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 incentive practice in Canada. Pearson has a Ph.D. in engineering physics, specializing in telecommunications. He is an inventor on 12 granted U.S. patents and an author of more than 50 published papers and conference presentations.

How startups can leverage SR&ED to boost cash flow and accelerate growth | Episode 267

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-backed deals in 2023 dropped by 13 per cent, when compared to the previous year. Worse yet, when measured in dollars, venture capital is down 34 per cent compared to 2022.

But it’s not all bad news in Canada’s tech sector. Many companies are pursuing deep tech ventures, including everything from artificial intelligence to quantum computing. This deep tech has big potential.

In this episode of Techopia Live, Ottawa Business Journal publisher Michael Curran speaks with Sumita Banerjee and Thomas Park of BDC to explore venture capital trends and what BDC is doing to foster deep tech ventures.

Techopia Live: What’s happening with venture capital? | Episode 269

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 Kelly Daize of the Kanata North Business Association.

The panel discussed the city’s progress as a global tech centre, the vision for Canada’s largest technology park and policies that can encourage innovation and economic development.

Techopia Live host Riaz Sidi interviewed several attendees to gather their input. The interviewees included Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, Mary Yazdani of Robosafety, Ranjith Mathew of Ntangledstate Inc., Kelly Daize of Kanata North Business Association, Roula Eid of Fingerprint Leadership, and Nathalie Guthrie of Cengn.

Looking for more information on Techopia?

Visit https://obj.ca/techopia for regular news updates on Ottawa’s technology sector.

You can also sign up for Techopia’s weekly email newsletter: https://obj121.activehosted.com/f/5

Techopia Live: Building Ottawa into a global tech hub | Episode 271

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 guests included Aydin Mirzaee of Fellow.app, Danielle Graham of The Firehood, local tech executive Sacha Gera, Kayla Isabelle of Startup Canada, Mark Stephenson of SaaS North, Priya Bhaloo of TagHR, Patrick White of L-Spark and Karine Bah Tahé of Oasis Learning AI.

This episode of Techopia Live is brought to you by the University of Ottawa Faculty of Engineering. Learn more here: https://www.uottawa.ca/faculty-engineering/

Visit https://obj.ca/techopia for regular news updates on Ottawa’s technology sector.

You can also sign up for Techopia’s weekly email newsletter: https://obj121.activehosted.com/f/5

Techopia Live: AI disruption in focus at SaaS North | Episode 273

Techopia Live was on location for February’s TechTuesday, hosted by Wesley Clover Corp.

The monthly event brought together tech and political leaders for an engaging discussion on the intersection of humans and AI in sales, featuring insights from industry leaders at the forefront of innovation.

The panel, moderated by Veronica Farmer of Wesley Clover, included Rose Cain of Visier, Marcelo Bursztein of NovaceneAI, and Morgan Donaldson of Fullscript. The discussion focused on how and why the human element remains relevant in customer-facing roles, and how to balance it with the advantages of AI.

Veronica also interviewed several attendees to gather their input, including Jon Chatburn of Growth Guide, Rose Cain of Visier, Alan Coady of Fidus Systems, Morgan Donaldson of Fullscript, and Marcelo Bursztein of NovaceneAI.

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/5

Techopia Live @ TechTuesday: Humans vs AI – The Battle for the Future of Sales | Episode 277

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 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

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.

Looking for more Techopia?

📰 Visit: https://obj.ca/techopia

📧 Sign up for the weekly Techopia newsletter: https://obj121.activehosted.com/f/5


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.

New tracks tagged #Techopia Live