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How does a Canadian tech company go public before it has a finished product — and then scale to more than 160 countries?

In this episode, Tom Rossiter, Co-Founder and CEO of RESAAS, shares the remarkable story behind building a global technology platform from Vancouver and navigating the uniquely Canadian path to going public pre-product.

Ashley and Tom dive into:

- The unconventional route RESAAS took to become a public company before revenue
- Why this was possible only in Canada — and what that reveals about our innovation ecosystem
- The reality of running two companies at once: the business and the public market entity
- How RESAAS scaled its reach to 160+ countries
- What global data patterns reveal about real estate before headlines catch up
- The mindset required to build (and survive) as a Canadian founder
- Leadership lessons from scaling through multiple market cycles
- What Canada must do next to compete globally in technology and innovation

Tom brings clarity, candor, and a uniquely global perspective on what it really takes to lead a Canadian tech company from prototype to public markets — and to build a platform used around the world.

Near the end of the episode — Tom and Ashley dive into some real estate market banter, exploring where the industry is heading, how data is reshaping decision-making, and what realtors, agents, brokers, and consumers should expect from the next cycle. It’s a fun add-on for listeners curious about proptech, global housing trends, or the intersection of real estate and innovation.

A must-listen for founders, innovators, investors, and anyone curious about Canada’s place in the global tech landscape.

Check the show notes for a helpful breakdown and to find our guest across the web and social (visit Canada Now — show notes coming soon): canadanow.beehiiv.com

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Cyber attacks aren’t just rising — they’re transforming. And most Canadian companies aren’t even close to ready.

In this eye-opening conversation, cybersecurity expert Dominic Vogel breaks down the new reality facing Canadian organizations as we head into 2026. From AI-powered attacks to skyrocketing ransomware incidents to the shocking fragility of our digital systems, Dominic explains why cyber risk is no longer a technical issue — it’s a leadership issue.

We cover:

• Why attackers don’t need your data to be valuable — only valuable to you
• How AI is supercharging cybercrime at a scale we’ve never seen before
• Why Canadian SMEs and SMBs are now prime targets
• The truth about cyber insurance (and why claims are increasingly denied)
• The confidence gap between what leaders think they’re protected from and what’s actually happening
• The three moves every organization should make before 2026
• Why “one wrong click” can bring a business to its knees
• How to build cyber-resilient culture without fear or overwhelm

This is a must-listen episode for founders, executives, boards, public-sector leaders, and anyone building or leading an organization in Canada.

Cybersecurity isn’t optional anymore. And after this conversation, you’ll understand why.

Check the show notes for a helpful breakdown and to find our guest across the web and social (visit Canada Now — show notes coming soon).

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The future of work is changing fast — and few people have a better vantage point on global leadership, talent, and purpose than Jay Rosenzweig.

Jay Rosenzweig is a successful investor and internationally renowned social impact entrepreneur, humanitarian, and CEO of Rosenzweig & Company. Across North America and beyond, he advises global corporations, high-growth founders, and purpose-driven organizations on building world-class leadership teams. He also chairs the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights and is the creator of the annual Rosenzweig Report on women in leadership.

In this wide-ranging and deeply thoughtful conversation, Jay and Ashley explore:

• The future of work, talent and leadership
• AI’s impact on creativity, ethics and global security
• The rise of fractional and portfolio leadership
• Why wellness is becoming a strategic imperative
• Canada’s opportunity in AI, clean energy, and global scale-ups
• DEI backlash, ESG maturity, and what boards need to understand in 2026
• How young leaders can find purpose in an uncertain world
• The difference between legacy and ego — and what truly endures

A grounded, meaningful episode for anyone thinking about the future of work, Canada’s innovation economy, and leadership in a world that’s changing faster than ever.

What is ESG?

This episode touches on ESG — a framework that helps companies evaluate their Environmental, Social, and Governance responsibilities. In practice, it’s about long-term resilience, ethical leadership, transparency, and how organizations navigate risk in a fast-changing world. Want to explore this more deeply? Check the show notes for a helpful breakdown (visit Canada Now — show notes coming soon).

🎧 Listen, follow, and leave a review.
📺 Watch full episodes on YouTube.

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Factory-built homes are back in the spotlight in Canada — but are today’s modular homes actually good enough to help fix the housing crisis and be places people truly want to live?

In this episode of Canada Now, Ashley sits down with Rohan Kulkarni (Co-Founder & CEO, Rohe Homes) and Salik Z. Khan (Co-Founder & Chief Experience Officer) to unpack how factory-built, modular homes can speed up construction, cut costs, and still deliver beautiful, high-quality spaces.

They get into:

• Why modular ≠ “mobile home,” and how Rohe’s building envelopes unfold on-site in 4–6 hours
• How laneway homes, multiplexes, and “missing middle” infill can unlock intergenerational living and wealth
• The real “cost of chaos” in traditional construction: delays, weather, labour shortages, and hidden expenses
• How an AI lot-feasibility tool helps homeowners understand what they can build on their property in minutes
• Rural and disaster-rebuild use cases — including rebuilding after wildfires in B.C.

Whether you’re a homeowner, builder, policymaker, or just curious about the future of housing in Canada, this conversation demystifies prefab and modular construction — and shows how factory-built homes can be more affordable, more convenient, and genuinely beautiful.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The difference between manufactured, prefab, and modular homes
• How Rohe’s foldable building system works — from factory to finished home
• Why modular can save up to 30–40% in time and reduce hidden costs
• How multiplexes and small-scale infill can help solve Canada’s “missing middle”
• Where factory-built housing fits into rural, remote, and disaster-affected communities
• How Canadian homeowners can start thinking like micro-developers on their own lots

Guest links:
Rohe Homes → rohehomes.com

FULL EPISODE SHOW NOTES COMING SOON!

Get updates at https://canadanow.beehiiv.com

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Send a text to Canada Now! 💬

What if a major housing unlock is hiding in plain sight?

This week, Ashley sits down with Laura Fortey — co-founder & COO of Reitium — to unpack how churches, hospitals, and other nonprofits can raise capital (donations, debt, or equity) to build affordable housing while keeping ownership of their land. No bulldozers-for-condos script. Instead: preserve the community anchor, add the homes, and make the math work with modern crowdfunding infrastructure.

They also dive into founder realities — burnout and reset, when to pivot vs. persist, what accelerators actually provide, and why the next era of building in Canada is more human, more in-person, and more collaborative.

In this episode:

• The “sleeping land” opportunity: why church & nonprofit sites matter
• How Reitium structures community-owned development (donations / debt / equity)
• Keeping the land vs. selling out: long-term income for nonprofits
• Policy, mayors, and moving faster by working with (not against) regulation
• Founder lessons: first-mover advantages, timing markets, and agile pivots
• Burnout, boundaries, and the rise of fractional/portfolio careers
• Why IRL rooms still beat DMs — and how serendipity changes outcomes

Topics: housing innovation · community-owned development · crowdfunding · founder resilience · fractional leadership · Canada’s next-gen builders

Find the full episode show notes — with Laura’s podcast and accelerator program mentions — at Canada Now HERE! 👈👈

Also, subscribe to the Canada Now newsletter for updates (and vip perks)!

🎧 Timestamps:

00:00 — Intro: Democratizing real estate and the “sleeping land” opportunity
01:15 — Laura Fortey joins: A founder’s journey from burnout to purpose
03:30 — What is Reitium? Crowdfunding affordable housing through community ownership
05:45 — The church land model: keeping ownership while creating homes
08:20 — How donations, debt, and equity fuel nonprofit-led development
10:40 — Tokenization, regulation, and why timing the market matters
13:15 — Lessons in agility: pivoting while staying true to your mission
15:40 — Accelerators, mentorship, and learning from ecosystems abroad
18:20 — Why in-person connection still beats remote networking
21:30 — The rise of fractional and portfolio careers for founders
24:00 — Building sustainable companies without losing yourself
27:10 — Generational shifts: younger builders, new priorities
30:05 — Real-world optimism: the future of housing and impact in Canada
33:00 — Networking events and building Canada’s tech ecosystem
36:00 — Women founders, capital gaps, and fundraising realities
39:30 — Advice for new builders and lessons from global accelerators
43:00 — The future o

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When disruption hits your industry, will you adapt — or get left behind?

Jeff King, CEO of Greater Vancouver REALTORS® and former COO of SOCAN (the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada), joins Canada Now to unpack how disruption unfolds — and what every Canadian leader can learn from the industries facing it head-on.

From the collapse of CD retailers to the digital transformation of real estate, Jeff shares how embracing change, recognizing that the consumer always wins, and thinking across sectors can help Canadians — and Canadian businesses — lead the next wave of innovation.

Topics: disruption · innovation culture · real estate modernization · AI · leadership · Canada’s digital future

→ Follow Canada Now for bold ideas and real conversations shaping what’s next in Canada. 🇨🇦

Find the full episode show notes — including Jeff’s podcast and peer-network recommendations — at Canada Now HERE!

SUBSCRIBE to the Canada Now newsletter for insights, updates, and new episodes.

🎧 In this episode:
• 00:00 – “Disrupt yourself before you’re disrupted.”
• 05:30 – Why industries deny change until it’s too late
• 10:31 – The consumer is undefeated: Napster → Apple → Spotify
• 16:49 – Building trust: Canada’s privacy advantage
• 21:07 – What slows innovation in real estate and beyond
• 25:30 – Creating a culture of innovation
• 30:31 – AI and the next evolution of search
• 49:20 – The Silver Tsunami & Canada’s opportunity window

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Can social media feel human again? 🇨🇦
After two decades of algorithms, outrage, and endless scroll, Jess Glowacki is rebuilding social — the Canadian way.

As the founder of EH!, a proudly Canadian social network that puts community, privacy, and connection first, Jess is flipping the script on how we connect online. No algorithms. No bots. Just real people, local discovery, and a mission-driven model built around respect and belonging.

In this conversation, we unpack:

• How social media lost its way — and what it takes to fix it
• Why EH! keeps your data in Canada (and your feed chronological)
• How AI can protect, not exploit, users
• Why mission-first startups might define the next era of tech
• The early-user advantage for creators, small businesses & communities
• What it means to build a kinder internet — one city at a time
• How young founders can think about tech innovation over the next two years

👋 Learn about & try EH!: https://ehnow.ca

PS: Full show notes available!

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Send a text to Canada Now! 💬

Real estate is having its travel-agent moment — but the higher calling is stewardship. Serial Entrepreneur, investor, and Sutton Group CEO, Ross McCredie explains how verified identity and accurate data can protect families from financial abuse and turn brokerages into true homeowner wealth platforms.

In this episode:

• The “travel agent → advisor” shift and what it means for REALTORS®
• From one-off deals to long-term asset/portfolio management
• Verified IDs, digitized property portfolios, and cleaner data for AI
• How transparency helps prevent elder & financial abuse
• Canada lens: policy, infrastructure, and why build here now
• What pros must do in the next 5 years; what consumers should ask

Guest: Ross McCredie — CEO, Sutton Group

If you enjoyed this, please follow/subscribe and share with a friend!
All links in one place: canadanow.beehiiv.com/links

Full Show Notes: Available Now!

[00:00] Elder abuse & fraud: why it matters
[00:20] Show open
[00:44] Host intro & setup
[01:20] Who is Ross McCredie (bio)
[02:13] Travel → real estate: the disruption analogy
[03:28] Has the industry really changed?
[04:17] From transactions to homeowner-centric “wealth” model
[06:09] Affordability, options & fiduciary collaboration
[08:03] “Who’s we?”—Sutton + Cornerstone platform
[09:31] Web3 roots & platform distribution
[10:26] Digitizing/verification: people, pros, and property
[12:15] Partners & rollout (Interac, BC/ON)
[13:15] Example: verified data across an owner’s lifecycle
[15:17] Raising the bar: standardizing top-agent practices
[17:16] The next 5 years: attrition, liability, professionalism
[20:16] AI in real estate: data quality over hype
[24:41] For consumers: true cost of ownership & planning
[27:09] Elder abuse deep dive: prevention by design
[34:21] Canada vs US: transparency, lawsuits, incentives
[38:06] Adoption, teams & community advocacy
[41:19] Why build in Canada? Talent, infrastructure, urgency
[46:07] Proptech community, collaboration & close

Keywords: Canada housing, real estate innovation, verified data, digital identity, elder financial abuse, MLS accuracy, AI in real estate, homeowner wealth management, proptech, Vancouver

Love the show? Help it grow!
→ Subscribe, Review, and Share 🍁

Follow Canada Now for bold ideas and real conversations shaping what’s next in Canada. 🇨🇦
→ All Links (including socials)
→ YouTube
→ Canada Now Newsletter (subscriber perks coming soon!)

Meet the host, Ashley Smith! 🙋‍♀️
→ Ashley's links (social, website, + more)