Morning everyone,
Over the last few weeks, we've been sitting down with the defence tech ventures coming out of UBC Sauder's Scale Up Program. A common thread running through the cohort is how many of these companies didn't start out in defence at all.
Fleet management software, trauma care devices, semiconductor design — the defence application often came later, through conversations the program helped facilitate. We've now spoken with six of the eight ventures in the pilot cohort, and the profiles are worth reading together.
It was also a big week for Clio, which acquired Canadian legal AI company Jurisage and promoted Ronnie Gurion to President and COO. And William Johnson sat down with Ian Crosby — the Bench co-founder — who has raised a US$10 million seed round for Synthetic, a new startup betting that AI can fully replace bookkeepers, not just assist them.
-Emily
Events
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From The Journal
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Race to zero with Fasken
As the world races to achieve net-zero carbon emissions, leading Canadian companies put their trust in Fasken. As the first Canadian law firm to launch an emerging tech practice over 30 years ago, Fasken is the go-to firm for those investing in ClimateTech companies or scaling companies in the industry.
Funding, Deals, and More
Clio has acquired Jurisage, the Canadian legal AI company behind one of the country's most comprehensive AI-ready legal datasets, accelerating the launch of Clio Work in Canada later this year. Read more →
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In Other News
Clio has promoted Ronnie Gurion to President and COO, formalizing his expanded role as the Burnaby-founded legal AI company scales past US$500 million in ARR and integrates its US$1 billion acquisition of vLex. Read more →
Innovation UBC has appointed Ian Bell as Associate Director, Innovation Partnerships, bringing more than 25 years of experience in technology transfer, research commercialization and IP strategy. Read more →
B.C.'s tech sector now represents nearly 10% of the province's GDP, but a new BC Tech report warns that a persistent scale-up gap — driven by limited capital access, weak procurement policies and inadequate export support — is holding the industry back. Read more →
BC Tech has announced the finalists for its 2026 Technology Impact Awards, with winners to be revealed at a gala in Vancouver this fall. Read more →
A CBC feature breaks down the growing backlash against AI data centres across Canada, from protests in Vancouver and Hamilton to a denied planning application in Hamilton and a cancelled project in Manitoba. Read more →
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