S|W: The SaaS Weekly – Summertime Sadness for Saskatoon software startups

The SaaS Weekly is simply a play newsletter covering large SaaS quality from Canada and astir the globe.

Subscribe to S|W utilizing this signifier to guarantee you don’t miss retired connected the astir important SaaS quality each week!

David Faugno latest summation to 1Password arsenic first-ever president and main operating officer (BETAKIT)

Toronto-based password-management startup 1Password has added David Faugno to its C-suite arsenic president and main operating serviceman (COO).

Faugno marks 1Password’s latest summation to an ever-expanding enforcement team. Since 2021, 1Password has much than doubled its C-suite, adding the likes of Erin Zipes arsenic main ineligible serviceman and Katya Laviolette arsenic main radical officer.

VPN shaper Nord Security nets $100mn successful backing led by Warburg Pincus (FINANCIAL TIMES)

Nord Security, which makes a starring virtual backstage network, has astir doubled its valuation successful a twelvemonth to $3 billiob aft raising $100 cardinal successful funds from a US backstage equity radical arsenic the bundle supplier taps increasing request for online safety.

Saskatoon bundle startups Vendasta, 7shifts, Andgo Systems marque layoffs (BETAKIT)

Vendasta, 7shifts, and Andgo Systems precocious laid disconnected employees, BetaKit has learned.

In Vendasta’s case, the determination follows a slew of caller acquisitions and marks portion of a propulsion toward profitability arsenic capitalist priorities person shifted.

For 7shifts and Andgo, they travel aft some startups failed to conscionable maturation targets arsenic economical conditions person deteriorated.

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D2L for Business: Kitchener-based acquisition institution pursues corporate-training market (COMMUNITECH)

Kitchener-based D2L is making a large propulsion into the corporate-learning marketplace with the caller unveiling of a caller level offering one-stop buying for businesses looking to upgrade the skills of their employees.

In an interrogation with Tech News, Baker said it’s ne'er been much important for companies to amended the skills of their employees, fixed each the caller disruptions successful the system – accelerated advances successful artificial intelligence, the pandemic, clime change, skills shortages and more.

Cognota closes $5.5-million USD Series A to marque firm LearnOps a thing (BETAKIT)

Toronto-based Cognota has secured $5.5 cardinal USD successful Series A backing to substance the maturation of its operations bundle for firm learning and improvement (L&D) teams.

Armed with a caller name, product, and caller superior amid a challenging fundraising environment, Cognota is acceptable connected expansion, arsenic it looks to assistance much businesses some negociate and measurement the instrumentality connected concern of their interior L&D programs.

AlphaSense, an AI-based marketplace intel firm, snaps up $150M astatine a $2.5B valuation (TECHCRUNCH)

AlphaSense, a marketplace quality firm, is announcing a important fundraise of $150 cardinal to treble down connected maturation accidental arsenic AI-based innovations specified arsenic ChatGPT endanger to cannibalize the market.

AlphaSense’s rotation and unsocial selling constituent is that it positions itself arsenic a level that is portion information crawler, portion insights extractor.

Elevate announces CIX acquisition and caller $2-million innovation situation for younker intelligence health (BETAKIT)

Elevate kicked disconnected this year's tech and innovation festival connected its main signifier by announcing its acquisition of the Canadian Innovation Exchange (CIX) and a concern with MaRS and Kids Help Phone to motorboat a $2-million innovation situation aimed astatine improving younker intelligence health.

Why Linda Yaccarino took connected the wildest occupation successful Silicon Valley (FINANCIAL TIMES)

On May 11, Linda Yaccarino, the caput of planetary advertizing for NBCUniversal, had been making edits to her teleprompter substance with a tiny group. As they worked, Elon Musk tweeted: “Excited to denote that I’ve hired a caller CEO for X/Twitter. She volition beryllium starting successful ~6 weeks!”

The incoming connection connected Yaccarino’s telephone read: “Is ‘she’ you . . . ?”

With 1 characteristically sensational tweet, Musk had blindsided her and present she, successful turn, looked arsenic though she had blindsided NBCUniversal.

Neo Financial, Float, and Cohere header LinkedIn’s sixth yearly database of Canada’s apical 15 startups (BETAKIT)

In its blog post, LinkedIn highlighted difficulties faced by startups this year, specified arsenic task superior deals successful Canada dropping by 71 percent connected an yearly ground successful the archetypal quarter, higher involvement rates, and the illness of Silicon Valley Bank.

Despite that, the database of Canada's apical 15 startups reflects the resilience of FinTech and artificial quality (AI) startups, with conscionable implicit fractional of the ranked startups progressive successful either of those sectors.

Letterboxd, Online Haven for Film Nerds, Gets a New Owner
(THE NEW YORK TIMES)

Matthew Buchanan and Karl von Randow, Letterboxd’s founders, announced connected Friday that they were selling a bulk involvement successful the film-based societal media work to Tiny, a nationalist institution successful Victoria, British Columbia.

The woody values Letterboxd astatine much than $50 million, a root said.

Q&A: GitHub CEO Thomas Dohmke talks AI, supercharging productivity, and the aboriginal of software (YAHOO FINANCE)

GitHub, a bundle improvement platform, has been collaborating with ChatGPT-maker OpenAI to physique a coding-specific AI chatbot called Copilot, which launched for developers successful 2020.

Yahoo Finance caught up with CEO Thomas Dohmke to speech astir AI and wherever it's headed, on with the economical interaction he's expecting to spot from the technology.

Front Row Ventures closes over-subscribed $5.5-million CAD pan-Canadian fund (BETAKIT)

Front Row Ventures, the assemblage student-led money that invests successful student-led startups, has closed $5.5 cardinal for its archetypal pan-Canadian fund.

Historically, Front Row Ventures has focused connected investing successful early-stage, student-led Canadian startups. The money received $600,000 successful 2017 from Real Ventures to put successful 24 student-led startups implicit the adjacent 4 years.

Epic Games cuts astir 830 jobs (THE VERGE)

Fortnite developer Epic Games is expected to laic disconnected 16 percent of its workforce, oregon astir 830 people, arsenic a effect of "spending mode much wealth than we earn," according to Epic CEO Tim Sweeney.

According to The Verge, the institution was seeking concern and speculated layoffs arsenic a means to trim expenses mightiness marque it easier to rise funds.

The station S|W: The SaaS Weekly – Summertime Sadness for Saskatoon bundle startups archetypal appeared connected BetaKit.