The first INNOVATEwest concluded a few weeks ago, and like SAAS NORTH, BetaKit was happy to host a great Canadian tech conversation on the BetaKit Keynote Stage for our friends across the Best Coast.
“I think it would be a mistake to further reduce Canada’s competitiveness at a critical time in embracing competition and productivity.”
michael kutchen
wealthy simple
Like the hearth conversation I had with Wealthsimple CEO Michael Katchen and Koho CEO Daniel Eberhard. The talks come at an awkward time, designed to put a check on two companies disrupting Canada’s financial industry. It came hours after the Canadian Payments Bureau announced that real-time rail would not be available for industry testing until 2026, and hours before the Budget. It will drop in 2024.
The news sandwich scenario allowed me to appease the comments on both. Mr. Eberhardt noted that the delay is “symbolic” for Canada’s financial services ecosystem, and Mr. Katchen said he is “very nervous” that the reported capital gains tax changes will ultimately materialize. Stated.
But the real focus of the panel was a meta-conversation that delves into the productivity, competition, and entrepreneurship(?) issues plaguing this country. By all accounts, Katchen and Eberhardt were clear-eyed and optimistic, the former reminding the founders of their “naive ambitions.” Eberhardt’s instructions were more direct: “Get back to work.”
So what is the state of productivity, competition and entrepreneurship in Canada? Let’s dig deeper.
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The BetaKit Podcast is hosted by Douglas Soltys and Rob Kenedi. Produced and edited by Katti Ra. Feature image courtesy of INNOVATEwest.