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Brains behind SkipTheDishes launch subscription furniture service
Two brothers behind the successful SkipTheDishes food delivery app are looking to build another success in an entirely new space: subscription home furniture. Saskatoon-based Pivot Furniture allows customers to subscribe monthly to everything from couches to coffee tables to lamps and wine racks, and then return the items when they’re no longer wanted or needed. Story
Canadian companies sticking with Chinese growth plans despite trade tensions
Clear Lake Wineries, a Toronto-based wine exporter, had seen its sales to China rise steadily – until the arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in December. Orders suddenly dwindled, especially from larger, high-profile restaurant and hotel accounts. Clear Lake’s agent on the ground told company president Mary Whittle that some buyers were reluctant to have Canadian products on their wine lists while tensions were high, for fear of offending customers. Story
Ontario to tap Jim Balsillie to lead expert panel studying effectiveness of institutions that commercialize innovations
Ontario plans to tap Jim Balsillie to lead a panel of experts to scrutinize the effectiveness of provincially funded institutions that commercialize innovations, including universities and incubators. Story
Wattpad deepens development ties with Sony’s television studio
The Wattpad social media platform for storytellers, authors and writers is forming a “first-look” relationship with Sony Pictures Television, one of the world’s biggest producers of TV programming. Story
WHAT WE’RE READING ELSEWHERE
Trudeau announces $52M investment in tech hubs, expected to create 18,000 jobs
The prime minister was in Kitchener on Tuesday morning, where he made a major announcement pledging millions to a local innovation hub. Justin Trudeau announced the government would be investing $52.4 million in three hubs for a new program called the Scale-Up Platform, designed to help Ontario start-up companies grow. Story
Seth Rogen To Talk Cannabis Startup ‘Houseplant’ At Toronto Tech Conference
After launching his cannabis startup Houseplant, Seth Rogen will take the stage at Collision, Toronto’s tech conference to talk the cannabis business. ET Canada
Amazon’s Jeff Bezos dares retail rivals to raise minimum wage in investor letter
Amazon.com Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos is daring rival retailers to raise their minimum wage to $16 an hour. The Spec
How an investment in a botched video game burned ACOA so badly it changed its rules
On Nov. 14, 2018, Martin Braganza, a Halifax-based account manager at the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), typed up a briefing note as requested by the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development’s office in Ottawa. National Post
Trading tuition for a slice of future income
Canadians who are interested in learning to code but are short on cash can now trade a stake in their future earnings for an education. Toronto-based HackerYou College of Technology is launching a new payment option known as an Income Share Agreement, an arrangement that essentially enables a student to go to school for free in exchange for handing over a predetermined portion of their earnings later on. CBC
SheEO receives $2.5 million investment from federal government
Minister of Small Business and Export Promotion, Mary Ng, today announced the federal government is investing $2.5 million CAD into SheEO, a Toronto-based organization supporting women-led businesses in Canada and globally. Betakit