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 technical, active builders” are welcome at regular monthly meetings held at Bayview Yards.

In this episode of Techopia Live, OBJ publisher Michael Curran speaks with the co-founder of AI Tinkerers Ottawa, Hai Nghiem. Nghiem shares the backstory of the local group, what it's trying to achieve and also shares some early details on his own AI venture, Cats with Bats.

Techopia Live: Grassroots group tinkers with AI | Episode 275

Techopia Live was on location for the special International Women's Day 2025 edition of TechTuesday, hosted by Wesley Clover International in collaboration with L-SPARK, Capital Angel Network, and SheBoot.

The monthly event celebrated women in technology as founders and angel investors, featuring startup pitches and a panel discussion. Four startups, Atorvia, I.Liv Performance, Quip Medical, and Sonaro, pitched their innovative solutions to a panel of investors and advisors, including Elza Seregelyi (L-SPARK), Suzanne Grant (Capital Angel Network), and Dr. Lindy Ledohowski (RBCx). The audience voted for their fan favorite, and the best pitch received a $10,000 cash prize.

Veronica Farmer of Wesley Clover International moderated a panel featuring angel investors Megan Paterson (COO, Kinaxis), Coreen Bouchard (Founder, PureLogic IT Solutions), and Seema Aurora (Tech Angel Investor & Founder, TAG HR), who shared their experiences and insights.

Veronica also interviewed several attendees, including Suzanne Grant (Capital Angel Network), Julia Elvidge (SheBoot), Coreen Bouchard (PureLogic IT), Karina Gasbarrino (Sonaro), and Yoobin Lee (Quip Medical), to gather their input.

Looking for more information on Techopia?
Visit https://obj.ca/techopia for regular updates on Ottawa’s technology sector.

You can also sign up for Techopia’s weekly email newsletter: https://obj121.activehosted.com/f/

Techopia Live @ TechTuesday: Women Leading Tech as Angels and Founders | Episode 278

It’s a familiar story in Ottawa’s tech sector. An immigrant entrepreneur, brimming with technical prowess, settles in the city, scales a startup and achieves business success.

This is the story of Sergey Poltev. Born in Russia, Poltev started fixing computers at the age of 12. A few short years later, along with some teenage friends, he launched an Internet cafe and computer gaming shop. Business was booming, until the Russian mafia came calling, causing Poltev to reconsider his future. He sold his share of the business, using the money to travel and study in the U.S.

Eventually, Poltev found himself in Ottawa, and established an IT services company that is known today as CapitalTek. Twenty years later, the managed service provider and cybersecurity consultant counts dozens of local businesses and non-profit organizations as his customers. 

Poltev’s “keep it simple” approach has won him accolades, including a Forty Under 40 award from OBJ and the Ottawa Board of Trade and, more recently, a “MSP Titans of Industry” award.

In this episode of Techopia Live, OBJ publisher Michael Curran speaks with Poltev about his entrepreneurial journey, the consolidation of the MSPs and how CapitalTek is staying relevant to customers. Also, Poltev does a hacker show-and-tell to demonstrate some of the hardware that is used to crack into business IT systems and smartphones.

Looking for more information on Techopia?
Visit https://obj.ca/techopia for regular updates on Ottawa’s technology sector.

You can also sign up for Techopia’s weekly email newsletter: https://obj121.activehosted.com/f/

TECHOPIA LIVE WITH SERGEY FROM CAPITALTEK

Techopia Live was on location for April's TechTuesday, focusing on climate action as Earth Day 2025 approaches. The event spotlighted Planetary Technologies and their groundbreaking ocean-based carbon removal solutions. Planetary Technologies was recognized as a Top 20 finalist in the prestigious $100M Carbon Removal XPRIZE.

The event featured a presentation by Mike Kelland, CEO of Planetary Technologies, detailing their innovative approaches and vision for a sustainable future. Following the presentation, Veronica Farmer, VP of Marketing at Wesley Clover International, moderated a fireside chat between Mike Kelland and Jack Gulas, Managing Director of Improving and an early investor in Planetary Technologies.

Reflecting on their past experience building a software company, Mike and Jack discussed their transition to addressing climate change through clean technology. The conversation explored the potential of investing in climate-focused innovation from both ethical and business perspectives.

Riaz Sidi, Techopia Live Correspondent, also interviewed several attendees, including Mike Kelland (Planetary Technologies), Tiffani Westerman (WCS North America), Sal Masad (Green Carbon Products), Sergey Poltev (CapitalTek), Lindy Ledohowski (RBCx), and Devashish Paul (BluWave-ai).

Looking for more information on Techopia? Visit https://obj.ca/techopia for regular updates on Ottawa’s technology sector. 

You can also sign up for Techopia’s weekly email newsletter: https://obj121.activehosted.com/f/

Techopia Live @ Tech Tuesday: Trading Pixels and Software for Ocean Restoration | Episode 280

Techopia Live was on location at the 2025 Ottawa Bootstrap Awards, held during Tech Tuesday at the Brookstreet Hotel, celebrating the entrepreneurial spirit of local businesses that have grown through self-funding and minimal outside investment. The Annual Ottawa Network Bootstrap Awards recognize early-stage companies across all industries, both for-profit and non-profit, that have demonstrated innovation, sustainability, marketing excellence, and community impact through bootstrapping.

This inspiring event highlighted the stories of resilient entrepreneurs who have overcome challenges, pivoted strategically, and built successful ventures with limited resources. The awards also fostered connections within Ottawa’s entrepreneurial community, encouraging collaboration and continued growth.

Riaz Sidi, Techopia Live Correspondent, spoke with several winners and attendees about their journeys and the value of perseverance, smart financial management, and community support, including Diana Birsan (Downplay), Erika Poupart (Neuralign International), Karl Payeur (Downplay), Michael Nelson (Tactiqal), and Salah Masad (GCP).

For more on Ottawa’s entrepreneurial and tech scene, visit https://obj.ca/techopia.

Subscribe to Techopia’s weekly newsletter here: https://obj121.activehosted.com/f/5

Techopia Live @ Tech Tuesday: 2025 Ottawa Bootstrap Awards | Episode 281

Techopia Live was on location at TechTuesday for a compelling panel discussion exploring the realities of fast-growing companies, featuring local leaders recognized by the 2024 Deloitte Canada Technology Fast 50™ and Companies-to-Watch awards. Held in partnership with Deloitte and moderated by Wesley Clover International’s Veronica Farmer, the session offered rare insights into the pressures, pivots, and strategies behind rapid business growth.

The conversation brought together three Ottawa-based tech leaders who shared the growing pains behind the headlines: Brad Crepeau of FoodCycler / Food Cycle Science, Pierce Ujjainwalla of Knak, and Kailin Noivo of Noibu. Together, they discussed what it really takes to lead through uncertainty, scale operations, and maintain momentum in competitive markets—all while staying true to their vision and values.

Riaz Sidi, Techopia Live Correspondent, also spoke with attendees throughout the event, including Arianna Farley of Deloitte Canada, Angella Goran of Tapango Technologies Inc., and Ruth Ayalew and Diya Praveen of Youth Ottawa.

For more on Ottawa’s entrepreneurial and tech scene, visit https://obj.ca/techopia.

Subscribe to Techopia’s weekly newsletter here: https://obj121.activehosted.com/f/5

Techopia Live @ Tech Tuesday: Unique Insights from Leaders of Fast-Growing Companies | Episode 282

Ottawa’s entrepreneurs, founders and investors gathered on June 12 for AccelerateOTT, the flagship event of Ottawa Innovation Week, organized by Invest Ottawa.

The one-day conference brought together many of the city’s founders for a day of keynotes, networking, and critical conversations about scaling, resilience, and the road to global impact. The theme? “Legends in the Making.”

In this episode of Techopia Live, Riaz Sidi hits the floor at AccelerateOTT to speak with notable leaders from Ottawa’s tech ecosystem, including Sonya Shorey (Invest Ottawa), Nick Quain (Invest Ottawa), Fahim Sheikh (Trellis Corporation), Erin Kelly (Advanced Symbolics), Firass Sleiman (Connectit Rogers), Michelle Scarborough (Thrive Venture Fund BDC Capital), and Mary Yazdani (reasonX). 

From bootstrapped journeys to venture-backed success stories, this episode highlights the spirit of innovation shaping Ottawa’s economy.

Hot topics included:
– The path from founder to legend
– How Ottawa can scale and compete globally
– Building a thriving tech ecosystem rooted in community
– AI adoption in Canada vs. the U.S.

Whether you’re a startup founder, an investor, or just curious about the next big thing coming out of Ottawa, this episode is for you.

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Techopia Live: AccelerateOTT looks to shape future legends | Episode 283

Ongoing infrastructure improvement and property development are based on an underlying assumption: that Ottawa and Eastern Ontario can continue to rely on a reliable and environmentally friendly supply of electrical power. Is that a safe assumption?

Following the launch of City Building 2025 magazine, Ottawa Business Journal publisher Michael Curran speaks with Bryce Conrad, President and CEO of Hydro Ottawa, about this assumption.

What is Hydro Ottawa doing to build a modern and more resilient electric grid in the face of increasingly severe climate events?

What projects are getting investment from Hydro Ottawa to ensure increased green energy?

How can Hydro Ottawa prepare for increased energy demand triggered by electric vehicles and AI?

These questions and more are answered in this special podcast to launch City Building 2025 magazine. The theme for this year’s magazine is “Projects in the Pipeline.” The magazine looks at major development projects that are planned or springing up in six areas of Ottawa and Eastern Ontario.

To read the digital edition of City Building 2025, visit https://issuu.com/greatrivermedia/docs/city_building_2025?fr=xKAE9_zMzMw

OBJ PODCAST WITH BRYCE HYDRO OTTAWA - Audio

Every tech startup founder faces the same hurdle: funding. It's incredibly tough to grow a tech company when intense research and development come long before a paying customer. But what if there were a proven way to inject significant private capital into Ottawa's tech ecosystem?

A dedicated group of Ottawa business leaders, Canada Flow Through Shares, thinks they have the answer. 

They're pushing for a tax policy inspired by Canada's mining industry, which has successfully used flow-through shares for decades to raise hundreds of millions. This innovative approach allows investors to directly deduct qualifying company expenses, making tech startups a far more attractive investment.

In this episode of Techopia Live, Ottawa Business Journal publisher Michael Curran speaks with David Perry, the driving force behind Canada Flow Through Shares. David explains how this model has supercharged investment in other sectors and countries, and outlines the crucial next steps for getting this powerful policy into the federal budget. Don't miss this essential discussion on how flow-through shares could fundamentally transform tech funding in Canada's capital.

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Techopia Live: Unlocking Capital: Are flow through shares a gamechanger for tech? | Episode 284

The Ottawa Business Journal is the leading source of business news and information Canada's national capital region. CEOs and business leaders turn to OBJ for the business news they can't find anywhere else – unique and relevant content tailored to business managers, owners, professionals and executives.

With a number of media platforms available to reach our audience, Ottawa Business Journal has something for every advertiser. OBJ's scope includes its monthly newsmagazine, the largest business news website in Ottawa, OBJToday daily e-newsletter, active social media channels, a YouTube channel with hundreds of videos, multimedia industry projects and some of Ottawa's premier business events.

Techopia Live: Grassroots group tinkers with AI | Episode 275

Ottawa Business Journal

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