CarMa Institute

From Davos to WGS: The new mindset of global capital, and what it means for Ottawa

OBJ360 Sponsored

Dr. Anirudh “AK” Kumar sits in CarMa’s headquarters at the ByWard Market, still visibly energized despite having landed from Dubai less than 24 hours ago.

A global view: What CarMa Institute is seeing in biotech for 2026

OBJ360 Sponsored

From Adelaide to San Francisco, the biotechnology landscape is shifting – and, in some cases, straining under the weight of market uncertainty. Venture capital funding

CarMa Institute is quietly powering the next wave of biotech from The ByWard Market

OBJ360 Sponsored

In the heart of Ottawa’s ByWard Market, a new kind of investor relations and capital strategy firm is reshaping how biotech innovation finds its way

Get our email newsletters

Get up-to-date news about the companies, people and issues that impact businesses in Ottawa and beyond.

The Latest

Feds’ workplace culture could take hit if office space woes aren’t fixed soon, HR experts say

Inside a data centre: How PureColo is using an old IBM building to serve the needs of the future

UPDATED: Regional Group acquires Slater Street office tower from Manulife

Calian, ADGA Group band together to create new training tools for Canadian Army

Video

Ottawa’s AI scene is evolving. Early momentum was created by companies such as Solink, founded by Mike Matta, which applied computer vision to retail analytics, and Ranovus, led by Hany Mussad, which develops the optical hardware necessary for high-capacity AI data centres. Subsequent growth was driven by firms such as MindBridge, co-founded by Solon Angel and Eli Fathi, and BluWave-ai, led by Devashish Paul, which targeted specific industrial applications in financial auditing and energy grid management.

A new AI player is garnering international attention. Backboard.io is developing a memory-native API designed to manage long-term context in large language models. In January 2026, the company closed a pre-seed funding round led by Mistral Venture Partners, with participation from N49P, Garage Capital, and Developer Capital.

In this episode of Techopia Live, OBJ publisher Michael Curran speaks to Rob Imbeault, the founder and CEO of Backboard.io. Having already co-founded tech unicorn Assent, Imbeault is now in the CEO seat and predicting big things to come.

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
02:56 Introducing Rob Imbeault
14:00 Sponsor Segment
22:27 Building a Better Working World
24:03 Techopia Sponsors
24:43 Closing and What’s Ahead at OBJ

For more on Ottawa’s tech and innovation scene, visit https://obj.ca/techopia.

Subscribe to Techopia’s weekly newsletter here: https://obj121.activehosted.com/f/5

Techopia Live: Imbeault is back with Backboard.io | Episode 295

OBJ360

Sponsored

SnowBall 2026: A premier networking event with purpose returns to 50 Sussex Dr.

Uniting for heart health: A community movement reignites this February

OCOBIA eyes Ottawa BIA expansion as it gears up for election year

How shared goals at Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend strengthen workplace culture

EXPERT BLOGS

View All | Submit an Expert Blog

Moe Tabesh writes about communicating with the CRA

Don’t let tax season steal your thunder: A smarter way for Ottawa businesses to close the books

CarMa Institute

Why you should do business in Pembroke in 2026

CarMa Institute

Sueling Ching, Ottawa Board of Trade

Building Canada’s Defence Innovation Hub

CarMa Institute

The federal downsizing effect: Risk, resilience and Ottawa real estate

CarMa Institute

EVENTS

View All | Submit an Event