Radical Ventures

Harley Finkelstein

Lack of ambition in Canada creating ‘600-pound beaver in the room’: Shopify president

Techopia, Insider Only Top Stories

Artificial intelligence

AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton says the world is heeding warnings about the technology

Insider Only Techopia

Get our email newsletters

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

The Latest

From vet clinics to cancer care, how two Ottawa charities are managing a changing world

New task force eyes ‘huge opportunity’ to make Ottawa-Gatineau a defence-tech hub

Calian consolidates business segments in bid to create ‘simpler, stronger’ business model

When US grocery giant H-E-B wanted samosas, Ottawa’s Nitin Mehra went to Texas to deliver

How Ottawa malls and downtowns are adapting to the new dynamics of shopping

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 | Eposide 295

OBJ360

Sponsored

Iconic spaces, lasting impressions

Uniting for heart health: A community movement reignites this February

Advanced Business Interiors (ABI) is Making Space Work in Ottawa

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

EXPERT BLOGS

View All | Submit an Expert Blog

Why you should do business in Pembroke in 2026

Kathleen Barr

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

Moe Tabesh

In the age of AI, trust and authenticity matter more than ever

Ben Hemmings

Sueling Ching, Ottawa Board of Trade

2026 Marks a new chapter for Ottawa

Sueling Ching

EVENTS

View All | Submit an Event