Tami Zuckerman- VarageSale Founder handoutMichael Tenaglia
I was a busy entrepreneur and pregnant with twins - and then I got some terrible news
In 2012, while on maternity leave, I created VarageSale – a safer community-based platform to buy and sell secondhand items. Co-founded by my husband and I, our startup brewed right out of our kitchen and grew to serve millions of users, buying and selling billions of items. The company was backed by U.S. and Canadian venture firms, such as Sequoia Capital, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Version One Ventures and Real Ventures, who together injected nearly $50-million into the business. That same year, I also had a baby. Full story
This Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2017 photo shows hemp plants in a field at the University of Virginia Wise in Wise, Virginia. As marijuana farmers in Oregon say a flood of supply is killing their businesses less than three years after recreational cannabis was legalized, economists say it's a warning to Canada. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Steve HelberSteve Helber
Craft cannabis growers say better bud will be key to thriving in the legal market
While Canada’s licensed cannabis producers are in a frenzy of deal-making, jockeying to take control of rivals and massive greenhouses ahead of legalization, cannabis entrepreneurs like Kelly Coulter are operating at a different pace. This spring, she leased two acres of farmland in Vancouver Island’s Cowichan Valley with several other women and intends to launch an environmentally sustainable market garden and cannabis operation called Slo Farms. Full story
Ottawa names five winning funds to receive $350-million in latest venture-capital program
The Trudeau government has selected five fund-of-fund managers to make good on its pledge to continue supporting Canada’s venture-capital industry. Full story (for subscribers)
Bookkeeper jailed for bilking small business
A small family-run business was brought to the brink of forced closure after a bookkeeper they had hired bilked them of $61,000. Yves Ouellet, 63, was sentenced in Timmins provincial court Tuesday to five months in jail and three years of probation after pleading guilty to forgery, possession of stolen property and breach of probation. Full story
Startup working on national rollout of abortion referral app
A Kitchener startup is working to develop a national version of its abortion referral app. Zeitspace Inc. developed the web-based app, called Choice Connect, for the SHORE Centre in downtown Kitchener. The app helps women quickly and confidentially secure a referral to an abortion clinic without first going through family doctors, ultrasound clinics and blood tests. Full story
Restaurants on Toronto’s King Street hope new patios will boost business
New patio spaces are opening up along Toronto’s King Street, but businesses aren’t convinced they will help recoup revenues they say they’ve lost as a result of the city’s pilot project to give streetcars priority. Full story (Globe subscribers)
Can Doug Ford keep his promise to axe green energy projects? Many rural voters hope so
The election of a Progressive Conservative government in Ontario has raised the hopes of rural voters who opposed projects pushed through using the provincial Green Energy Act despite local objections. John Kordas has been rallying local residents and lobbying the government against a 500-kilowatt solar project next door to his farm on 6330 Ganaraska Rd. in Port Hope. Full story
Seafarer shortage looms for ship companies
An aging workforce means ship companies may be facing a labour shortage soon. And right now, 300 seafarer positions need to be filled, and more will be needed as many of those working aboard ships navigating the Great Lakes are aging. Full story
B.C. government making changes to procurement process, aims at local business
The British Columbia government is changing the system it uses to buy, sell and advertise for public services and projects. Full story
How Canadian-made artificial intelligence is helping Hollywood write better scripts
Jurassic World, Avengers: Infinity War, the latest in the Star Wars franchise, Solo: Movie theatres, as usual, are jam-packed with sequels this summer. Hollywood is addicted to sequels for one reason: A proven concept can reduce the risk of failure in a business where hundreds of millions of dollars are at stake. Full story