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Ottawa moving toward tighter restrictions on influencer marketing
Love it or hate it, influencer marketing is a persuasive and pervasive method of selling products and services. For smaller local brands, aligning with an influential person on social media can increase brand awareness on a global scale quicker and cheaper than many other methods. But companies interested in influencer marketing need to be aware that slowly, but surely, the Canadian government has been ramping up its governance of the practice. Story
When a startup falters, other companies rush in to grab talent
When Canadian robo-adviser Planswell shut down last fall, the startup community reacted swiftly on social media, offering both sympathy and opportunity to the dozens of people suddenly out of work. Posts on Twitter and Facebook from startup founders and recruiters encouraged Planswell employees to reach out to them to find their next gig. Story
The quantum entrepreneur: Joseph Emerson
What happens when a physicist decides to start a company? As CEO of Quantum Benchmark, Joseph Emerson is melding the two very different worlds of science and business, working with companies like Google to make quantum computing a reality. We hear his entrepreneurial story on this week’s episode of The Globe’s tech podcast, I’ll Go First. Listen here
Telus leads $120-million investment in Ontario urban-tech startup Miovision
Telus Corp.'s venture arm is leading a $120-million investment in urban-tech company Miovision Technologies Inc. to help it deploy its traffic-signal-management platform more quickly worldwide. Story
WHAT WE’RE READING ELSEWHERE
Cannabis sector players denied security clearances
As Canadian cannabis companies struggle to achieve profitability in the burgeoning recreational weed market, executives at some firms are dealing with struggles of their own, forced to go to court with the federal government after their bids for security clearance under the Cannabis Act were denied over alleged criminal ties. Business in Vancouver
Newfoundland businesses still feeling the pressure from week long state of emergency
The storm of the century is no secret to the media. It was a record-breaking blizzard that brought over 76 cm of snow to St. John’s which has grabbed attention across the globe. The Muse
Ransomware attack on construction company raises questions about federal contracts
A construction company that’s won millions of dollars worth of contracts with the military and other federal departments has been hit by a ransomware attack — raising questions about how the federal government does business with outside firms open to cyberattacks. CBC
Ride share service helps busy parents manage their precious time
Michelle Ouellette is a busy mother of two active boys so she knows how precious time can be for busy families. “My kids have always been busy in after school programs,” she said. Guelph Today
OpenPhone announces new features, $2.6 million round closed in 2018
OpenPhone, which provides businesses and startups with cloud-based phone numbers, announced Wednesday a raise of $2.6 million CAD that closed in November 2018. The seed round represented the first financing for the Canadian-founded company. Betakit