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Seven venture-capital firms receive total of $50-million from Ottawa

The federal government is giving $50-million in total to seven Canadian “alternative” venture-capital firms to back domestic technology startups, favouring established small-scale financiers and entrepreneurs with an investing track record over unproven investors. Story

American non-profit Girls Who Code launches in Canada

After training 90,000 American girls to write software since 2012, non-profit Girls Who Code announced its expansion into Canada on Wednesday, calling on schools and community agencies to join its mission of achieving gender parity in technology. Story

Why your corporate accelerator is failing – and how to fix it

In 2005, Y Combinator launched one of the first “startup accelerator” programs, and with it a new model for funding and supporting companies. Y Combinator and other early accelerators like it acted like extremely involved angel investors: They invested small amounts of capital in exchange for equity, and then provided intensive support to help founders make the most of that investment. Story

Food delivery apps a double-edged sword for Canadian restaurants looking to grow business

Ask chef Mollie J Jacques about her experience with delivery apps such as Uber Eats, and she’ll recall the numerous times staff at the Toronto pizza place where she worked had no choice but to deliver orders themselves when drivers failed to show. Story

Government grants to small business – a.k.a. free money – go unused

When Erin Bury wants to hire an intern or offer extra employee training at her Toronto-based communications firm, one of the first checks she does is to see whether there’s a grant for it. Ms. Bury’s company has tapped into about $100,000 in government grants over the past five years. She has used the money to hire additional staff and improve employees' professional development in areas such as project management and public speaking. Story

Sightline Innovation’s Mai Mavinkurve: Machine learning, motherhood and misconceptions

Mai Mavinkurve knows all about how artificial intelligence can make businesses more efficient- her company Sightline Innovation offers machine learning to help organizations make better decisions through the use of data. In this episode of I’ll Go First, a Globe and Mail podcast about the people behind Canadian startups, the founder and CEO talks about the misconceptions of AI, robots taking our jobs and how she juggles motherhood with entrepreneurship. Story

WHAT ELSE WE’RE READING

P.E.I. lowers small business tax rate to 3.5 per cent, increases personal tax exemption by $500

The P.E.I. government is giving Island businesses a tax break and increasing the personal tax exemption for residents. On Tuesday in Cornwall, Finance Minister Heath MacDonald announced that the small business tax rate was dropping from four per cent to 3.5 per cent on Jan. 1 while the basic personal amount was increasing by $500 to $9,160 (retroactive to Jan. 1, 2018). Story

Woman on basic income opens new business – right beside MPP’s office

A local woman who is on the Ontario Basic Income Pilot in Lindsay, knowing it will end soon, has opened a small fabric business – right beside local MPP Laurie Scott’s office. Story

These Moncton Entrepreneurs Started A Cab Company For Women, Children and Seniors

Mireille Fougère has driven cabs for three years and has had her fair share of horrifying experiences. Now she and her friend Melissa Goguen want to make sure passengers are safe with their new company, Pink Cab, which caters primarily to women, seniors and children. Story

Calgary entrepreneur living on the streets to test his ‘Home in a Bag’

Calgary college graduate Micah Louison knows what it’s like to be suddenly homeless. The 24-year-old was living in Grenada in 2004 when Hurricane Ivan struck, killing nearly 100 people and displacing thousands. Story

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