The Gradient Ascent Episode 2, Part 1 – The Future of Canadian Startups: AI, Capital, and Brain Drain

Aug 12, 20261 minute

The Gradient Ascent Episode 2, Part 1 – The Future of Canadian Startups: AI, Capital, and Brain Drain

In this episode of The Gradient Ascent Podcast, CIBC’s Paul McKinlay and Daniel Lee sit down with George Babu and Gideon Hayden to explore what it takes to build enduring AI companies today — from cheaper experimentation and distributed teams to smarter go-to-market strategies. They also dig into a bigger question for Canada’s tech ecosystem: how do we keep top founders building at home when talent, capital and ambition move globally? Part 2: Why Enterprise AI Adoption is Still so Hard is out now.

Episode Contributor

Paul McKinlay

Executive Managing Director, Head of Innovation Banking

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