The CCI Newsletter: July 2025

This edition of The CCI Newsletter was originally shared with CCI’s subscriber community on July 1, 2025. To receive our monthly briefing on the scale-ups shaping Canada’s future, the policies that matter, and insights you won’t find anywhere else—subscribe here.

‍

Dear Innovator,

Happy Canada Day!

Whether you’re on the dock or still on the clock, I want to take a moment to say how proud I am of the Canadians building world-class companies, creating wealth, and strengthening our country’s future.

The first half of 2025 has been a historic moment of reckoning for Canada. A new prime minister. A re-evaluation of our most important alliances. And more economic and geopolitical uncertainty than anyone wanted.

But through it all, Canadians have stepped up. We’ve seen it in our rinks, our grocery aisles, and our travel choices. We’ve stood up for what we believe in, and we’ve shown pride in what this country can achieve. Our “can do” attitude has always been our edge. It’s what has carried us through tough times and what will propel us forward now.

Nearly a decade ago, CCI was founded with a clear purpose: to champion a proudly Canadian approach to economic policy. We believed then — and we believe even more today — that Canada needs more homegrown technology companies and better government policies to help them win on the world stage.

Since day one, we’ve been fighting for procurement reform. In the last two years, we turned up the heat. Our reports, Buying Ideas and Building Winners, laid out why government procurement is the single most powerful lever to propel Canadian technology forward. And while we keep pushing government to make smarter buying decisions, it’s been inspiring to see Canadians making their own. Every time you choose a Canadian-made product or service, you’re investing in our shared prosperity.

One of the challenges we face is awareness. Too often, Canadians don’t know the incredible innovators working right here at home. That’s why we’ve been supporting these stories through projects like BetaKit’s Most Ambitious list and our own By Canadian Innovators series.

So today, as you take a moment to reflect, I hope you’ll check out a few of these profiles and see the Canada we’re building together.

Happy Canada Day!

Benjamin,

Benjamin Bergen is the President of the Council of Canadian Innovators, a national member-based organization reshaping how governments across Canada think about innovation policy, and supporting homegrown scale-ups to drive prosperity. If you are interested in learning more about the Council or joining our cause, get in touch.

‍

BY CANADIAN INNOVATORS

This month, we’re highlighting Canadian innovators who are building bold solutions and creating value across sectors.

🇨🇦 20 Years Strong: How Montreal’s Lightspeed is Helping Canadian Retailers Compete and Win

🇨🇦 A Smarter Way to Modernize: How Toronto’s Conscia is Helping Ontarians Access Faster, Simpler Government Services

🇨🇦 Innovation That Cares: How Montreal’s AlayaCare Is Modernizing Canada’s Home Health System

🇨🇦 Banking for All: How Toronto’s KOHO is Expanding Financial Access for Underserved Canadians

These profiles highlight more than business success. They show what it looks like when Canadian companies build with purpose and compete globally. They reflect a country that has the talent, the ambition, and the ideas — and is ready to lead.

‍

THE BIG READ

As the federal parliamentary session wrapped up, the government passed the Building Canada Act. The speed that the legislation sailed through Parliament was a statement in itself. Prime Minister Carney and his team want to build, and they're impatient to get to work.

In the Toronto Star, CCI President Benjamin Bergen applauds the government for the nation building ethos, but if our infrastructure program is limited to just ports and pipelines, we will be missing the moment. It's vitally important that nation-building include digital infrastructure that supports the Canadian economy of the 21st century.

Read the op-ed here: ‘Build, baby, build’ must include Canada’s key digital infrastructure — not just roads, ports and pipelines

‍

SCALE-UPS TO WATCH

In June, we were thrilled to welcome NanoTess as a member of our national network of innovators. Led by CEO Megan Leslie, NanoTess is revolutionizing wound care with their breakthrough NanoSALV treatment.

Here are a few other highlights from CCI members recently:

• Geotab CEO Neil Cawse: Are business leaders doing enough to hire and promote young talent?
• Xanadu opened its new $10M advanced photonic packaging facility in downtown Toronto
• Nicoya acquires UK’s Applied Photophysics to expand its drug development capabilities and global reach
• Dayforce Enables Government of Canada HR and Pay Transformation Through
• Koho continues expansion beyond core banking with launch of international money transfers
• EY Announces Finalists for Entrepreneur of the Year Award, including CCI Members Alayacare CEO Adrian Schauer and Novarc Technologies CEO Soroush Karimzadeh.

‍

DISPATCHES

Earlier this month, policy professionals and CEOs gathered in Ottawa for a Mooseworks Live panel discussion, hosted in partnership with Torstar.

The event centred on the Council’s new signature report, A Mandate to Innovate, which outlines 34 policy recommendations for how the federal government can drive growth, attract investment, and build long-term economic resilience.

With a new government in Ottawa, we're having productive conversations with members of Prime Minister Mark Carney's team, including MP Karim Bardeesy, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry, who spoke at the event.

Read our dispatch from Ottawa here, and stay tuned for more from CCI over the summer.

Happy reading!