Plus: She tried to bring the tech energy of Silicon Valley to Vancouver. Why did she go to the US instead?
I spoke with Kevin Kleeman this week to talk about the Canadian job market. His company, Employment Hero, has just collected new survey data showing a clear divide between Gen Z and the rest of the workforce.
You'll have to wait for next week's BetaKit Podcast to get the full details. To hold you over, read below Madison McLauchlan's story about another young entrepreneur caught in the Silicon Valley gravity well.
The state of Canada's tech youth is a topic I posed. big attention over the past year. Expect to hear more from me about this as part of the BetaKit recap at the end of the year.
Let's return to Kliman, who had his own unique work experience this year: he joined Employment Hero after he bought Humia Toronto-based company he co-founded. The anniversary of this deal is quickly approaching, as is Humi's 10th anniversary; Both milestones brought the founder into a contemplative mood.
“The mission from the beginning was to create the largest support system for Canadian employers,” he told me. “We'll continue to do that, which is great.”
Klieman noted that Humi has three options: raise new funding, achieve positive cash flow or be acquired. “Behind the venture capital curve,” Humi chose the third option and now has the capital and resources to pursue its original mission of becoming $100 million business in Canada.
While Klieman admitted to sleeping better after the acquisition, he was adamant that the process had changed him.
“I never want to do this again,” he said. “Getting the acquisition was incredible. Going through the acquisition was the hardest thing I've ever done.”
The ten-year entrepreneur began rattling off a long list of lessons learned and advice for young founders in a similar position. This is too much to include here, but it got me wondering, dear reader, if you think this kind of advice would make a good basis for a series of articles about BetaKit. Perhaps including other companies similar to Humi, willing to share the hard-won wisdom that often goes unspoken.
You probably know a few. My mailbox is open.
From growth to IPO, having an AI product strategy isn't enough, your financial operations need one, too.
Scaling up in Canada is happening quickly, but financial complexity is growing even faster. And entrusting your key financials to generic LLM platforms with flashy demos but untested controls will not pass muster with investors or auditors.
That's why hundreds of Canadian scale-ups and public companies trust Sage Intacct to find the sweet spot between “fast growth” and “going public.”
What you get:
✓ Automation based on artificial intelligence, built-in artificial intelligence with real financial control.
✓ Audit ready from day one because diligence waits for no one.
✓ Real consolidation of several enterprises, not paper tape. Not “soon”.
✓ SOC 2 Type II + compliance you can count on.
✓ Measurement reports that scale by product, region or segment.
✓ Real-time visibility with guardrails where it matters.
She tried to bring the technological energy of Silicon Valley to Vancouver. Why did she leave to create a startup in the US instead?
Mai Trinh and her team wanted to create a community for Vancouver's Gen Z tech scene that could rival Silicon Valley. But when it came time to create her own startup, she says it was easier for her to escape to San Francisco than to gain permanent residency in Canada.
Microsoft will spend $7.5 billion to expand artificial intelligence data centers, vowing to protect Canada's “digital sovereignty”
By expanding the computing capacity of its two main Azure data center regions in Toronto and Quebec, Microsoft is launching a company-wide five-point plan that it says will “promote and protect Canada's digital sovereignty.” This initiative, she argues, is as important as its investments in artificial intelligence infrastructure.
Change of leadership
- The Council of Canadian Innovators has appointed Patrick Searle as its Vice President of Corporate Affairs. its new CEO. He will replace Ben Bergen ahead of what looks set to be a “turbulent” year for Canadian tech companies.
- Montreal venture capital firm Inovia Capital promoted two directorsCorey Jeffrey and Taha Mubashir will partner as they prepare to raise funds in 2026.
- Goodfood online food delivery is coming soon. lose both of its co-foundersPresident and Chief Operating Officer Neil Kaggi said he will retire in January. Kaggi was tasked with running day-to-day operations when CEO Jonathan Ferrari left his post in August.
Canada needs a national semiconductor strategy, industry groups say
An industry consortium warns that Canada is the only G7 country without a national semiconductor strategy and has a gap that could threaten its competitiveness, ability to scale innovation and ability to exercise technological sovereignty over the digital economy.
From sawdust to seed: ConstructionClock grows from Winnipeg
Wanting to triple the size of his company in 2025, contractor-turned-founder David Peters approached investors for seed funding over the summer, but ran into an unusual problem for Winnipeg: too many of them wanted in on the company.
Court Order Requires Well Health and Healwell to Hand Over Merger Investigation Documents
The investigation will focus on how Well Health's acquisition of Healwell will impact choice and cost for users, and whether it will create barriers to new competitors entering the digital health space.
Well Health told BetaKit it looked forward to “cooperating” with the Competition Bureau during the investigation.
Defense technologies
Shopify sellers can now sell products through AI chatbots
Building on Shopify's early access partnership with ChatGPT's in-app shopping experience in September, agent storefronts will allow Shopify merchants to sell their products through popular AI chatbots.
The new feature is part of Shopify's Winter Editions newsletter, containing more than 150 product updates to the platform, many of which focus on integrating and improving AI features for merchants.
🇨🇦 Weekly Canadian Deals, Dollars and More
- OT – Simuhealth raises $2.6 million to modernize medical education
- RCH – General Fusion faces IPO pressure after a $51.5 million raise
- KV – infinity attacks $4.6 million to make paper work like plastic
- KV – Assetflo closes $2 million for physical asset tracking
- BRA – Talent included gaining momentum in Africa and Europe
- OTT – Gander Social hits Crowdfunding goal of $1.5 million
BetaKit Podcast – Rogers vs. Rogers – A History of Canadian Succession
“It seems irrational, and irrational behavior is where drama lives, where comedy lives. That's where all the fun is.”
A communications tycoon has built an empire that turns radio waves into money. Now his son, whom his father fired long ago, is fighting for control of the family business. Meanwhile, one shrewd government official is determined to thwart the takeover of a billion-dollar company.
Is this a plot from Season 3 of Legacies? No! This is a Canadian story… and for the most part it's true. Award-winning playwright Michael Healy joins the discussion of his new play Rogers v. Rogers, based on the book of the same name by Alexandra Posadskaya.
Take the BetaKit Test: Salesforce May Rebrand, Shopify to Agent and Surprise SpaceX Beneficiary
Think you're up to date on Canadian technology and innovation news? Time to prove it. Test your knowledge of Canadian technology news with BetaKit's December 12, 2025 quiz.
Image courtesy of Employment Hero.
