Canada’s Tech Growth Challenge episode artwork

EPISODE · Jun 16, 2026 · 26 MIN

Canada’s Tech Growth Challenge

from Disruptors · host Royal Bank of Canada

Canada has helped shape major technology waves, from AI to quantum. But when companies move from promising startup to global contender, the harder questions begin: where does the growth capital come from, who becomes the customer, and how can long-term value stay connected to Canada? In this episode of Disruptors, John Stackhouse is joined by Boris Wertz, founder and general partner of Version One Ventures, and Sid Paquette, head of RBCx, for a conversation about Canada's growth capital gap and what it takes to build globally competitive technology companies in Canada. They discuss why Canadian companies need global investors and global markets, why domestic capital still matters, how procurement and corporate customers can help companies scale, and why AI is creating faster cycles and more concentrated outcomes. The conversation also looks ahead to physical AI, biotechnology, quantum and the steps necessary for Canada to be a world leader in the tech space for the next 30 years. Links:RBC The Growth Project Keywords: Canadian tech, growth capital, venture capital, domestic capital, RBCx, Version One Ventures, Boris Wertz, Sid Paquette, John Stackhouse, Disruptors podcast, AI, quantum, physical AI, biotechnology, procurement. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Canada has helped shape major technology waves, from AI to quantum. But when companies move from promising startup to global contender, the harder questions begin: where does the growth capital come from, who becomes the customer, and how can long-term value stay connected to Canada? In this episode of Disruptors, John Stackhouse is joined by Boris Wertz, founder and general partner of Version One Ventures, and Sid Paquette, head of RBCx, for a conversation about Canada's growth capital gap and what it takes to build globally competitive technology companies in Canada. They discuss why Canadian companies need global investors and global markets, why domestic capital still matters, how procurement and corporate customers can help companies scale, and why AI is creating faster cycles and more concentrated outcomes. The conversation also looks ahead to physical AI, biotechnology, quantum and the steps necessary for Canada to be a world leader in the tech space for the next 30 years.

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ChatGTM: Revolutionizing Restaurant Tech & Go-To-Market Strategies Michael Beck Welcome to ChatGTM by Ink Tank GTM, where tech innovation, strategic clarity, and caffeine-fueled chaos collide.Hosted by the dynamic duo of Michael Beck and Chad Horn, this isn’t just a podcast. It’s a pressure cooker for big ideas and practical genius. Michael is a human brainstorm in sneakers, equal parts espresso and electric current. Chad is the philosophical anchor, the strategist who makes sure the rocket ship remembers gravity.They don’t just talk shop. They crack open the engine room of business, startups, restaurants, retail, all of it and tinker until it hums. From AI-powered ordering systems to the operational alchemy that turns good ideas into great companies, this is where high-octane vision meets real-world execution.Guests? Imagine if Elon Musk and Anthony Bourdain had a dinner party. Bold thinkers, mad geniuses, and pragmatic disruptors drop in to turn conventional wisdom inside out with a wink and a war story.If you're a founder chasing scale, a builder breaking Making It with Jon Davids Jon Davids How do you take your company from your dorm room to $100M, in just a few years? How do you make $25K a month off TikTok? How do you turn a $1M investment into a $1B payoff?Join entrepreneur and investor Jon Davids as he deconstructs success with the creators, innovators, and disruptors who are making it happen. Share Your Difference Steve Randall Share Your Difference is the podcast about those that stand out from the crowd – from industry disruptors to diverse entrepreneurs.The podcast is hosted by Communication Generation founder Steve Randall.If you stand out from the crowd and want to share your own story, please get in touch via http://shareyourdifference.comThe podcast started out as a marketing podcast to help business owners stand out from the crowd and has evolved to share more stories of those who do! Math & Magic: Stories from the Frontiers of Marketing with Bob Pittman iHeartPodcasts How do the smartest marketers and business entrepreneurs cut through the noise? And how do they manage to do it again and again? It's a combination of math—the strategy and analytics—and magic, the creative spark. Join iHeartMedia Chairman and CEO Bob Pittman as he analyzes the Math and Magic of marketing—sitting down with today's most gifted disruptors and compelling storytellers.

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This episode was published on June 16, 2026.

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Canada has helped shape major technology waves, from AI to quantum. But when companies move from promising startup to global contender, the harder questions begin: where does the growth capital come from, who becomes the customer, and how can...

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