Last week, I caught a glimpse into the future of Canadian robotics at the University of Toronto’s Mississauga campus, where student researchers showed me the robots they’re building for everything from lunar transport to surgery.
Large language models continue to hog the spotlight, yet Augmenta’s Richard Zhang told me he believes the future of AI is using it to solve problems in the physical world.
That revolution is already underway. Industry leaders like Waabi’s Raquel Urtasun and Clearpath Robotics’ Ryan Gariepy think Canada has a chance to become a global leader in this space. But they also worry Canada is leaving opportunity on the table.
“Canada has world-class robotics researchers. The talent is here. What’s missing are the policies to turn that into real outcomes,” Gariepy told me over email on Friday, stating that more must be done to help smaller businesses adopt robotics, and facilitate direct procurement. “The window to lead in physical AI before the field consolidates around foreign players is real, but it isn’t permanent.”
Gariepy, who also chairs the Canadian Robotics Council, is walking that talk. The CRC recently created a committee to boost investment in domestic robots. Though the feds have also unveiled a broader AI strategy that identified manufacturing and robotics as an area where Canada could lead globally, the majority of Canada’s AI spending so far has gone towards compute infrastructure and software rather than hardware.
One of the AI boom’s leading figures, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, sees robots as a $40-trillion opportunity. If Canada hopes to capture any more than a very small slice of the market, it will need to get better at commercializing the research happening at places like U of T. *Josh Scott,*Reporter
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Top stories from BetaKit
No human CEO required
In 2017, years before the AI gold rush, Microsoft acquired Canadian deep learning research lab Maluuba. Now, two of its co-founders are back with Skyfall AI. They’re on a mission to prove that they can build “world models” capable of running companies, no humans required.
Flex AI shuts down
While the personal training app market is growing rapidly, it’s also intensely crowded. Flex AI learned that the hard way. The Vancouver-based app is shutting down after acquisition plans fell through and it ran out of money. The movies are back
The Odyssey has proven to be a hit, and audiences are clamouring to see it in Canadian-made IMAX, with nine of the world’s 41 IMAX 70mm theatres located in Canada. BetaKit sat down with IMAX global president Mark Welton to learn more about the Canadian innovation that turned Christopher Nolan’s epic into a box office phenomenon.
Success after sport
What is an athlete supposed to do when they’re done chasing championships? Vancouver-based startup Free Agent has launched a professional networking platform exclusively for athletes, raising $1.7 million USD to help them find post-playing careers and brand deals.
Revolutionizing reproductive health
Elle MD is hoping to develop a birth control method that avoids most, if not all, of the side effects of traditional contraceptives. The Nova Scotia-based healthtech startup has raised $1.1 million CAD to launch clinical testing of its new product, the Livv, this fall.
Sponsored stories
How BinSentry built an AI moat in AgTech
By leveraging AI-driven sensors and an enterprise focus to monitor livestock feed levels, Kitchener-based BinSentry has built a defensible moat in AgTech and rapidly scaled across North America with CIBC’s backing.
Deals and dollars
Who’s cashing in, or out, this week:
- Canadian-founded Ollamaraises$65 million USD to help devs run open-source AI models. (Palo Alto) - San Francisco-based GrubMarketacquiresonline grocery serviceSPUD. (Vancouver) Jane Appacquiresclinic software startupGinger Desk. (Vancouver)** Landing Zones Canada**partnerswith Airbus to advance drone simulation and training for the Canadian Armed Forces. (Medicine Hat)Tailscalenears40,000 paid business customers as it adds new VP Mike Shaver to guide its next phase. (Toronto)- AI-powered mortgage company Trailfund isacquired byKingSett Mortgage Corporation. (Toronto) ChatFeaturedsecures$2 million USD to optimize chatbot reach. (Toronto)- Meal kit service Goodfoodwarnsit may need to curtail operations amid mounting losses. (Montréal) - Crypto platform Shakepay joins the Interac e-Transfer network,. (Montréal)Fintech.careports
Main character
“Unless Canada does something to move more towards a more favourable … regulatory regime, we’re going to continue to see an exodus,”
says business lawyer Aaron Grinhaus, on Canada’s crypto landscape.
The refresh
Who’s afraid of the big, bad GPU?
Data centre power and water consumption haunt the public discourse around AI. But doesn’t everyone use the same chips in their phones and PlayStations, too? * The Verge* contextualizes the environmental impact of the upcoming AI data centre buildout and whether the costs outweigh the benefits.
Help shape the next generation of Canadian founders
Velocity is bringing back the Velocity Pitch Competition for Waterloo Tech Week, reimagined with a new format. We’re looking for judges who can bring real-world expertise, sharp feedback, and an eye for ideas with potential.
Here’s how it works: 100 student teams, 100 judges, one day. Each team delivers a two-minute lightning pitch. As a judge, you’ll hear from up to 20 teams, give feedback, and help decide who takes home prizes.
This is a chance for industry leaders and entrepreneurs to spot early talent, support the next generation of founders, and stay close to the ideas shaping Canada’s future.
BetaKit Podcast · July 13
“We actually have a pretty rich history of building defence technology…and then we defunded it.”
Dominion Dynamics CEO and BetaKit Most Ambitious honouree Eliot Pence joins to discuss why he came back to Canada to build. Watch now ›
Contributors: Alex Riehl (Ottawa staff writer), Josh Scott (Toronto reporter), Douglas Soltys (editor in chief), Sarah Rieger (managing editor), Trevor Nichols (web editor). Feature image courtesy University of Toronto Mississauga. Photos by Nick Iwanyshyn.