Source: Canada's Ray Luke says the “cultural belief that we're not good enough” is creating a home-court disadvantage for Canadian tech.
I'm sure most Canadians have experienced this this year: you're at the grocery store checking the labels, making sure all your meats, vegetables and ketchup chips come from Canada.
In 2025, “buy Canadian” will become a reality.
“If you're a founder in Canada, the scenario is: try to get out of the country as quickly as possible. Try to sell outside the country.”
Ride with Rideed.
Source Canada
But in the tech industry, it is a universal truth that Canadians are worst clients. Across sectors, Canadian startups are looking outside the country not only for a source of income, but also for the validation they need to sell successfully in their home country. This is a pain point, even Canada's most successful entrepreneurs feel.
Entrepreneur Raymond Luke is trying to change that by launching a new summit called Source Canada so that buyers and sellers can speed up their date. His hope is to combat the “cultural belief” that Canadian technology isn't good enough to buy early and often.
But is a cultural kick in the ass enough to solve our nation's problems? long-standing procurement problems? As Luke points out in this episode of the BetaKit podcast, procurement touches on research and development, productivity, national sovereignty and talent retention. Now “ambitious founders” fleeing the country at an alarming rate. We won't have to worry about Canadian startups being sold in Canada if there are no startups left in Canada to sell.
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Cloudy, Pocket casts, RSS
So Canada is not buying Canadian technology. What are we going to do about it?
Let's dig in.
BetaKit Podcast Presented Cyber challengepowered by Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst and CCTX: your path to new sales, industry connections and non-dilutive financing.
Ontario's critical sectors depend on operational technology systems that were not designed to combat today's cyber threats. Unlike IT, the operational technology environment requires specialized solutions, and startups can lead the way forward. Join our free webinar on October 24 to learn about the risks facing critical industries and how startups can take advantage of this opportunity.
When: Friday, October 24, 2025
Time: 12:00 – 1:00 pm EST | Where: Virtual (Zoom) | Expenses: For free
Register today for thecyberchallenge.ca.
PRESENTED BY
BetaKit Podcast Presented Xero: A global small business platform designed to make life easier for small businesses—anywhere, anytime.
Running a business requires enough effort without the burden of accounting. The Xero global platform is designed to take responsibility for your accounting from you and give you the freedom to focus on what you do best. By bringing together essential tools such as accounting, payroll and payments, Xero helps you automate tasks and gain the clarity you need to make smarter decisions.
Join a global community of forward-thinking companies. Find out what Xero can do for you.
Recorded and edited on Toronto Podcasts.
