Ottawa Business Journal

Plantaform is beginning the new year with a bang. The Gatineau-based company, which aims to “revolutionize smart indoor gardening,” just kickstarted its U.S. expansion by exhibiting at CES 2025 in Las Vegas. At CES, Plantaform won three major awards, including Best of Innovation in the food and agritech category. The company will also be featured in CBC’s Dragon’s Den in February, plus showcase it...

There is a global race to embrace AI. Countries and regions are making investments and mapping out strategies to accelerate AI adoption. Amidst this flurry of activity, something more grassroots is happening in Ottawa. A volunteer-run organization called AI Tinkerers Ottawa, established in late 2023, has surged to 800 members. This isn’t just a group of AI enthusiasts. On the contrary, only “high...

TiE Ottawa held its annual conference at Carleton University’s Richcraft Hall at Carleton University on Nov. 8. Hundreds attended to explore the theme of “Disruptive Entrepreneurship: AI and Emerging Technologies.” The conference boasted an impressive line-up of speakers, including Mike Potter of Rewind, Peter O’Blenis of DistillerSR, John Findlay of LemonadeLXP, Kenton White of askpolly and many...

AI was front and centre at SaaS North 2024, which took over the Rogers Centre in Ottawa on Nov. 13-14. Attendees contemplated how AI is disrupting the tech sector, specifically how it’s enabling many SaaS companies to add functionality and experiment with new go-to-market strategies. Techopia Live correspondent Riaz Sidi was on location at SaaS North, speaking with many high-profile attendees. His...

The biggest tech event of the year rolled into Ottawa on Nov. 13. SaaS North, a two-day conference, attracted hundreds of tech leaders from across Canada and beyond to hear from keynote speakers such as digital marketing legend Neil Patel, Tealbook founder Stephany Lapierre, Certn founder Andrew Mcleod and many others. The conference, which is co-produced by L-Spark, delivered a “notoriously tacti...

Techopia Live was on the road for November’s TechTuesday, organized by Wesley Clover Corp. The monthly event brought together tech and political leaders for an engaging discussion on Kanata North’s role in fostering Ottawa’s growth as a global tech hub. The panel, moderated by Veronica Farmer of Wesley Clover, included Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, Councillor Cathy Curry, Stephen Willis of Stantec and Kel...

The first-ever issue of Kingston Business Journal is off the press! A sister publication to Eastern Ontario Business Journal and Ottawa Business Journal, this new publication brings local business news coverage to Kingston, Ontario. In this podcast, host Michael Curran speaks with editor-in-chief Anne Howland to get a preview of the issue. Donna Gillespie, CEO of Kingston Economic Development, sha...

If you study the history of the most successful tech centres in the United States ‒ think about places such as Silicon Valley, Boston and North Carolina ‒ that have a common element. In all these places, entrepreneurship and innovation were built on the foundations of universities and colleges. This collaboration between the private sector and post-secondary institutions provides many advantages,...

These are uncertain days for technology executives looking to secure venture capital. The sky-high valuations from the pandemic have tumbled and macroeconomic factors, ranging from high interest rates to runaway inflation, have cooled public and private investment markets. This dramatic change in venture capital is captured in a recent report from BDC Capital. The report indicates the number of VC...

In this episode of Techopia Live, OBJ publisher Michael Curran interviews Brian Kells, a corporate and securities lawyer from Perley-Robertson, Hill & McDougall, discussing the role of AI in the tech sector and its legal ramifications. The following transcript has been edited for clarity and length. TECHOPIA: Brian, can you share a little bit about yourself and what you do at Perley? KELLS: I'm a...

Are you a tech startup that is starving for cash? Or are you an established company that is doing innovative research? How would you like to receive tens of thousands of dollars or hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual recurring incentives from the federal government? In this episode of Techopia Live podcast, OBJ publisher Michael Curran interviews Matt Pearson, who helps lead EY’s tax incent...

It’s precisely the time of year when work is winding down and even busy executives are shifting priorities to accommodate summer vacation. The question is, what’s the best way to disconnect from the hustle and bustle of work? Ottawa-based RVezy has an answer to that question: escape to the great outdoors. The online marketplace for recreational vehicle rentals has taken Canada by storm. Co-founded...

More than 20 years after its founding, TrueContext Corp. has been acquired by U.S. private equity firm Battery Ventures in an all-cash deal valued at approximately $150 million. The change in ownership is a big milestone for its founder, Alvaro Pombo, a native of Colombia and former CIO of Newbridge Networks. Pombo founded TrueContext, formerly known as ProntoForms, in 2001 and led the company to...

What if you could disrupt one of the world’s oldest industries with IoT and artificial intelligence and significantly reduce its carbon footprint? Wouldn’t that be a game changer? That is precisely what Ottawa’s Giatec Scientific is doing. Now 14 years into its mission, Giatec has commercialized academic research into a complete suite of solutions for the world’s $800-billion concrete industry. It...

A who’s who from the Ottawa-Gatineau technology community came together on May 8 to celebrate the second annual Techopia-EY Insights magazine. More than 200 guests gathered at Queen St. Fare to get their hands on the first copies of the magazine. Themed “A new lens on Ottawa’s tech ecosystem,” the magazine included features that examined the state of the sector from many perspectives, including lo...

Join us for an engaging webinar on the transformative impact of acoustic pods in today's workplace environment. Acoustic pods have emerged as an innovative solution by providing focus-friendly spaces, flexibility for varied work types and environments that adapt to the needs of users. In this session, we will tap into the evolving needs of modern work, and how to revolutionize your workplace. Don’...

If you’re looking to work for a local technology company, be warned, the job market has shifted. Only a few years ago, HR departments were clamouring for fresh recruits. That’s not necessarily the case today, when many tech firms are laying off staff and cutting costs. In this uncertain job market, the Kanata North Business Association organized its annual job fair, Discover Technata, attracting m...

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...

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...

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 pr...

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, t...

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 e...

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...

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 N...

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 ow...