Plus: Grock's stunning Nvidia deal has strong ties to Canada.
Happy New Year!
If you're just getting back to work after a quiet holiday break, consider this newsletter one of the more useful contributions to fill your inbox. The BetaKit team will bring you all the big news that broke over the holidays, as well as our full #CDNtech 2025 series on the defining tech stories of the year.
I have a bonus entry for this series and it's guaranteed to clear away any mistletoe and eggnog-induced holiday fog that may remain.
First, the data that has been bothering me since September: only one third Of the “high potential startups” created in 2024, they will still be headquartered in Canada in 2025, and half of these companies will have fled to the United States.
Here's more: Canadians under 30 the unluckiest age group in the country (they were the happiest age group in 2011 – a drop so steep that only Jordan, Venezuela, Lebanon and Afghanistan can match it).
Two more: a quarter of Canadians are unsure of their employment status in 2026, and more than half of generation Z looking for a new job.
As I get older, I think more and more about the next generation of Canadian entrepreneurs and the choices I would make if I were their age today. I used to worry about Canada lost generationbut the Socratic Symposium (where the photo above was taken) convinced me that the kids are ok.
Now I'm worried they should build outside of Canada. Many have told BetaKit What obviously.
I don't think this story will remain in 2025. I think we will see its impact in 2026 and beyond.
Douglas Soltis
editor-in-chief
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Grock's Stunning Nvidia Deal Has Strong Canadian Ties
Over the holidays, Nvidia issued a reported $20 billion call for artificial intelligence startup Groq. Several Canadian investors backing the San Jose, California-based startup are poised to make big profits.
Canada suspends Start-Up Visa as federal authorities plan to switch to new program
After wait times for new applicants increased to more than 10 years, federal authorities suspended the immigrant entrepreneur program, leaving would-be applicants in the lurch while awaiting a “new targeted pilot program” expected to begin in 2026.
Whitney Rockley, venture capitalist and diversity advocate, awarded Order of Canada
Rockley is co-founder of McRock Capital and chair of the advisory board of the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary. In 2017, she became the first woman to head the Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association in the organization's 43-year history.
Meet the tech startup that casts extras for Shoresy, Hot Frosty and other Canadian hits.
Background Work, a wholly owned Ottawa-based company that launched last year, has developed a platform for Canadian supporting actors (that is, anyone!) to find and secure vetted, paying jobs on the sets of film companies like Lifetime, Hallmark and Paramount.
Clicks releases a phone for your phone, giving users a taste of BlackBerry
Clicks Technology has launched smartphone keyboard cases with buttons that give users a taste of the BlackBerry-dominated 2000s. Now the company is launching its own phone to turn back the clock for a new generation.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has suspended Goodfood's safe food license.
The suspension prohibits the Montreal-based company from “carrying on any activity” for which the license was issued, which could include importing, exporting, manufacturing or packaging food products for sale in Canada.
The meal kit company has had a tough year, losing both of its co-founders, facing a decline in customers and facing a possible class-action lawsuit over shipping costs.
Opinion: Black female founders are changing Canada's venture future
Five years after she shared her experiences in a BetaKit article, Pitch Better co-founder Amoy Henry returns to the Canadian venture history.
“I see signs of progress. Fragile, imperfect, incomplete, but progress nonetheless,” Henry writes.
Opinion: Why 2026 should be the year to scale up for Canada
In an article for BetaKit, Delvinia CEO Adam Froman says Canada's economic future depends on a small group of companies—companies that have moved beyond the startup stage and need to expand in Canada or will be acquired by foreign firms.
SELECTED STORIES FROM OUR PARTNERS
Pressure points shaping payments in Canada
Canadian merchants juggling multiple systems, rising fraud and global expansion problems now have a solution. Mastercard's Merchant Cloud brings payments, security and fraud detection together into one platform. Mastercard Senior Vice President Balinder Ahluwalia reveals how Canadian businesses can simplify operations, reduce risk and scale with confidence.
Canadian small businesses finally get what they've been waiting for: a timeline for consumer-focused banking.
Small business owners were faced with slow payments, manual reporting, and cash flow blind spots. The introduction of open banking in Canada promises real-time financial tools, faster access to capital and smarter decision making. Mike Cascone, Vice President of Government Relations at Xero: explains how consumer-focused banking can finally give entrepreneurs the clarity they need to grow.
#CDNTECH 2025 by BETAKIT COMPLETED
To close out the year, BetaKit looks back at the defining Canadian tech stories of 2025.
BetaKit Podcast – The Biggest Tech Issues of 2026
“Maybe in 2026 we will see the robots we want in our lives. But be prepared: they will definitely be controlled by people in India with Xbox controllers.”
Robots, IPOs and artificial intelligence, oh my! Managing Editor Sarah Rieger joins to ask the biggest tech questions of 2026, after evaluating which the 2025 tech questions have been definitively answered.
The coolest #CDNtech quiz of 2025
Think you're up to date on Canadian technology and innovation news? Time to prove it. Kick off 2026 by updating last year's headlines: one question for each month.
Artistic illustration courtesy of Madison McLachlan based on photography by Freeman Jiang of Socratica.
