David Li

Eva and I are thrilled to share some exciting news! We are making a $2 million donation to the University of Toronto, our alma mater, to launch the Eva and Allen Lau Commercialization Catalyst Prize for Computing and Engineering Innovation. And the best part: U of T’s Faculty of Arts and Science and Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering will match our gift, doubling its impact. This prize will help researchers move their inventions from the lab to impactful companies. Each year, one team from Arts and Science and one from Engineering will receive support to bridge the critical gap between breakthrough ideas and scalable ventures. Canada has world class talent in fields like semiconductors, AI, robotics, and quantum technologies. Our hope is that this prize will spark more than just a few startups. We want it to inspire a movement, creating the conditions where many more homegrown tech giants can start, grow, and scale right here in Canada. That is why it is called Catalyst. This is personal for us. U of T gave us our start. Today, we are paying it forward. 👉 Read more on our blog in the comments.

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Our own Laurence Therrien joined Mayor Bruno Marchand today to share how Québec City is leading the way as the first city in Canada to launch Google's Project Green Light, which uses AI to optimize traffic flow and reduce emissions. 🚦 I'm excited by solutions that make our cities more efficient. Green Light uses AI and Google Maps driving trends to recommend precise timing adjustments for traffic lights at urban intersections. This means significantly less fuel-wasting stop-and-go traffic, making our cities smoother and greener. 🟢 Our early results demonstrate the potential to reduce traffic stops by up to 30% and estimated CO2 emissions by up to 10% at urban intersections. 🚦13 intersections in Quebec City have already been optimized with AI, with more to come!  🌐 Ville de Québec now joins a growing global network of forward-thinking cities, including Buenos Aires, Hamburg, Boston, Seattle, Santiago, and Bangkok – that are embracing this innovative solution. Read more:  https://goo.gle/GreenLight

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Otto is Framework Venture Partners AI powered data collection, scoring and matching service. Otto’s data corroborated Leaders Fund work. Startups in the software space in Canada peaked in 2018 at just under an estimated 20,000. As of the beginning of 2025 Otto estimates that number is below 10,000. While there is a rebound from the nadir, it is clear Canadian startups have had nearly a decade of decline. https://lnkd.in/g39A2Fqw

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Insightful article by Sean Silcoff and Joe Castaldo of The Globe and Mail regarding the impact of AI on Canadian tech companies. Some key take-aways: - AI is replacing jobs, but there is a role for people who embrace AI and use it to increase their effectiveness and efficiency. - AI is enabling tech companies to grow in a much more cost-effective way. - We will see more early-stage companies scaling without the need for significant subsequent equity raises, increasing the potential returns for the earliest-stage investors. https://lnkd.in/gz8KBHEX

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Amazing to see organizations like the Lawrence National Centre for Policy and Management at Ivey Business School at Western University, along with Hubert Pun and Amin Mazhari, stepping up with thoughtful insights and recommendations to support the growth of Canada’s digital asset ecosystem. Their brief lays out a clear path forward, from the need for CAD-denominated stablecoin, to unified regulations, to talent investment, financial inclusion and innovation. 👏 We need more support from the academic community to demonstrate economic opportunity for crypto in Canada. Read the article below ⬇️ The full report is worth a read too.  https://lnkd.in/eUi39t4e

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