Tech Uncensored - An Altitude Accelerator Podcast

If you had asked me even a year ago whether we would experience the rampant strides in AI that has made humans significantly more productive, more trusting of the technology and more willing to innovate as we march towards a more sophisticated AI, I would have my doubts. In the last year, we have witnessed LLMs evolve and have seen the rise of Generative AI capabilities. Adoption rates with the im...

In this episode of Tech Uncensored, we speak with someone who has worked on both sides of the aisle from supporting entrepreneurs to more recently, deciding to take the leap fully into developing her own startup. Usha Srinivasan is an Ecosystem Builder. She has worked in Economic Development for 15 years supporting startup entrepreneurs in program development through MaRS, Elevate and most recentl...

You’re ready to raise capital. As a founder, the timing feels right. You’ve built momentum, gained sales traction, and investors are showing genuine interest in your technology. The investor conversations are encouraging — they’re asking the right questions and showing serious intent. You're starting to explore what a deal might look like: how much they’ll invest, and how much of your company...

Today, data privacy is under attack, posing a threat to democracy and each of our individual freedoms. What we’re witnessing today in the rise of illiberalism and a clear cardinal dereliction of our laws which guarantees the fundamental rights for those in democratic societies. The current U.S. administration has moved to deregulate big tech, and shift priorities away from stricter oversight. This...

We are at a critical juncture when generative AI's impact on copyright law is being hotly debated. The ambiguity surrounding AI-generated works' authorship and ownership has led to numerous lawsuits against AI companies. As of late 2024, there were at least 30 major copyright lawsuits against generative AI companies related to image copyright infringement. NOW, more recently, there was a landmark...

AI has gained significant momentum in service professions, especially in the legal sector, has attracting substantial venture capital investment and transforming traditional workflows. In 2023 survey, 73% of legal professionals said planned on integrating AI into their legal work. Lawyers commented that these tools are becoming increasingly significant in their daily work, as legal solutions are a...

At Altitude we support the growth and commercialization of early stage startups. We want to celebrate one company, MyCoFutures, and its founders, Stephanie Lipp and Leo Gillis. MyCo Futures is a materials innovation startup now based in Montreal, Canada. Founded in 2021, MycoFutures specializes in developing a sustainable, mycelium-based leather alternative for the fashion industry. Stephanie and...

In early February 2025, the United States, under Donald Trump, imposed significant tariffs on Canadian imports. Effective February 4, these tariffs included a 25% duty on general goods and a 10% duty on energy resources from Canada. The stated rationale was to pressure Canada to enhance border security and curb illegal drug flows into the U.S. This, we now know, is a red herring. The implementatio...

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has decided to end its third-party fact-checking program. This move was announced by CEO Mark Zuckerberg in a video titled “More speech and fewer mistakes.” According to Zuckerberg, the decision to remove fact-checking is driven by the belief that fact-checking organizations have been politically biased and have undermined trust. Instead of relyi...

There are numerous articles, opinions, and perspectives about how to effectively pitch to investors. What elements should be included? Content is just one side of the equation. However, when you pitch to investors, you only have a short window to create an impression. How you pitch is just as important as what you pitch. Delivering a compelling pitch is important for startups seeking investment, s...

For startup founders, investment is often the key to accelerating growth. But decision to seek outside investment requires careful consideration and preparation. Once a founder decides it's time to pursue external funding, they must be prepared for the demands of the process and know that fundraising requires significant time and resources, outside of day-to-day operations. There are many things t...

We’re diving into transfer pricing strategies for startups who want to expand their businesses globally. Transfer pricing refers to the prices charged for goods, services, between related entities within a multinational enterprise (MNE). A Canadian startup with subsidiaries or parent companies in other countries may set transfer prices when trading internally across borders. These prices affect wh...

2024 has been a hard year for startup companies. Access to investment has been lower compared to prior years and many companies have buckled down to try to preserve their cashflow in anticipation of further dry spells. The year began with massive layoffs in the larger tech organizations and in Canada we’ve been left with a glut of highly skilled tech workers with little employment opportunities. W...

As Generative AI adoption soars, so do many opportunities to advance current systems. But we're also seeing is the soaring risks that are uniquely the result of these large language models. According to McKinsey's 2024 Global Survey on AI, overall, AI adoption in enterprise has jumped to 72%, up from 50% in previous years. Implementation Time: Most organizations report taking 1-4 months to put gen...

Clean energy isn't just a dream, but it is a thriving reality. We’re standing at a threshold as the global community races against time to meet ambitious climate goals, and with the convergence of new policies, investments and incentives away from fossil fuels, the Canadian government estimates that up to $140 billion in annual investment is needed to reach net zero emissions. As we begin to see m...

The next generation of artificial intelligence is taking the world by storm. We’re seeing rampant innovation from the startup communities innovating from the emergence of large language models. Businesses in Canada, however are slower to hop on this band wagon. The adoption of generative AI in Canada varies significantly by industry. Sectors such as finance, healthcare, and technology have seen hi...

Brian Coleman is the visionary and Founder of Heart2Help. I met Brian at Collision 2024 in Toronto. Recently launched A Heart2 Help, Brian Coleman is the visionary and Founder of Heart2Help. I met Brian at Collision 2024 in Toronto. Recently launched A Heart 2 Help is a revolutionary app that facilitates real-time connections between individuals seeking assistance and those ready to offer support....

Paulo Rosado is the Founder and CEO of low-code leader OutSystems. I met Paulo Rosado at Collision 2024 in Toronto. In our fireside chat we discuss how GenAI and low-code are converging to redefine software development, increase agility, and open new possibilities for innovation and efficiency. He'll share how organizations can use low-code to safely leverage the power of GenAI and drive the futur...

As startups evolve from small, agile teams to growth-oriented organizations, the need for strategic human resources management becomes critical. While startups often focus on product development, market penetration, and financial viability, at the early stages, once they’ve established market viability, people strategy becomes equally important. While network connections and HR hacks may work as b...

Enterprise companies face a myriad of critical challenges. Maintaining comprehensive visibility across distributed systems spanning multiple environments has become extremely difficult. The sheer volume of data generated by modern IT systems is overwhelming, with companies struggling to process and make sense of millions of data points and alerts daily. In a world where downtime can cost millions,...

We’ve all have seen the emergence of AI in the last 8 years, where in this sector, the male voice still dominates: A 2018 World Economic Forum report suggested that only 22% of AI professionals globally were female. A 2019 AI Index Report found that 18% of authors at leading AI conferences were women. LinkedIn data from 2018 indicated that 16% of AI professionals on the platform were women. Only 1...

Giselle Melo is a Managing Partner at Matr (matter) Ventures, a venture capital fund that invests in deep tech software companies specializing in applied artificial intelligence, automation, machine learning, and computer vision. She is a seasoned tech founder with proven track record in software systems design and engineering across various sectors, who also developed a career in capital markets....

We're shining a spotlight on a crucial yet often overlooked aspect of business: bookkeeping. While it may not be the most glamorous topic, its importance to your company's success can't be overstated. This often-overlooked practice is a secret weapon for thriving startups. Think of bookkeeping as the GPS for your business journey. Without it, you're essentially driving blindfolded,...

We met Kabir Barday, CEO of OneTrust, at Collision, Toronto where we discussed the evolving landscape of data privacy, responsible AI use, and regulatory compliance. OneTrust helps companies responsibly and securely use data and AI with its suite of security, privacy, governance, risk, ethics and compliance solutions. The company recently reported they expect to surpass $500M in ARR, as their solu...

This is one of the video interviews we conducted at Collision, Toronto June 17-20, 2024. Tripian was initially launched in 2016 as a consumer-facing travel app, equipped with trip planning tools available in only five cities. In mid-2018, the company pivoted to a B2B SaaS model, offering its services to the travel industry. Today, Tripian provides true personalization for travel brands, with conte...