Author name: Team Techbeat

Featured, Security

Syntax Systems Acquires Argon Supply Chain Solutions

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Adding best-in-class SAP® Digital Supply Chain Capabilities to its Suite of Industry-Focused Enterprise Cloud Solutions MONTRÉAL, Oct. 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Syntax Systems, a leading global technology solutions and services provider for cloud application implementation and management, announced it has acquired Argon Supply Chain Solutions, a firm specializing in warehouse management and supply chain optimization solutions and SAP® Gold Partner. Argon serves a growing range of multi-national customers across the world through its presence in the UK and South Africa. “The Argon team is renowned for its market leading knowledge and Digital Supply Chain excellence through their partnership with SAP,” said Christian Primeau, Global CEO of Syntax. “By welcoming the Argon team to the growing Syntax family, we are expanding our capabilities and infusing a critical component within our core industry verticals. Together, we are growing our services and reach to better serve our respective customers with full implementation lifecycle support for logistics execution.” “As part of Syntax, Argon will have additional resources to grow our reach into new markets and industry verticals. Having worked together in the past, I am confident that our culture fit, and growing set of best-in-class capabilities will equally benefit our employees and our respective customers. Together, we are in a better position to further our mission of delivering operational performance improvements to a growing international customer base,” commented Argon co-founders Peter Kerr and David Webb. “Novacap is proud to support Syntax’s acquisition of Argon. As committed partners, we are dedicated to advancing Syntax’s leadership in the SAP ecosystem, and application management and cloud services sector. The addition of Argon’s team and capabilities will help empower more businesses in the Consumer Products and Goods, Retail, Manufacturing, Wholesale and Distribution, Mining and Life Sciences verticals,” said Ted Mocarski, Senior Partner at Novacap. Syntax is a portfolio company in the TMT VI Fund of Novacap, one of North America’s established private equity firms. Argon is Syntax’s seventh add-on acquisition since partnering with Novacap. About SyntaxSyntax provides comprehensive technology solutions and trusted professional, advisory, and application management services to power businesses’ mission-critical applications in the cloud. With 50 years of experience and 800+ customers around the world, Syntax has deep expertise in implementing and managing multi-ERP deployments in secure private, public, hybrid, or multi-cloud environments. Syntax partners with SAP, Oracle, JD Edwards, AWS, Microsoft, and other global technology leaders to ensure customers’ applications are seamless, secure, and at the forefront of enterprise technology innovation. Learn more about Syntax at www.syntax.com or follow Syntax on LinkedIn. About Argon SCSArgon SCS (Pty) Ltd, a UK and South African based SAP service provider founded in 2011, is focused on providing Warehouse and Stock Management solutions. With over 100 successful warehouse projects implemented, Argon has established itself as a leader in cost effective and efficient supply chain projects. With extensive experience in the Consumer Products and Goods, Manufacturing, Wholesale and Distribution, and Life Sciences industries, Argon has developed a multi-industry experience resulting in adaptive cross industry knowledge within the supply chain execution space. For more information, please visit https://argonscs.com. About NovacapNovacap is a leading North American private equity investor and one of Canada’s most experienced private equity firms. Founded in 1981 to partner with visionary entrepreneurs, Novacap focuses on middle market companies in four core sectors, Technologies, Industries, Financial Services and Digital Infrastructure. Novacap combines deep sector specific expertise and strategic and operational excellence to partner with entrepreneurs and management teams. Since its inception, the firm has made primary and add-on investments in more than 250 companies. Novacap has over C$8 billion of assets under management and more than 110 employees, including 65-plus investment professionals, across offices in Montreal, Toronto and New York. For more information on Novacap, please visit: www.novacap.ca.

Featured, Start ups

KPMG: Nine in 10 Canadian CEOs considering acquisitions

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Most CEOs are planning deals in the next three years, with four in 10 considering major transactions, while small and mid-sized companies increasingly tap private markets TORONTO, Oct. 7, 2024 /CNW/ – Nine in 10 CEOs of large Canadian organizations are considering making acquisitions in the next three years to help boost growth – with four in 10 planning major deals – and nearly three quarters of small and medium-sized businesses are considering making acquisitions, according to a pair of KPMG surveys. In KPMG International’s CEO Outlook, a survey of global CEOs, Canadian chief executives cited M&A as their second-most important growth strategy over next three years, just behind organic growth, while CEOs in global markets cited M&A as their top priority – ahead of organic growth. Among Canadian CEOs, 41 per cent said they are likely to make acquisitions that will significantly impact their operations, 49 per cent are likely to do deals that moderately impact their business and only 9 per cent are unlikely to make an acquisition. By contrast, KPMG in Canada’s Private Enterprise survey showed small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are relying less on M&A as a top growth strategy, but they’re still planning to do deals: 34 per cent are considering significant acquisitions, 43 per cent are expecting to make acquisitions with moderate impact on their organizations, and four per cent are seeking to be acquired. “Recent interest rate cuts by central banks in Canada and the U.S., and lower inflation are breathing life back into the M&A market. As the cost of capital eases, investors and corporates are becoming more confident about making acquisitions, so we expect to see dealmaking activity pick up; in fact, 2025 could be one of the busiest years for M&A in quite some time,” says John Cho, KPMG in Canada’s National Leader of its Deal Advisory practice. “As economic headwinds begin to ease, businesses and institutional investors will naturally become more acquisitive. The supply of acquisition targets will likely increase as well, as more private equity funds exit their investments after years of cautiously sitting tight. As the economy starts to improve, more small and mid-sized businesses will be looking for funding to help support their next stage of growth. All these factors point to a busier M&A market,” Mr. Cho adds. For SMBs looking to expand, tapping private capital will be a key strategy, survey data shows: eight in 10 respondents are looking for a long-term investor with patient capital and advice that can help them scale up, and 77 per cent are seeking an investment of 10 years or more. Tapping private capital Just over three quarters (77 per cent) of SMB respondents are considering or would consider teaming with private-equity investors as long as they don’t load up their balance sheet with debt, and 78 per cent said raising private capital is more important to their growth strategy than the public markets. Neil Blair, partner and President of KPMG in Canada Corporate Finance Inc., says private capital has become an increasingly important source of growth for Canadian organizations over the last few years because the alternative – going public – has become more onerous and complicated, according to Canadian business leaders. Almost eight in 10 (79 per cent) respondents said the immense and increasing cost of compliance, governance and disclosure requirements makes going public or being a publicly traded company problematic. If the compliance and governance burden could be eased however, three quarters of respondents said they would definitely consider going public. “Public markets have become more complex and harder to navigate, and many businesses don’t want to deal with that complexity because it can be costly, time-consuming and resource-intensive for many organizations. Private capital is an attractive option for growing businesses, but business owners aren’t just looking for funding – they want true partners who understand and value their vision and purpose. There’s more at stake to doing a deal nowadays,” Mr. Blair says. Creating value in a complex M&A market In addition to having strong relationship dynamics with their investors, sellers are contending with increasingly important factors such as environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards and regulations, and emerging technologies, Mr. Blair says. “Three quarters of SMBs told us they find the M&A landscape far more complex than five years ago because of decarbonization, the growth of AI, concerns over data quality and privacy, and the ability to integrate these into their systems. That underscores the need for sellers to differentiate and position themselves in the M&A market and find novel ways to create and demonstrate value to investors,” he says. “Businesses that are digitally-savvy and have a culture of innovation are likely to get more out of a transaction. Integrating generative AI into their operations, for example, could help sellers boost the value of their business, and our survey bears that out: more than eight in 10 (81 per cent) SMBs think generative AI would make their company more valuable to prospective buyers,” Mr. Blair adds. Getting more value out of a deal is a key consideration for organizations whether they are acquirers or targets: nearly eight in 10 (79 per cent) SMB respondents are looking for ways to create more value for their company ahead of a sale, while 68 per cent have difficulty deciphering the true value of potential acquisitions. Mr. Blair and Mr. Cho recommend the following strategies for acquirors and prospective sellers to get more value from a deal: Use data and analytics and AI tools to identify competitive advantages and synergies Have dedicated M&A personnel, processes and activities in place pre- and post-deal Engage third-party advisors to help identify additional value creation opportunities For more insights on M&A, see our latest article, Getting to the Real Deal.

AI, Featured

Mercedes-Benz expands open innovation activities in Canada

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Mercedes-Benz and the Ontario government, through the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN), establish incubators to foster startup creation, startup scouting and automotive innovation in Ontario, Canada OVIN Incubators join growing international Mercedes-Benz STARTUP AUTOBAHN network Initiative aims to drive transfer to industrialization, leveraging the region’s strong foundation in advanced automotive technology and smart mobility Research collaboration with University of Waterloo complements existing academic research into neuromorphic computing STUTTGART, Germany and TORONTO, Oct. 8, 2024 /CNW/ – Mercedes-Benz is partnering with the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN), the Government of Ontario’s flagship initiative for the automotive and mobility sector. The purpose is to expand startup creation and scouting activities in North America and to promote the commercialization of automotive innovation. The OVIN Incubators Program will focus on identifying and fostering innovation in future software & AI, future vehicle components and future electric drive. Working with startups, and in partnership with OVIN, Mercedes-Benz will help progress promising projects through the provision of its specialist expertise and use cases. Selected projects will also benefit from the international Mercedes-Benz STARTUP AUTOBAHN network. Separately, the company intends to start a research collaboration with the University of Waterloo, Ontario with a focus on neuromorphic computing for automated driving applications. The move complements a range of ongoing Mercedes-Benz R&D activities in Canada. “Innovation is part of Mercedes-Benz DNA. In our global R&D strategy, open innovation gives us rapid and direct access to the latest ideas and developments around the world. We are therefore delighted to further expand our activities in Canada as a founding partner of the OVIN Incubators. In a fast-paced environment, it is another important channel for developing exciting future products and elevating our customer experience through new technologies.”Markus Schäfer, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, Chief Technology Officer, Development & Procurement   The academic research collaboration and participation in the OVIN Incubators Program are the latest in a series of initiatives underpinned by the company’s Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the government of Canada, signed in 2022. The aim of the MoU is to strengthen cooperation across the electric vehicle value chain. Through the partnership with the Ontario government through OVIN, Mercedes-Benz is accelerating and expanding its presence by tapping into Ontario’s international acclaim as a centre for tech development, recognizing the province’s significance for Mercedes-Benz’s global innovation network.Open innovation draws in ideas, inspiration and technologies from a wide variety of external sources and partners. This approach is a long-established part of Mercedes-Benz R&D strategy, enriching and complementing the company’s internal R&D work worldwide. “This new partnership between the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN) and Mercedes‑Benz is going to be a significant boost for our province’s automotive and mobility sectors. By bringing together the best of industry, research, and entrepreneurial talent, we’re fostering innovation that will strengthen our economy, create good jobs and position Ontario as a leader in the auto and electric vehicle technologies of the future.” Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario   “Ontario continues to build its reputation as a world leader in manufacturing the cars of the future, with $44 billion in new investments by automakers, EV battery manufacturers and parts suppliers coming into the province over the last four years. The launch of OVIN Incubators represents another link in our growing end-to-end, fully integrated, EV supply chain. With a new platform for our world-class tech ecosystem to develop homegrown mobility innovations, Ontario talent will continue to be on the forefront of creating the technologies that will power vehicles all over the world through the Mercedes-Benz STARTUP AUTOBAHN network.”Vic Fedeli, Ontario Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade   “As Ontario sets its sights on the next decade of growth of its automotive and mobility sector, it is vital that we continue to foster the talent, technical expertise and capacity for innovation to achieve this future. The OVIN Incubators build a robust foundation for nurturing the next generation of innovators by providing a clear pathway from research and development to commercialization and industrialization, in partnership with Ontario’s leading postsecondary institutions and major industry players. This platform will further cement the foundation for sustainable economic growth within the sector and beyond, across the entire province.”Raed Kadri, Head of OVIN Mercedes-Benz partners in OVIN Incubators to accelerate startup scouting and support commercializationIn its pilot phase, the OVIN Incubators Program will conduct startup scouting to identify opportunities in Ontario relevant to Mercedes-Benz fields of research. The aim is to empower startups to engage with industry and establish a robust pipeline of companies whose growth can be catalyzed. Together, OVIN and Mercedes‑Benz will narrow down an initial longlist through a process of evaluation, ultimately arriving at individual projects that will progress to proof-of-concept based on Mercedes‑Benz use cases. The OVIN Incubators join a growing international network of regional programmes benefitting from the Mercedes‑Benz STARTUP AUTOBAHN platform for open innovation. This globally networked and locally executed approach seeks to maximize the pool of ideas, innovations and technologies that can flow into future Mercedes‑Benz products. Looking to the future, the next phase of the OVIN Incubators will seek to expand its scope through the addition of further partners from industry and academia. Collaboration with the University of Waterloo to help seed, grow and harvest research in the field of neuromorphic computingMercedes-Benz and the University of Waterloo have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on research led by Prof. Chris Eliasmith in the field of neuromorphic computing. The focus is on the development of algorithms for advanced driving assistance systems. By mimicking the functionality of the human brain, neuromorphic computing could significantly improve AI computation, making it faster and more energy efficient. While preserving vehicle range, safety systems could, for example, detect traffic signs, lanes and objects much better, even in poor visibility, and react faster. Neuromorphic computing has the potential to reduce the energy required to process data for autonomous driving by 90 percent compared to current systems. “Industry collaboration is at the heart of our success as Canada’s largest engineering school. We recognize that research partnerships with companies such as Mercedes-Benz bring opportunities to directly apply and test our work, while introducing our students to the highest standards in industry.”Mary Wells, Dean, Faculty of Engineering at the University of Waterloo The work with the University

Featured, Fintech

Constant Contact Acquires Business of Txtify Technologies

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Deal strengthens the platform’s lead generation and social media monetization capabilities, empowering small businesses to convert followers into customers and accelerate their growth WALTHAM, Mass. and TORONTO, Oct. 10, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Constant Contact, a digital marketing and automation platform that has helped millions of small businesses and nonprofits globally, today announced that it has acquired the business of Txtify Technologies, a technology company specializing in mobile-first lead generation through customized microsites and surveys. The acquisition enhances Constant Contact’s platform by providing small businesses (SMBs) with new tools to grow their customer base and convert social media and digital media engagement into valuable customer relationships. This acquisition will help Constant Contact’s SMB customers by enabling them to create mobile-optimized, branded lead generation forms in minutes without coding or web development experience. With intuitive design tools and high-performing templates, SMBs can quickly capture contact information from social media followers and build deeper relationships with them through owned channels, like email or SMS marketing. This ability to quickly turn social media engagement into qualified leads is a valuable addition to Constant Contact’s marketing platform. According to Constant Contact’s Small Business Now report, 60 percent of small businesses rely on social media as their primary channel for engaging with customers. However, one of their biggest challenges is converting those likes, comments, shares, and followers into customers. More than half of SMBs surveyed identified social media as the area of their marketing where they need the most support. “The profile of today’s small business has changed, and many now launch and grow their brand on social media before they build a website or create their first email campaign,” said Frank Vella, CEO at Constant Contact. “Our acquisition of Txtify Technologies’ business enables us to deliver value to mobile-first and social-first entrepreneurs by empowering them to own their audience on social media and turn a follower list into a marketing list. This is a strategic step forward in our mission to innovate on behalf of SMBs and equip them with the tools they need to grow their business.” “We are thrilled to bring our powerful lead generation technology to a wider audience as part of Constant Contact’s platform,” said John Stewart, co-founder and CEO at Txtify Technologies. “Our mission has always been to simplify and scale lead capture and conversion for small businesses, and by joining Constant Contact, I am confident that we will be able to help even more SMBs grow and succeed.” As part of the transaction, Stewart along with Txtify Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer, Eric Dewhirst, have joined Constant Contact and will play a key role in the integration of the acquired technology into Constant Contact’s platform. When Txtify’s technology is combined with Constant Contact’s existing powerful marketing capabilities, like email, SMS, social media ads and event capabilities, SMBs will be able to grow their contact lists quickly, better understand their audience and potential customers, drive more revenue and more directly correlate social media activity with business results. About Constant ContactConstant Contact makes digital marketing easy and effective for small businesses and nonprofits around the world. Whether just starting out, or managing complex multi-channel campaigns, SMBs benefit from our powerful SaaS platform that delivers a simplified marketing experience with less time spent and better results. With cutting-edge technology, best-in-class deliverability and award-winning customer support, we help the small stand tall.

Events, Featured

Elevate Festival Announces Additional All-Star Speakers: Director X, Tegan and Sara, Lisa LaFlamme, Harley Finkelstein,

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TORONTO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Elevate Festival, Canada’s largest homegrown tech and innovation event, is back for its sixth annual edition, set to take place in Toronto from October 1-3. Hosted at Meridian Hall and the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, the festival will gather the brightest minds in tech, business, and creativity for three days of impactful discussions, networking opportunities, and cutting-edge innovation. This year, Elevate is proud to feature a dynamic roster of speakers, each a trailblazer in their respective fields. The headlining speakers include acclaimed journalist and broadcaster, Lisa LaFlamme; iconic music video director, Director X; Canadian indie pop duo, Tegan and Sara; award-winning American journalist, Kara Swisher; astronaut and Elevate Co-Chair, Chris Hadfield; President of Shopify, Harley Finkelstein; legendary entrepreneur and venture capitalist, Arlene Dickinson; Founder and returning CEO of Lightspeed, Dax Dasilva; CEO of Food52 and former Barstool Sports CEO, Erika Ayers Badan; WNBA Toronto President and former Raptors executive, Teresa Resch; and much more. The first 60 sessions have been added here, with more being added every day. See here for a comprehensive list of speakers to date, which includes: Michele Romanow, Co-Founder & Executive Chairman, Clearco Amber Mac, President of AmberMac Media Joelle Pineau, Vice President, AI Research, Meta Kayla Grey, Broadcaster & Executive Producer, Kayla Grey Media Inc. & TSN Daniel Eberhard, CEO, KOHO Financial Inc. Mike Wessinger, Co-Founder and Executive Chair, Board of Directors, PointClickCare Jeff Shiner, CEO and Chairman of the Board, 1Password Aaron Saunders, Chief Technology Officer, Boston Dynamics Christian Weedbrook, Founder & CEO, Xanadu Emily McReynolds, Head of Global AI Strategy, Adobe Erin Elofson, VP Canada and APAC, Pinterest Mara Lederman, Co-Founder and COO, Signal 1 Melissa Sariffodeen, CEO, Canada Learning Code Kory Mathewson, Senior Research Scientist, Google Deepmind Richard Socher, Founder & CEO, You.com Althea Wishloff, General Partner, Raven Capital “Elevate Festival has always been about more than just technology — it’s about bringing together the brightest minds, from all industries and walks of life, to ignite meaningful change,” said Lisa Zarzeczny, Co-Founder and CEO of Elevate. “This year’s incredible lineup of speakers reflects our commitment to sparking conversations that will inspire the next generation of leaders and innovators to take bold action, right here in Canada.” Organized and operated by Elevate — Canada’s not-for-profit organization at the intersection of technology and social innovation — Elevate Festival will continue its tradition of showcasing a variety of programming tracks covering the latest trends and challenges in technology, business, and society. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage in thought-provoking panels, in-depth workshops, and experiences designed to foster learning, collaboration, and connection. What’s to come this year — Content Tracks: This year will feature eight content tracks, including favourites like AI and fintech, along with new developments in cybersecurity, product engineering, and more. A new addition is Moonshots, where leaders and innovators will tackle some of the world’s most pressing challenges and opportunities, from climate and healthcare to space exploration. Networking: Elevate has teamed up with Braindate to bring curated 1:1 and small group meetups on topics of your choice. With plenty of networking opportunities already, attendees can start making connections through the festival app before they even arrive. Founder Focus: Elevate is putting a major spotlight on founders this year. With over 350 startup-investor meetings, 20+ roundtable discussions tailored to startups, stage pitch opportunities for emerging entrepreneurs, and a significantly larger Startup Lounge, this is a prime chance for founders to make valuable connections and showcase their innovations. Elevate Festival is made possible thanks to the generous support of its partners and sponsors. This year’s event is backed by some of Canada’s most influential companies and organizations, including Interac, Moneris, TD Bank Group, Google, Telus, KPMG, Lighthouse Labs, University of Toronto, Amazon Web Services, CPA Ontario, Calgary Economic Development, Stifel, Gowling WLG, MaRS Discovery District, DMZ, City of Toronto, Protexxa, Dell Technologies, Mastercard, Discover Global Network, Kids Help Phone, Intellectual Property Ontario, Spur Innovation Centre, the Government of Canada, Black Innovation Zone, Black Founders Network, Black Entrepreneurship Alliance, Federation of Black Canadians, and Nobellum Enterprise. Elevate is also grateful for this year’s programming partners: BetaKit, Creative Destructive Lab, and Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst. For more information about Elevate 2024, visit www.elevatefestival.ca. To purchase tickets please visit https://elevatefestival.ca/tickets. Join the conversation on social by following @ElevateTechCa and #ElevateFest2024 Media can apply for accreditation at https://elevatefestival.ca/press-room by Friday, September 27th. About Elevate Elevate is a Canadian non-profit that unites world-class innovators to catalyze transformation in the Canadian tech ecosystem. Through year-round programs and events, including the annual Elevate Festival and CIX Summit, Elevate shines a spotlight on Canadian innovation, facilitates global connections with startups and investors, and inspires Canadians to embrace a go-for-gold mentality to help shape the future of the Canadian innovation economy. Elevate has hosted global icons such as First Lady & Author Michelle Obama, Businesswoman & TV personality Martha Stewart, CEO of OpenAI Sam Altman, Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, and U.S. Vice President Al Gore, each of whom has inspired millions of people.

Fintech

RBC Poll: A significant number of Canadians are considering starting own business in 2024

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51% of Canadians are aspiring entrepreneurs – up five percentage points over 2023 More Canadian small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs cite meaningful work (93%) over making more money (87%) as a motivation for owning their own business. TORONTO, Sept. 18, 2024 /CNW/ – The annual RBC Small Business Poll reveals that the proportion of Canadians considering starting their own business rose to 51% this year, marking a five percentage point increase from 2023 – and an encouraging rebound following a previous two-year decline. “Historically, we’ve observed strong interest across Canada in starting and owning businesses, and it’s promising to see that a significant number of Canadians in 2024 are aspiring entrepreneurs,” says Don Ludlow, vice president of Small Business, Partnerships and Strategy, Royal Bank of Canada. “As our economy evolves, we are seeing a growing number of Canadians seriously considering entrepreneurship as they recognize there are more diverse pathways than before to make the jump. Our survey shows that many are eying opportunities to gradually transition to entrepreneurship, and they need continued support to turn their ideas into reality and to build the next generation of businesses.” According to the RBC Poll, most (72%) aspiring entrepreneurs are already exploring different tracks to gradually transition to business ownership, including: Current Pursuits of Aspiring Entrepreneurs Finding ways to make money from a passion project or hobby 31 % Exploring ways to make money outside of, and in addition to my regular job, but have not yet started 28 % Taking on side jobs in addition to having a full-time job to earn extra cash when needed 19 % Exploring ways to transition from full-time work to contract or freelance work, but have not made the transition yet 13 % Having a business idea that’s being tested independent from current employment 8 %   Purpose over profit: the search for meaningful work driving small business aspirations Findings from the RBC poll also revealed that, in recent years, Canadians have placed more emphasis on pursuing their passions, particularly as traditional job security weakens and many are prioritizing flexibility in their work-life balance. Compared to 2019, Canadians are less likely to say ‘making more money’ is a motivation for owning their own business, with this number falling three percentage points from 90% to 87%. Rather, small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs cited meaningful work (93%) over making more money (87%) as their main motivation. The poll highlights that a substantial proportion of small business owners launched their ventures to achieve more flexibility, with 46% stating they wanted to spend more time at home with their children, and 40% aiming to care for aging parents. Aspiring entrepreneurs reported similar motivations, with Gen Z and Millennials particularly interested in the greater autonomy and sense of purpose offered by entrepreneurship. Key Motivations for Aspiring Entrepreneurs Gen Pop Gen Z Millennial Gen X Boomer Strongly agree Strongly/ somewhat agree Strongly agree Strongly/ somewhat agree Strongly agree Strongly/ somewhat agree Strongly agree Strongly/ somewhat agree Strongly agree Strongly/ somewhat agree Do more meaningful work that aligns with my personal values 44 % 93 % 60 % 94 % 46 % 95 % 40 % 92 % 29 % 92 % Make more money 43 % 89 % 56 % 88 % 45 % 91 % 45 % 91 % 23 % 91 %   Helping entrepreneurs start, manage, and grow their business There are many facets to successfully starting, managing and growing a small business, beyond financial planning. As an organization deeply rooted in supporting and empowering small businesses, RBC has made it easier for Canadian entrepreneurs to navigate every stage of their business growth with unique solutions that go beyond traditional banking products and advice. Solutions offered by RBC and its collaborative partners include: Ownr®: For entrepreneurs in Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia, this is a quick and affordable way to register and incorporate their business online, while automating important legal and compliance filings. Moneris‡: Whether you’re in-store, online, or both, Moneris has you covered with a full suite of unified payment solutions, 24/7 support, and on-site field services. As an RBC merchant, you can get access to your money the next day, every day at no extra cost. RBC Insight Edge™ for Small Business: A dashboard solution that offers subscribed retail businesses with real-time data insights around customer trends, competitive benchmarks and market intelligence to support business decisions. Xero‡: Xero offers online accounting software that helps RBC clients run their small business, with features like invoicing, bill payments, payroll, and bank reconciliation. To make accounting even easier, business owners can sync Xero with their bank, automate tasks, collaborate in real time, and connect it to other apps they use. Futurpreneur‡: For entrepreneurs aged 18-39 who want access to business resources, financing and mentoring. Futurpreneur Canada supports young entrepreneurs with an expert business mentor for up to two years and resources to help plan, launch, manage and grow their business. Sherweb‡: A leader in cloud solutions and part of the RBC Go Digital™ program, Sherweb offers RBC business clients exclusive advice and solutions to support their adoption of cloud-based innovations and technologies to improve productivity, security and digital transformation. The Founder’s Journey Online Course: This free virtual course − offered by Western University’s Morrissette Institute for Entrepreneurship, RBC Future Launch® and The Globe and Mail‡, guides participants through the journey of successfully starting and growing a new venture. Entrepreneurs can access these, and many other solutions and business advice online through at www.rbc.com/startingabusiness. About the survey The RBC Small Business Poll was conducted by Ipsos Canada from June 21 to 25 2024. A total of 2001 surveys were self-completed online by Canadian adults (Age 18+), represented in six different regions (British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan/Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada). Representative sample results are weighted to reflect the Canadian population. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll is accurate to within ±3 percentage points had all Canadian adults been polled. The credibility interval will be wider among subsets of the population represented. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to, coverage error, and measurement error. About RBC Royal Bank of Canada is a global financial institution with a purpose-driven, principles-led approach to delivering leading performance. Our

Featured, Start ups

Motion raises US$30 million to build the command center for creative strategists

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TORONTO, Sept. 19, 2024 /CNW/ – Motion, the creative analytics and research platform used by creative strategists, announced today that it has secured $30 million USD in Series B funding led by Inovia with participation from Threshold Ventures as well as existing investors Headline, Abstract Ventures, and Sugar Capital. The funding will accelerate Motion’s product roadmap and deepen its analytics and creative research capabilities. This raise brings the company’s total funding to $42 million USD. Audience targeting on ad platforms has become more algorithm-based and growth leaders know that creative is the #1 lever for success. This has led to the rise of the creative strategist—a new role responsible for bridging the gap between the analytical and creative sides of marketing. With Motion, creative strategists can research ad trends, analyze performance, and get inspired with new ideas to maximize the revenue impact from creative. Since launching in 2021, Motion has been adopted by top performance advertisers in the ecommerce and direct-to-consumer space. Ecommerce brands like HexClad, Vuori, True Classic, Jones Road Beauty, and Ridge use Motion to analyze over $6B in media spend every year. “Motion’s customers are the best-of-the-best in paid social and the creative strategist is at the core of their workflow. Our goal is to make the creative strategist role more approachable for everyone by building the tools they need to ship more winning ads,” said Reza Khadjavi, the CEO at Motion. In the last year, Motion doubled its headcount from 25 to 50 employees and has grown to over 1,000 customers in the direct-to-consumer and ecommerce industry, as well as the B2B SaaS and consumer app verticals. In addition to its creative analytics tools that help advertisers understand top-performing ads and visualize trends, Motion released today a new product called Creative Research that extends its utility deeper into the research side of ad production. With Creative Research, brands can track competitors on paid social. This helps brands monitor new ads launched by competitors, build a swipe file with ads from Facebook and TikTok, and analyze the media mix, messaging, and landing pages of top competitors. “Motion doesn’t just provide information—it actively helps teams make better decisions and fosters a pathway for innovation, rather than simply iterating on the same ideas,” says Inovia Partner Karam Nijjar. “The team’s experience uniquely positions them to become the command center for creative strategy within marketing organizations.” Motion also announced today that the popular YouTube and advertising industry influencer Dara Denney is joining the company as its Chief Evangelist. In her role, Dara Denney will advise on product direction, create educational content for Motion’s customers, and help train the next generation of creative strategists. Motion is hiring across the board for engineering, product management, marketing, customer success, and sales roles. Visit Motion’s careers page for more information. About Motion Motion is the command center for creative strategists. With Motion, creative strategists get help at every step of their workflow including visual analysis of top-performing ads, competitor tracking, research tools, and automated recommendations to help prioritize what to ship next. Motion’s customers include some of the most prominent advertisers in paid social. Brands like HexClad, Vuori, True Classic, Jones Road Beauty, and Ridge use Motion to analyze over $6B in media spend every year. For more information, visit motionapp.com. About Inovia Capital Inovia Capital is Canada’s leading full-stack software investor, partnering with founders to build impactful global companies. With three investment strategies—Discovery, Venture, and Growth—the team leverages an operator-led mindset to provide entrepreneurs with multi-stage support and access to a worldwide network. Inovia manages over US$2.5B with operations in Montreal, Toronto, Waterloo, Calgary, the Bay Area, and London. For more information, visit inovia.vc.

Featured, Security

Rotman debuts AI Financial Crimes Lab to help organizations fight fraud

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TORONTO, Sept. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management and global leader in data and AI SAS have launched a Financial Crimes Lab to support Rotman students with hands-on experience in tackling complex fraud and financial crime schemes with data and AI. The lab will use solutions provided at no cost by SAS Global Academic Programs, including SAS® Viya® for Learners, which allows coders and non-coders to gain experience in all stages of the analytics life cycle. The advanced analytic capabilities of SAS Viya will enable students to manage projects, conduct analysis, and apply AI and machine techniques to help develop analytics to better detect fraud and financial crimes at organizations that are partnering with the Rotman initiative. Gerhard Trippen, Academic Director, Master of Management Analytics at Rotman, said students will benefit from regular check-ins, milestones and support outside of regular school hours. “Students are going to gain valuable experiences through this lab, not just from the tools helping empower them, but the industry mentorship as well. I think this is a great structure. As a student, I would have loved something like this,” said Trippen. Empowering the next generation of advanced analytics talent Technology has advanced rapidly in recent years. Financial services and other industries have trended towards digitalization, and virtual currencies and digital identity recognition are no longer novelties. The innovation in financial services is exciting, but at the same time, it increases the opportunities for financial crime. SAS’ recent consumer fraud study, based on a survey of 13,500 people, found that 89% of respondents expect organizations to better protect them from fraud. Further, two-thirds indicated they would switch service providers for better fraud safeguards. Fraudsters are using AI to better target victims, create deepfakes and obscure their identities. The Rotman lab will equip students with the AI skills to detect sophisticated fraud and financial crimes and fight back. “Armed with leading data and AI technologies, Rotman’s SAS-powered Financial Crimes Lab connects organizations with the next generation of fraud and financial crimes fighters,” said Stu Bradley, Senior Vice President of Risk, Fraud and Compliance Solutions at SAS. “Students benefit from hands-on, real-world experience, while forging valuable connections. In a market where AI and fraud prevention talent is in short supply, partnering organizations can augment their in-house resources to unravel the increasing number of hard-to-detect schemes. “As businesses across industries accelerate the adoption of AI technologies to keep pace with criminals, partnerships like this help ensure that future fraud fighters graduate with the tech acumen they need to be competitive in the market and keep bad actors at bay.” Learn more Are you a Rotman student interested in gaining real-world experience fighting fraud and financial crimes? Or is your organization prospectively interested in partnering with the Rotman lab to amplify your in-house anti-fraud capabilities? Register online at sas.com/ca/rotmanlab for more information.

Apps, Featured

Trustpilot Develops Integration for HubSpot to Help Businesses Build Brand Trust

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The new integration automates review invitations and enhances the customer experience with seamless feedback collection at key touchpoints for continuous improvement. NEW YORK, Sept. 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Trustpilot, the global consumer review platform, announced that it is now listed in the HubSpot App Marketplace. This integration will serve to streamline review collection processes, improve customer experiences, drive conversions, and build brand trust. 86% of businesses consider verified reviews critical in their purchase decisions. With this new integration, businesses can easily trigger Trustpilot review invitations at key moments throughout the customer journey, enabling the collection of valuable feedback and expanding their brand reach with high-quality reviews. “Consumers today seek transparency and authenticity and our integration with HubSpot will enable businesses to receive this critical kind of feedback throughout their customer’s journey,” said Brian Green, Chief Revenue Officer at Trustpilot. ” In fact, 55% of U.S. consumers say they have more faith in imperfect scores, as it shows a willingness to improve rather than just presenting a highlight reel. With HubSpot we’ll enable businesses to engage with their customers at key moments, building trust, driving growth, and fostering lasting relationships.” By automating review invitations at critical moments in the customer journey, businesses can capture more high-quality feedback when customers are most likely to respond, strengthening relationships and enhancing credibility. Additionally, businesses can leverage reviews at scale through Trustpilot’s marketing assets, attracting new customers and increasing conversions by up to 23%. The integration also improves operational efficiency by aligning review collection with sales, service, and marketing processes. “We’re thrilled to integrate with Trustpilot to offer our users an easy and powerful tool they can add to their marketing toolbox to gather customer feedback,” said Scott Brinker, VP of Platform Ecosystem at HubSpot. “We’re committed to helping businesses grow better by providing the right tools that enhance customer engagement. Our integration with Trustpilot will empower our users to build trust, capture high-quality reviews, and turn customer insights into actionable improvements, driving both their credibility and growth.” A key feature of the integration is its flexibility. Businesses can seamlessly integrate review requests into their workflows, reaching customers after key interactions—such as closed deals or resolved service tickets—to gather feedback, a strategy that is proven to lead to 15% higher star ratings and 105% more reviews compared to manual processes. Businesses that collect reviews on Trustpilot see an average uplift of 30% more clicks across both paid and organic search, which proves the power of real, high-quality feedback. The integration also helps businesses unify their review and customer journey efforts, providing operational efficiency in aligning review collection with sales, service, and marketing processes. Companies that actively invite reviews throughout the customer journey achieve higher TrustScores and build stronger customer relationships than those relying solely on organic reviews. Key features of the integration include: Automatic triggers for Trustpilot service review invitations based on HubSpot sales deals and service tickets The ability to add dynamic tags to reviews for better organization The option to turn the integration on/off without contacting Trustpilot support Additional features that will be added include: enhanced customization options, including selecting specific review templates, template localization, and additional email triggers based on user feedback Trustpilot and HubSpot together will enable businesses to strengthen their customer relationships, improve transparency, and create lasting credibility. By automating the review process, companies can focus on growth and delivering better customer experiences, leading to stronger brand loyalty and continuous success.

Digital Image of a brain made using computer circuits to give it a look like artificial intelligence
IOT

Converge Technology Solutions + Red Hat to Accelerate Customer Success with Professional Services

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TORONTO and GATINEAU, QC, Sept. 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ – Converge Technology Solutions Corp. (“Converge” or “the Company“) (TSX: CTS) is pleased to announce it has joined Red Hat Partner Practice Accelerator, a specialized growth pathway for select partners with validated professional services delivery capabilities. With this participation, Converge has demonstrated a commitment to delivering successful customer outcomes using Red Hat technologies and services within the commercial sector. “Converge is proud to join Red Hat Partner Practice Accelerator, as one of a select few organizations who hold this designation,” stated Greg Berard, Converge Chief Executive Officer. “This program’s focus on incentivizing and enabling partners to deliver within the commercial segment, including mid-market and SMB, aligns with Converge’s corporate strategy and fits within our approach to solution-based selling. Red Hat Partner Practice Accelerator will help improve our partner experience and encourage ecosystem co-creation, enabling us to deepen our capabilities to better support Converge customers.” Red Hat Partner Practice Accelerator is a focused growth route that enables partners with proven professional services skills to play a leading role at each stage of the customer journey and provide impactful results for customers using industry-leading solutions like Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform and Red Hat OpenShift. Red Hat assesses participating partners’ readiness to deliver critical services and solutions related to automation and application modernization, validating that partners are able to successfully architect, implement and configure tailored solutions for commercial customers. Red Hat Partner Practice Accelerator is also part of the company’s evolving partner engagement model to implement a standardized, globally unified approach to collaboration. Participating partners can benefit from simplified paths to co-create, innovate and deliver solutions and services to support customers on their hybrid cloud journeys. In addition to Red Hat Partner Practice Accelerator, Red Hat will continue to introduce additional Accelerator pathways for partners to sharpen specialized skills and empower them to serve customers across hybrid cloud environments. “As Red Hat continues to evolve and improve the partner experience, we are committed to helping partners build critical skills and services that can fuel real business outcomes for customers,” stated Laurie Fontaine, Senior Director of Global Commercial Partner Ecosystem at Red Hat. “We are pleased to collaborate with Converge as part of Red Hat Partner Practice Accelerator to guide customers within the commercial segment in shaping and achieving their digital transformation goals using industry-leading open-source solutions and validated services.” Red Hat, the Red Hat logo, Ansible and OpenShift are trademarks or registered trademarks of Red Hat, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and other countries. About Converge Converge Technology Solutions Corp. is a services-led, software-enabled, IT & Cloud Solutions provider focused on delivering industry-leading solutions. Converge’s global approach delivers advanced analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), application modernization, cloud platforms, cybersecurity, digital infrastructure, and digital workplace offerings to clients across various industries. The Company supports these solutions with advisory, implementation, and managed services expertise across all major IT vendors in the marketplace. This multi-faceted approach enables Converge to address the unique business and technology requirements for all clients in the public and private sectors. For more information, visit convergetp.com.

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