Lazaridis Institute
75 University Avenue West N2L 3C5 Waterloo, ON, Canada

On Thursday, April 22 from 12-1 p.m., Jim Peeples, President & COO, Challenger Motor Freight joins our panel discussion Managing Global Supply Chains in a Risk...ier World. This virtual panel discussion brings together key leaders in Canada’s supply chain sector to discuss the need for greater sector-wide preparations in the face of an increasingly risky and interconnected world. Register now for this free event https://wilfrid-laurier.zoom.us//register/WN_apQfWmNsTK-1O See more

There it is, right ahead: the HR speed bump. Your company is growing fast but this introduces a whole new set of challenges for your employees and people operations teams. How to navigate? Lazaridis ScaleUp companies are learning the secrets of attracting top talent and optimizing team performance from two of Silicon Valley’s best people operations experts. We’re grateful to have Emily Mikailli (SVP, People Operations, Signifyd) and Cassie Roblin (Director, Talent & HR, S...ymb.io) share strategies and practical approaches to supercharge people-led company growth! Sign up to learn when applications for Lazaridis ScaleUp open! https://bit.ly/3rMF68G

Congratulations to Jordan Kyriakidis and the rest of the QRA Corp team on closing a $3.76 million funding round! We are honoured that you are part of the Lazaridis ScaleUp family. I saw a problem that needed to be solved, and I didn’t know how to do it in academia, so I had to build a product, then I had to build a company, said Kyriakidis, co-founder and CEO. https://betakit.com/qra-corp-secures-3-76-million-to-meet-/

BC added 7,400 jobs in professional, scientific and technical services in February even as the pandemic battered sectors like hospitality and tourism. IIya Brotzky, CEO of VanHack (Lazaridis ScaleUp member) saw a record in the number of new companies joining his Vancouver-based tech recruitment firm. Because of COVID every company needs to be a tech company, even more so than before, Brotzky said. And so a lot more traditional companies are building software as a core product. There’s definitely a shortage locally there’s just not enough talent. But the fact that companies have to work remotely anyways the ease of hiring a developer who’s living in Gastown or in Guatemala is the same. https://biv.com//crazy-demand-bc-tech-talent-may-strain-se

Most people think they have 11 skills they regularly use at work. It’s actually 34. As highlighted in Forbes, this HR game-changer was found by ScaleUp alumni SkyHive, using AI to map employee skills. It means that many of us only require a few additional skills to successfully transition into new roles, which is of great value to organizations shifting how they recruit, retain and manage talent. Read more: https://www.forbes.com//how-can-corporate-upskilling-be-/

Don’t miss today's Boast.AI (Boast Capital) TractionConf webinar with David Whyte, CEO of Irwin. David will share inside tips on post IPO and how to manage shareholders. Register now: https://us02web.zoom.us//1316170/WN_LgXU7OS-Tqi11K0E4y6Uew

Men and women ages 55 to 64 are more likely to spread misinformation about COVID-19 online, as found by an algorithm from Advanced Symbolics Incorporated (ASI), a Lazaridis ScaleUp company. ASI company CEO Erin Kelly said the age pattern is concerning. These are the age groups that are getting the sickest, you would presume they have friends who have become ill, or who have even possibly died. Read more: https://www.thestar.com//older-ontarians-most-involved-in-

It’s a must-know funding formula to scale up: how do VCs evaluate startups and make investment decisions? What about using equity incentives to fuel the growth of your startup or scaleup? Today, Lazaridis ScaleUp companies get answers and insight from tech investor Andrew Flett (Mobility Impact Partners) and Jed Kleckner, CEO of Delivery.com. Want to learn the secrets to rapid growth from experts like Andrew and Jed? Applications for the next Lazaridis ScaleUp open soon! Join our mailing list for the latest info: https://bit.ly/3cbqxp2

Patents: friends or foe? Don't miss Dr. Daniel F. Spulber this Thursday, March 25 sharing insights from his upcoming book, The Case for Patents. Why do patents matter to you? Dr. Spulber argues the patent system’s economic benefits in driving invention, innovation, and technological change. An internationally renowned economist, Dr. Spulber’s research spans innovation, intellectual property, entrepreneurship and business strategy. Register now: https://wilfrid-laurier.zoom.us//tJYtdu6pqj8qG9CtciR_kyt1E

Don’t miss this Boast.AI (Boast Capital) #TractionConf webinar with Annie Scranton, Founder and President Pace Public Relations. Annie will share tips and tactics to build your business through thought leadership in five simple steps, how to position yourself as an expert, and how to grow your platform using traditional and social media. https://us02web.zoom.us//3616153/WN_ILjhx1S5T_u1kXzGicsMNg

Patents: friends or foe? Don't miss Dr. Daniel F. Spulber next Thursday, March 25 sharing insights from his upcoming book, The Case for Patents. Why do patents matter to you? Dr. Spulber argues the patent system’s economic benefits in driving invention, innovation, and technological change. An internationally renowned economist, Dr. Spulber’s research spans innovation, intellectual property, entrepreneurship and business strategy. Register now: https://wilfrid-laurier.zoom.us//tJYtdu6pqj8qG9CtciR_kyt1E

In tomorrow's Boast.AI (Boast Capital) #TractionConf webinar, Stack Overflow CEO Prashanth Chandrasekar shares four steps to building the world’s largest software developer and technologist community and going from $0 to $250 million in revenue. Register now: https://us02web.zoom.us//3016153/WN_7tlNKatzSeSgfGxy23jDnA

Do you wonder if patents help or hinder the economy? We’re honoured to have Dr. Daniel F. Spulber join us March 25 to discuss his upcoming book The Case for Patents. He argues the patent system’s economic benefits, driving invention, innovation, and technological change. An internationally renowned economist, Dr Spulber’s research spans innovation, intellectual property, entrepreneurship and business strategy. Register now: https://wilfrid-laurier.zoom.us//tJYtdu6pqj8qG9CtciR_kyt1E

Today's Lazaridis ScaleUp Cohort6 session focuses on leadership principles in the context of rapid growth. Speakers include Loren Padelford, General Manager, Shopify Plus and Sloan Gaon, CEO, Pulsepoint. ScaleUp Program Highlights: - designed for busy founders... - personalized mentorship - intensive, expert-led workshops - priceless peer network - addressing the issues of today, preparing for the opportunities of tomorrow - no fees, no equity Learn more about the ScaleUp program: https://www.applytoscaleup.com/

The Lazaridis Institute Growth Through People executive course combines expert-led sessions, focused workshops, and personalized mentorship to kickstart new initiatives, optimize processes and fuel people-led growth. In today’s workshop, company leaders are tackling how to optimize performance management systems, goals, processes and incentives. Our facilitators for today's workshop are: Chris Shaw, Head of Talent Acquisition, Apollo... David Wexler, Human Strategist and Executive Coach Emily Mikailli, Head of HR, Signifyd Julia Lawton, People Partner, SurveyMonkey We'll be running this program again in Feb 2021. Register now at www.lazaridisexecdev.com

The Lazaridis Growth Through People executive course is designed to help you kickstart new initiatives, optimize processes and fuel growth. Today company leaders are workshopping their talent strategies with our experts. Chris Shaw, Head of Talent Acquisition, Apollo David Wexler, Human Strategist and Executive Coach Emily Mikailli, Head of HR, Signifyd... Julia Lawton, People Partner, SurveyMonkey This three-week program is offered at no cost to Ontario companies. Register now for the Winter 2021 session at www.lazaridisexecdev.com

We’re thrilled to welcome O2 Canada into Cohort 6 of the Lazaridis ScaleUp Program. O2 Industries is a Kitchener-based developer of reusable respirators designed to provide protection against harmful particles, dust, germs, pollen and other airborne contaminants. Founded in 2014, O2 is led by Peter Whitby Jr. (Co-founder and CEO), Rich Szasz (Co-founder and CIO), and Doug Hindson (CTO). With a mission to help people all around the world breathe clean air, O2’s flagship resp...irator, the Curve, has been engineered to protect against 98.6% of 2.5 micron particles while providing maximum comfort and breathability. Most recently, O2 announced a multi-year global partnership with the UFC to supply athletes with respirators for every UFC event. O2 is also working with MMA legend, George St. Pierre, in the development a fitness respirator. Welcome aboard, O2! Learn more: https://o2canada.com/

Meet Lazaridis ScaleUp company, ProteinQure. This Toronto-based biotechnology firm has created a computational drug discovery platform intended to unlock the potential of protein-based therapeutics. Founders Lucas Siow (CEO), Tomas Babej (CTO), Christopher Ing (CSO), and Mark Fingerhuth, (Head of R&D), leverage quantum computing, molecular simulations and reinforcement learning to facilitate novel therapeutics engineering, enabling researchers and drug developers to enginee...r and design protein structures with efficacy. Founded in 2017, ProteinQure has since partnered with the University of Guelph, Microsoft, IBM, Fujitsu, and most recently, AstraZeneca, for drug discovery and quantum computing purposes. Learn more: https://www.proteinqure.com/