Marc Low

​Canada has an innovation problem. More specifically, we have an innovation-to-commercialization problem. ​In my latest article, "My Mission: Fixing Canada's Innovation Problem," I dive into why we excel at invention but often fail at turning that IP into globally competitive companies. ​This is more than a passion project for me; it's a mission. I'd love to hear your thoughts. ​Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/dkh7QPWz Chris Carder Chris Adams David K. Nafis Ahmed Mandhir (Manny) Kalia Claudia KrywiakRahul Nirula Amber French Martin Basiri Mike Kirkup Alex McCallum Werner Muller Bruce Brown Kurtis Scissons Skaidra Puodžiūnas Benjamin Bergen Colleen Cole Kate Tomen, PMP, MMIE Amir Asif Vigen Nazarian Michael Badham Jim Hinton Sep Assadian Gerry Fung, P.Eng., CPA, CMA Dr .Tom Corr DBA, ADipC, MBA, ICD Eva Lau Ali Esfahani Raymond Luk Keith Loo Nicholas Nadeau, Ph.D., P.Eng. Bart Streppel Brendan Skiffington Jie Chen Stephen Gravel Shawn Poland Mike Commito, PhD Cheick Ismael MAIGA P.Eng Kevin Nguyen Bohdan Zabawskyj Kyle Briggs ​#Canada #Innovation #Tech #VentureCapital #Startups #Commercialization #CanadianTech

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Canada’s plan to boost defense spending to more than C$1.2 trillion (US$900 billion) by 2035 marks a pivotal moment for both national security and economic policy. Beyond modernizing capabilities, this investment can redefine Canada’s industrial base and accelerate innovation across critical sectors. Much of this spending across platforms and infrastructure remains uncommitted, creating a rare opportunity for Canadian firms to scale, diversify, and integrate into allied defense and technology value chains. Realizing this potential will require tight alignment between government priorities and private-sector investment to strengthen competitiveness, resilience, and Canada’s global position. Read more here: https://on.bcg.com/47mstYs #Canadadefense #Supplychainresilience #Infrastructure #NationalSecurity #PublicPrivatePartnership

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“International alliances, market diversification, and public-private partnerships will all play a vital role in constructing a new natural resources strategy and resilience-oriented industrial policy for Canada to unlock the potential of sectors such as critical minerals. Yet clearly, a much broader suite of policy tools must also be deployed to strengthen Canadian economic resilience.” Great piece by Robert Johnston - check it out below: https://lnkd.in/gnWDQtud DeepDive: A new strategy for resilient global leadership in natural resources and manufacturing - The Hub

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Canada’s space sector is entering a new era. A Canadian rocket startup has just launched with the ambitious goal of building sovereign access to space, an increasingly important strategic capability as geopolitics evolve and demand for domestic launch grows. This marks a pivotal moment for Canada’s aerospace ecosystem, strengthening national security and innovation. https://lnkd.in/e_cvRKzi

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NRCan: Energy Innovation Program (EIP) - AI and Energy. Call for Proposals will open in Fall 2025. Funding to support Canadian projects that use AI to accelerate energy innovation. Will prioritize projects utilizing advanced technology that reduces operational costs of energy, enhances energy system effectiveness, accelerates the discovery of new, lower-cost, and more efficient energy materials, and drives Canada’s energy transition through accelerated innovation. Details to be announced. https://lnkd.in/e-VhHAJN

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Luc Lapointe, Loren Stoddard and I have countless conversations about the kinds of programs that The Blended Capital Group, Capitals Hub Canada, Veridicor and Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM) are focused on as we stand-up a digital marketplace that will democratize access to capital for artisanal #mining. A few things that inform our thinking: 🏹 it may be counterintuitive, but it is easier to raise relatively large amounts of capital compared to smaller amounts - $100M for example is easier to raise than $2M in this space 🏹 investors need transparency, a common language with miners, in order to engage - KPI's, asset classes, validation 🏹 integration is king - delivering an ASM professionalization program requires upfront alignment and longer-term coordination between artisanal miners, governments, large scale miners in the region, communities and others 🏹 blockchain and stablecoins provide capabilities for investors that simply didn't exist in the past - why wouldn't we tokenize assets on the blockchain Given these factors, what we are talking about: 🏹 large programs that positively impact the lives of thousands or tens of thousands of artisanal miners in commercially realistic ways; this generally means a program that is specific to a given mineral in a specific country 🏹 financing of programs that are significant - tens of millions of dollars, generally +/-$100M 🏹 clear alignment and integration - theories of change need to bake in how ASM professionalization takes hold, what collaboration with large mines, governments and broader stakeholders looks like 🏹clear value propositions driven by clear theories of change - financial, social, environmental and economic value go hand-in-hand, compelling for #mininginvestment and #impactinvedtment Our scope centers on #ASM, while including small/medium responsible LSM's and associated infrastructure that might include modular solar and smscale refining. Scope will vary depending on realities of integration. The Blended Capital Group and our network of partners and collaborators are committed to reimagining outcomes in artisanal mining. With financial, social, environmental and economic impact being interconnected and compelling for mining and impact investors, a strong focus on integration, clear value propositions and improved access for investors through a transparent easy-to-use blockchain-based environment will unlock doors to the capital at-scale needed to deliver scaled professionalization. Now is the time. Reach out, let's discuss. Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM) Levin Sources BanQu | Proven Traceability Tech & Expertise Napier Meridian Capitals Hub Canada Veridicor Innovest Advisory Investing for Good CIC #responsiblemining #asgm #responsibleinvestment #responsiblebusiness

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#AgenticAI systems are designed to perceive, reason, and act independently, unlocking new possibilities for Canadian organizations. With this autonomy comes a new set of risks. To keep pace, governance frameworks must evolve to meet the unique demands of these advanced systems. Learn more by reading EY’s latest article: https://ow.ly/3xmc30sRcG5 #EYCanada #ShapeTheFutureWithConfidence

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Mobilizing private capital is critical to advancing climate adaptation, but doing so requires innovative financial structures and investment models. During UNGA High-Level Week and New York Climate Week, BCG’s Qahir Dhanani met with Lori Kerr, CEO of FinDev Canada, to discuss practical ways to mobilize private capital for climate action through blended and catalytic finance. Their conversation emphasized the importance of aligning financial design with measurable outcomes—ensuring that investment strategies support both long-term returns and local impact. Watch the full discussion to learn how climate finance is evolving to meet the scale of the challenge. #BCGatUNGA #BCGatClimateWeek25 #ClimateWeek25

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Prime Minister Carney’s focus on resilience and security at Davos this week mirrors PwC Canada’s #ValueinMotion research, which highlights defence as a critical growth domain.     Our CEO Survey shows 49% of Canadian CEOs plan to boost investment in supply chain resilience.     This is an opportunity for Canada’s defense sector to lead with innovation and strengthen global security for generations to come.    https://lnkd.in/gAYacJvE   #WEF26 #CEOSurvey 

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As G7 leaders convene this week in Alberta, conversations about AI safety and governance are top of mind. In our latest blog, PAI outlines two key opportunities for the G7 to strengthen the global AI assurance ecosystem: ✅ Harmonize assurance tools and roles across countries ✅ Ensure AI assurance supports sustainable development goals With momentum building from the Hiroshima Process and voluntary reporting frameworks, now is the time for meaningful alignment and investment in international standards and digital public infrastructure. Read our full recommendations:

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