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Canadian Tech in 100 Words

Vancouver Startup Raises $2.6M to Streamline Healthcare Training

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Vancouver startup Simuhealth has secured $2.62 million in pre-seed financing to expand its healthcare simulation platform, exceeding its original target by 25 percent. The round was co-led by Looking Glass Capital and Parade Ventures, with participation from RiverPark Ventures, Altair Capital, Startup TNT, Wormhole Capital, Mike MacCombie and several angels.

Founded in 2024, Simuhealth provides operational software for simulation centres that train healthcare workers. The system replaces spreadsheets and email chains with scheduling, resource management and cost reporting tools. The 13-person firm plans to build product, hire engineers and expand into the United States as demand rises.

Want to know more? Check out the source code on Techcouver.

Cohere AI Joins Thales to Support Royal Canadian Navy

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Cohere is partnering with Thales Canada to bring its artificial intelligence technology to Royal Canadian Navy fleets, marking one of the Toronto AI company’s first deployments in national defence. Thales will use Cohere’s agentic AI platform to support operation and maintenance contracts for Arctic and offshore patrol ships, joint support ships, and other naval vessels.

Cohere co-founder Ivan Zhang said the partnership represents a “strategic leap” toward secure, sovereign AI. The deal arrives amid heightened government investment in defence and industrial benefits policies. Cohere has raised $1.6 billion USD to date and recently crossed $200 million in annual recurring revenue.

Want to know more? Check out the source code on BetaKit.

ServiceNow to Invest $110M for Canadian Government AI

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U.S. workflow-management firm ServiceNow will invest $110 million in Canada over three years to support AI adoption across government. The plan includes a new Canadian-hosted data centre built with Google Cloud and the hiring of 100 staff in customer support and engineering.

ServiceNow is one of eight companies approved to provide cloud services to Ottawa, and has already won more than $3 million in federal contracts since April. The investment arrives as Ottawa looks to modernize operations, embed AI in public service workflows, and reduce costs. Officials say the work will support secure AI adoption and digital sovereignty.

Want to know more? Check out the source code on The Logic.

Okanagan Angels Back Body-Scanning Startup

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Okanagan Woman Angel Funds has made a pre-seed investment in Canadian startup DOUBL, a technology company developing smartphone-based body-scanning to reduce costly clothing returns. Retailers face more than US$900 billion in return costs annually, according to the National Retail Federation.

DOUBL’s technology aims to help consumers select the correct size across brands, reducing waste and improving inventory planning. The investment is the second apparel-related deal for the angel group, which targets women-led companies. Cofounders Bryn Davis Williams and Jessica Bosman said the backing offers more than capital, adding expertise in retail, SaaS and scaling as the startup prepares for early partners.

Want to know more? Check out the source code on Techcouver.

Ottawa and Alberta Strike Energy Pact

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After years of political friction, Ottawa and Alberta have reached common ground on energy. Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith have signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at advancing shared energy priorities and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

The governments say the partnership will support major projects, generate more than $16-billion in GDP annually and create over 40,000 jobs. The agreement includes provisions for nuclear power generation to support artificial intelligence data centres. Smith described the deal as a “new starting point for nation building,” while Carney said the plan would help make Canada an “energy superpower.”

Want to know more? Check out the source code on CleanEnergy.ca.

EQ Bank and PC Financial Merge in $800M Shakeup

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EQ Bank is making a major play in Canadian banking, acquiring PC Financial from Loblaw in an $800-million deal that merges two digital leaders aiming to chip away at the dominance of Canada’s Big Five. The partnership brings EQ Bank’s online savings products together with PC’s credit and loyalty ecosystem, backed by 17 million PC Optimum members.

Loblaw will hold a 17 percent stake in EQB. Analyst Keldon Bester says the merger strengthens competition rather than shrinking it. Customers gain more products and 2,500 in-store touchpoints, though EQB expects $30 million in cost synergies. Closing is expected next year.

Want to know more? Check out the source code on BetaKit.

pH7 Raises $25.6M to Unlock New Copper Supply

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pH7 Technologies has closed USD $25.6 million in new funding, positioning the Vancouver cleantech startup to scale its breakthrough extraction tech just as global demand for copper hits historic pressure.

Led by Fine Structure Ventures with BHP Ventures joining as a strategic investor, the round fuels commercial deployments of pH7’s closed-loop electrochemical system, which turns previously uneconomic ores into viable domestic sources of copper, nickel, and PGMs. CEO Mohammad Doostmohammadi says the technology offers nations a path to secure resilient mineral supply chains. pH7 already operates a commercial PGMs facility in Vancouver.

Want to know more? Check out the source code on Techcouver.com.

U of T, Google Create $20M Hinton AI Chair

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The University of Toronto will establish a $20-million AI research chair named for Geoffrey Hinton, funded equally by Google and the university. Announced at NeurIPS, the Hinton Chair will recruit a leading scientist to drive breakthroughs and apply AI to medicine, engineering, and scientific discovery.

The gift extends Google’s long association with Hinton, whose deep-learning work at U of T reshaped modern AI and later drew major tech firms into bidding for his research team. U of T hopes the position strengthens Canada’s AI leadership as universities compete globally for top researchers.

Want to know more? Check out the source code on The Logic.

Legaltech Rivals Clash in AI Training Dispute

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Fastcase has filed a lawsuit in U.S. federal court against Canadian legaltech firm Alexi, alleging breach of contract, trade secret misappropriation, and trademark infringement. The complaint centres on a 2021 licensing agreement that Fastcase says barred redistribution of its legal database.

Fastcase claims Alexi trained AI models on its data, displayed Fastcase case law, and used its trademarks in ways that could imply affiliation. Alexi CEO Mark Doble disputes the allegations, calling them a misunderstanding timed to the recent Clio–vLex acquisition. The case comes amid intensifying competition in AI-driven legal research. No court schedule has been set.

Want to know more? Check out the source code on LegalTech.ca.

Shopify Merchants Slam Cyber Monday Outage

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Retailers are expressing frustration after a Cyber Monday outage left some Shopify merchants unable to access their stores’ backends for hours during one of the year’s busiest sales periods. Affected merchants, including Super Anime Store founder Allan Lobo, said they could not view or fulfil orders, update inventory, or send marketing emails.

Many complained the company provided little communication throughout the disruption. Shopify declined to comment beyond posts shared publicly by its support account and CEO. Some merchants say they will seek reimbursement for lost sales tied to the outage.

Want to know more? Check out the source code on The Logic.