Shaun Jamieson

REGULATION BOTTLENECKS ARE KILLING CANADA'S INNOVATION We talk endlessly about funding, talent, and R&D, but the real choke point isn’t capital. IT'S REGULATION! It’s the silent tax on ambition. The slow bleed of opportunity. Every week of delay costs us innovation, exports, and credibility. We’ve built a system that moves slower than the science it governs. - PMRA reviews can take years. - Novel food approvals drag on. - Interprovincial trade barriers make it easier to sell abroad than at home. We are funding companies to wait out the regulatory clock. An incredible waste of assets that could be going into new ideas and new innovations We are losing ground, not because we lack ideas, but because our systems can’t keep up. Here’s the opportunity: Canada can lead the world in agile, trusted, evidence-based regulation, the kind that protects people and accelerates innovation in agriculture, biotech, and climate tech. We don’t need less regulation. We need regulation that leads, continuously learns and takes on weighted risk alongside our innovators. I’m calling on entrepreneurs, policymakers, investors, and innovators. I’m compiling a national record of what’s working - and particularly what isn’t. If you’ve experienced: - Delays or duplications in PMRA, CFIA, or environmental approvals - Interprovincial trade barriers or inspection bottlenecks - Lost deals or stalled projects because of regulatory uncertainty ** Share your story** Comment, DM, or tag colleagues and organizations who have lived this reality. This is not another report, this is a call to action and I will be asking my friends and colleagues to amplify This continues the work I began with Canada’s Economic Strategy Tables more than 8 years ago promising agile regulatory environment. We built the case for growth in our Agrifood system. Now we need the courage for reform. Let’s align those ready to lead change, including: Council of Canadian Innovators | Conseil canadien des innovateurs (CCI) Business Council of Alberta Canadian Chamber of Commerce Creative Destruction Lab Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI) Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada/ Agriculture et Agroalimentaire Canada Help map Canada’s real regulatory roadblocks. I’m collecting: - Case studies and examples of approval delays - Stories of lost deals or stalled projects - Practical ideas for reform ➡️ Comment or DM me your experience. ➡️ Tag colleagues and orgs who’ve lived this.

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Canada just dropped $25M into a single gap in the venture pipeline. CIBC and Women in VC announced a $25M fund targeting female-led SaaS companies. The data is simple: → Women-led startups get <3% of global VC funding → Yet they consistently show higher capital efficiency and stronger early retention → And still, they receive less than 3% of global venture funding → Most never raise again because they weren’t funded properly to begin with This fund is one of the first signals that Canada’s capital markets are starting to price talent with discipline. Because this isn’t about “supporting women.” It’s about investing in founders who are already outperforming, even when under-resourced. The bigger signal? → Founder profile ≠ founder potential → Capital is starting to chase performance, not pitch polish → SaaS isn’t just a sector - it’s systems. And women are building better ones. I’ve seen it first-hand: when capital sharpens, better companies emerge and cleaner GTM systems get built. Some of the best I’ve seen are led by founders the market still underestimates. It shows the ecosystem is stronger when capital chases performance over pattern. #femtech #womeninvc #womenintech #saas #femtech #womeninvc #womenintech #saas

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AI won’t take your job. But the person using AI will. In this Rise and Stride interview with CalCPA CEO Denise LeDuc Froemming, CPA, CAE, AAiP, we dive deep into the future of accounting, leadership, and how professionals can thrive in an AI-powered world. We explore: -Why AI is a high-energy intern—not a replacement -How CPAs and domain experts will lead the next wave of innovation -The five core skills every future leader must master -Why automation isn’t enough—and what to build instead If you’re a finance professional ready to lead with AI, this episode is a must-watch. 🎧 Watch the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/ec3JXu4U #AI #Accounting #Leadership #CalCPA #Innovation #NeilSahota #FutureOfWork

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Entrepreneurs thrive on speed. But SR&ED slows them down. Canada doesn’t lack ambition or talent. We lack a system that actually helps. The fix isn’t more funding. It’s a smarter process. If we redesign SR&ED to be simple, direct, and focused on entrepreneurs, Canada can unlock the next generation of world-class companies. That means: 1️⃣ Making applications simple and accessible. 2️⃣ Keeping IP here at home. 3️⃣ Supporting the messy middle where ideas turn into businesses. Canada has the talent. We have the dollars. What we need now is the infrastructure to connect them—and Build Canada is about doing just that. Read the full memo here 👇 https://lnkd.in/eF-xR4Tv

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Otto is Framework Venture Partners AI powered data collection, scoring and matching service. Otto’s data corroborated Leaders Fund work. Startups in the software space in Canada peaked in 2018 at just under an estimated 20,000. As of the beginning of 2025 Otto estimates that number is below 10,000. While there is a rebound from the nadir, it is clear Canadian startups have had nearly a decade of decline. https://lnkd.in/g39A2Fqw

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🚨 NEW POD ALERT 🚨 On the latest episode of the #humanunicornpod, I sit down with Amar Varma — co-founder of Mantle ($10m raised), Autonomic (acquired by Ford for <$400m), Xtreme Labs (acquired by Pivotal), longtime builder of Toronto’s tech ecosystem-- and maybe most importantly, amazing father of 4. From pioneering mobile app development before the iPhone App Store existed, to scaling two of Canada’s most successful exits, Amar shares what it really takes to build durable companies outside Silicon Valley. We dive into his founder journey, lessons learned from working with global tech giants, and his vision for the next wave of Canadian unicorns including the one he's building now- Mantle. 🇨🇦🦄

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