Ottawa ventures forth

By Mark Evans While Canada’s venture capital sector is showing signs of improvement, it is a long way from being robust, let alone healthy. So it was encouraging to see the Conservatives commit $500-million to support venture capital initiatives. The support consists of $400-million into VC investment, although the details have not been disclosed yet, [...]

The Occupy the World message couldn’t be simpler

By Montreal Simon I missed the Occupy the World march to St. James Park in Toronto. But when I saw the pictures on TV at work, and I saw how the Occupy movement is spreading. I knew that I was right when I said the other day that this is a movement that could change [...]

Canada’s startups get the flag

By Mark Evans Canada’s startup landscape is healthier than ever, as evidenced by the recent International Startup Festival in Montreal. Putting aside the ambitious name (I would have selected something like the Canadian Startup Festival), the fact that it was well-organized and well-attended suggests there might just be some real traction within the startup community. [...]

Canada’s startup scene gains traction

By Mark Evans In many ways, the sale of Radian6 was just a matter of time. As a leading player in the fast-growing social media monitoring business, Radian6 was a big target for anyone looking to quickly establish a strong foothold. So when Salesforce.com rolled in with a $326-million offer, it wasn’t much of a [...]

Goldman Sachs McGuinty

By Alison@Creekside Ish Theilheimer at Straight Goods wonders why there has been no public outcry about McGuinty’s decision to hire Goldman Sachs to come up with a privatization blueprint for 49% of Hydro One, Ontario Power Generation, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, and the Liquor Control Board of Ontario. The LCBO, OLG, Hydro One [...]