil to Canada, how working in Kitchener-Waterloo connected him to Silicon Valley, and the process of applying the lessons learned there to his compa…
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Mark Carney promised tougher bail and more police – a “get tough” agenda that the Liberals shoplifted right off the Conservative shelf. Host Noor sits down with Adelina Iftene, a criminal law professor, who calls Mark Carney’s revival of “tough on crime” a “slippery slope”. Will Mark Carney’s revival of “tough on crime” fix anything? What actually …
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Half of the internet is bots and they’re feeding you lies
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“Bad actors are weaponizing AI faster than governments and enterprises are using AI to combat it.” New data shows that more than half of all internet traffic comes from bots, and a third of those bots have malicious intent. Koat.ai co-founder Connor Ross joins to discuss the impact of the disinformation and defamation campaigns these bots run, how …
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Bruce Fanjoy - The Liberal Who Took Pierre's Riding
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Pierre Poilievre is packing his bags to rural Alberta, after losing his seat to Bruce Fanjoy. How the hell did Fanjoy do it? We asked him. Plus, pollster David Coletto breaks down things you may have missed in the election results. Host: Sam Konnert Credits: Aviva Lessard (Senior Producer), Sam Konnert (Host/Producer), Noor Azrieh (Producer), Caleb…
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2025’s angel investor of the year has a plan for Canadian tech
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“I feel like doing this is one of the greatest gifts of my life. Working with these people energizes me.” Joe Canavan, principal at Canavan Capital, is Canada’s 2025 Angel of the Year. Recorded live at the NACO Summit in Ottawa, Canavan discusses his passion and enthusiasm for investing in tech after a career in finance, and what Canada should do t…
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Carney wins, Poilievre loses, Jagmeet steps down. What went down? Politico’s Mickey Djuric breaks it down for us, way past bedtime. Host: Noor Azrieh Credits: Aviva Lessard (Senior Producer), Sam Konnert (Producer), Noor Azrieh (Host/Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Max Collins (Director of Audio) Jesse Brown (Editor…
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How does an online car retailer survive a trade war?
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“I think for any entrepreneur that’s navigated the last five years, I don’t know if there was a worse time to be building a company.” Clutch found a new gear for its business after a post-pandemic lull … just in time for tariffs to hit. Dan Park (CEO) and Stephen Seibel (COO) join to discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated online car retail, …
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BONUS: The Candidates Caught on Doorbell Cams
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It’s the final election stretch, and the vetting continues. This week we talk conversion therapy, million-dollar pyramid schemes, & the dangers of doorbell cameras Host: Sam Konnert, Noor Azrieh Credits: Aviva Lessard (Senior Producer), Sam Konnert (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Max Collins (Director of Audio) Jes…
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While most Canadians are gearing up to head to the polls, some are looking for an escape plan. This week, we’re examining the deep roots of Western alienation, Danielle Smith’s separatist flirtations, and what could erupt if Mark Carney’s Liberals sweep to power. To do that, producer Sam Konnert heads out to Alberta to talk to some voters, and call…
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How Toronto Tech Week plans to host 10,000 people this June
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“ Toronto Tech Week belongs to everyone. Toronto Tech Week is by definition a platform, and it succeeds or fails by the virtue of all the hosts and all of the ecosystem in Toronto wanting to participate.” Filling the summer event gap that Collision left in the city, Toronto Tech Week plans to host 10,000 people attending over 100 events this June. …
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There are 1959 people running to represent YOU in this federal election in the year of our lord 2025 - and we’re looking for dirt. This week - a liberal candidate that didn’t want to be a distraction was replaced by an EVEN bigger distraction, a far-right media personality has some INSANE takes, and independent candidate Elliot Moose is on the loos…
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Political Animals in the Wild (a Field Report from Ottawa)
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With two weeks out from election day, Ottawa is buzzing. Staffers are partying late into the night and reporting to work at 7 a.m., Chipotle’s are turning into war rooms, and the polls are telling stories. We went to three party-specific events in Ottawa for a pulse check on how people feel in the nation’s capital. From 11-year-old door knockers to…
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Eric Migicovsky’s crazy journey to relaunch Pebble
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“ At the end of the day, I really wanted a Pebble. It didn't exist. No one was building anything remotely like it. So I, without really knowing what I was doing, decided to go and make it.” Almost 10 years after Pebble’s demise, Eric Migicovsky is back building smartwatches. The Canadian behind some of the largest Kickstarter projects of all time e…
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BONUS: The Garfield Porn Guy Running for Parliament
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It’s an election, we’re googling your candidate. There's a candidate for the Green Party who’s actively campaigning for the Conservative Party. There’s a famous YouTuber candidate with an icky social media history, there’s a guy who is promising to fix housing problems that HE created. And then we’ll get to the explicit Garfield porn. It gets crazy…
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Last week, Pierre Poilievre said tick tock goes your biological clock. This was the first time that host Noor Azrieh noticed, during the campaign, that someone (anyone!) was speaking to women directly and explicitly. And it prompted a wave of pushback…and some praise. The gap between men and women is widening. If the election happened today, and on…
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“ It's worth it. Because this deserves to live. We've gotten it far enough that this deserves to actually come to fruition. I don't think there is another company in the world today that actually is closer to this sci-fi dream.” Revisiting BetaKit’s January interview with SRTX founder Katherine Homuth about her company’s ambitious goal to modernize…
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There are hundreds of unvetted candidates vying for a seat in Parliament… Canada has 343 federal electoral districts stretching from coast to coast to coast. In every riding, candidates are stepping up…some for the first time. This means there are hundreds of unvetted candidates vying for a seat in Parliament. This week, we’re looking at a few stan…
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