At a time when consumers are looking to save money given rising inflation, Ottawa-based Nuvyyo is providing TV watchers with a chance to cut the cord.

Nuvyyo has unveiled a new version of its flagship device, called Tablo, that is capable of receiving over-the-air TV signals and digitally recording shows.

Nuvyyo is now owned by E.W. Scripps Company, a Cincinnati-based broadcasting organization that acquired it for just under US$14 million in January 2022. That new ownership, which adds considerable marketing resources, and the new device could be a game changer for Nuvyyo.

The latest Tablo will retail for just less than US$100 and be sold directly to consumers at www.tablotv.com and BestBuy.com.

In this episode of Techopia Live, Ottawa Business Journal publisher Michael Curran talks to Nuvyyo CEO Grant Hall about the “most ambitious project” in the firm’s history.

Techopia Live: Nuvyyo goes prime time with new Tablo device

Area X.O. has been called Invest Ottawa’s “moonshot” project. On Sept. 27, the campus and its technology were on full display at an event called the Canadian Smart Mobility Demo Day.

The event was planned by Invest Ottawa, along with Transport Canada and FedDev Ontario, to demonstrate smart mobility technology, autonomous vehicles and drones. It was attended by more than 1,200 entrepreneurs, developers and public sector officials who were all keen to witness and discuss the future of this technology segment.

Reporting for Ottawa Business Journal, Techopia Live correspondent Riaz Sidi spoke with Michael Tremblay of Invest Ottawa, Luke Corbeth of IndroRobotics, Steve Magirias of Drone Delivery Canada, Jordan Wallace of GPS Ontario, and Fahed Hassanat of Sensor Cortek. For coverage of Invest Ottawa’s Area X.O, click here.

Techopia Live: Area X.O. demo day

Fellow is joining the war on useless and inefficient meetings.

Earlier this year, Shopify CEO Tobi Lutke told employees to purge their work calendars of all recurring meetings with more than two people. Lutke suggested that too much time was being wasted in ineffective meetings, resulting in lower productivity for Shopify.

Aydin Mirzaee, a co-founder of Fellow and business colleague of Lukte, is responding to the rally call against useless meetings.

This fall, Fellow unveiled a new feature set that helps managers limit inefficient meetings, including a calculator to reveal the true cost of group meetings.

The new feature set works with Google Calendar and lets administrators impose guidelines on employees who are setting meetings. For example, it can restrict the number of employees invited to a meeting. It can also recommend excluding an employee who has too many meetings in a given period of time.

Mirzaee says new data suggests that, in a post-pandemic business world, managers are now spending 14.5 hours, an increase from 9.4 hours in 2019.

"While meetings are often cited as a huge source of productivity drain, this isn't about declaring an all-out ban on meetings. It's about proactively redefining an organization's meeting culture and changing the way meetings are conducted to boost productivity and reduce cost waste," says Mirazee.

In this episode of Techopia Live, Ottawa Business Journal publisher Michael Curran speaks with Mirzaee to get his insights into how organizations can encourage productive and efficient meetings.

Read more about Fellow here: https://obj.ca/company/fellow/

Techopia Live: Fellow’s new tools help fight ‘useless meetings’

Entrepreneurs make the world a better place. They solve big problems and innovate to find solutions that no one has ever considered. In doing so, entrepreneurs create jobs, wealth and even, on occasion, help address social issues.

This episode of Techopia Live features the person who is leading the charge for entrepreneurs across Canada, Kayla Isabelle, CEO of Startup Canada.

Kayla Isabelle is an Ottawa Business Journal and Ottawa Board of Trade Forty Under 40 recipient from 2022 and a Globe and Mail 2023 Changemaker.

Kayla Isabelle joined Startup Canada in 2019 and gradually moved up the ranks. Today she manages an Ottawa-based team that supports more than 135,000 entrepreneurs across Canada, through its online program and cross-country tour.

While Kayla Isabelle remains bullish on entrepreneurship in Canada, she says there are also troubling trends in this post-pandemic period.

Techopia Live: Isabelle leading the charge for Canadian entrepreneurs

This year’s SAAS NORTH 2023 conference, held Nov. 15 at the Shaw Centre, attracted more than 1,000 attendees. Known as a hub for Canadian SaaS founders and their teams, the event heard from key players in the Ottawa community like Solon Angel, Kyle Braatz, Julia Elvidge and Sacha Gera.

To join in on the fun, Techopia Live host Riaz Sidi took viewers to the event with him, getting reaction and highlights from heavy-hitting Ottawa leaders Urooj Qureshi, founder and CEO of Impactor App; Jennifer Francis, founder of SheBoot; Janeffer Gangji, founder of Exemplify Talent; and, Joanne Kiskis, vice-president of marketing at Polymath.

Techopia Live: highlights from SaaS North 2023: Part 2

Wesley Clover International occupies a unique role in Ottawa’s technology ecosystem. It’s more than a company. It’s a foundation upon which dozens of technology startups have launched and scaled.

Wesley Clover was founded by Sir Terry Matthews, the city’s greatest tech icon. After 51 years leading the local tech scene, Matthews is still hands-on with the company and its portfolio. He is supported by a team of executives, including Ben Morris, vice-president of technology strategies.

Morris grew up in Kanata in the shadow of the community’s technology office towers. Today, he has a diverse job that varies almost daily. On behalf of Wesley Clover portfolio companies, Morris deals with banks, investors, prospective clients and generally solves problems to help the portfolio thrive.

In this episode of Techopia Live, Morris speaks with Ottawa Business Journal publisher Michael Curran to provide an inside look at Wesley Clover and the tech trends that will shape the sector in 2024.

Techopia Live: Inside Wesley Cover with Ben Morris

With valuations down and a tight venture capital market, tech venture founders are looking for ways to stretch their working capital.

In some cases, that means cutting expenses and laying off employees. In other instances, it means going back to early-stage investors for more money.

The Capital Angel Network is answering this call in this challenging economic climate.

With approximately 60 members, CAN says it’s staying committed to its portfolio companies with a significant increase in follow-on investments.

In this episode of Techopia Live, Ottawa Business Journal publisher Michael Curran speaks with Suzanne Grant, executive director of CAN. Grant provides an update on the local angel scene, plus previews the upcoming National Angel Capital Organization Summit, which happens in Ottawa on May 7-8.

Techopia Live: Angel investors respond to tight financing market | Episode 261

If you study the history of the most successful tech centres in the United States ‒ think about places such as Silicon Valley, Boston and North Carolina ‒ that have a common element. In all these places, entrepreneurship and innovation were built on the foundations of universities and colleges.

This collaboration between the private sector and post-secondary institutions provides many advantages, including a pipeline for talent, research and development and a culture of entrepreneurship.

This same strategy is at work in Ottawa, especially in Kanata North, where the University of Ottawa recently celebrated the fifth anniversary of its west-end campus.

Over the five years, uOttawa has doubled the size of its campus in Kanata, struck more than 60 research and development collaborations and dramatically increased the number of co-op students working in the technology park.

In this episode of Techopia Live, Ottawa Business Journal publisher Michael Curran speaks with Sean Geddes, the director of innovation and partnership in Kanata North.

For more information about uOttawa, please visit https://obj.ca/company/uottawa/.

uOttawa’s growing presence in Kanata North | Episode 270

TiE Ottawa held its annual conference at Carleton University’s Richcraft Hall at Carleton University on Nov. 8.

Hundreds attended to explore the theme of “Disruptive Entrepreneurship: AI and Emerging Technologies.” The conference boasted an impressive line-up of speakers, including Mike Potter of Rewind, Peter O’Blenis of DistillerSR, John Findlay of LemonadeLXP, Kenton White of askpolly and many others. Invest Ottawa’s Sonya Shorey engaged in a fireside chat with Laura Fox of Streetlife Ventures, and futurist Michael Chase delivered a keynote dubbed “AI: Welcome to the Future.”

Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe also presented the Immigrant Entrepreneur Awards.

Techopia Live correspondent Riaz Sidi was on location interviewing TiECON attendees. His guests included conference organizer Bharat Rhuda of TiE Ottawa, Manu Sharma of the Ottawa Community Foundation, John Nelson of Carleton University Innovation Hub and Jennifer Francis of SheBoot.

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

TiECON 2024: Disruptive Entrepreneurship through AI and Emerging Technologies | Episode 274

The future of money is digital, and it’s already here.

In this episode of Techopia Live, we’re at TechTuesday exploring From Cash to Code: Finance at a Crossroads. Hosted by Riaz Sidi, this discussion dives into how digital currencies, stablecoins, and open banking are transforming the way money moves and how Canada’s financial system is adapting to this global fintech revolution.

Moderated by Joshua Seerattan, Senior Investment Analyst at Wesley Clover International, the panel features Alex Vronces (Useful Digressions) and Marie-Chantal Leduc (Tetra Trust Company). Together, they share insights on fintech innovation, digital assets, and the future of banking, from regulation and infrastructure to business adoption and investment opportunities.

The episode also includes additional interviews with attendees and community members, including Laura Walsh (Techstars), Dominic Scaletta (Myticas Consulting), and Thusha Agampodi (Fullscript).

Whether you’re a founder, investor, or policymaker, this conversation reveals what’s at stake as Canada navigates the shift from traditional finance to digital financial ecosystems and how Ottawa is helping drive the next wave of fintech innovation.

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

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

Techopia Live @ Tech Tuesday: From Cash to Code – The Future of Digital Finance | Episode 288

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