RBC Disruptors

The data economy in Canada is worth more than $200 billion. Over the past two years, more data has been created than ever before. And, while Canadian companies invest $40 billion a year in data, many believe that Canada is falling behind its peers when it comes to collecting and leveraging data. So what’s holding us back? On RBC Disruptors, meet former Google exec Sam Sebastian, CEO of Pelmorex, the Canadian data giant behind The Weather Network that connects with 60M users globally each month. Sebastian and John Stackhouse discuss: - How Pelmorex is using AI and machine learning along with location, weather and behavior data to create bespoke insights for their clients - The tension between protecting user privacy and new product innovation - How companies can successfully collect and use data without eroding public trust Sign up for the RBC Disruptors email newsletter at rbc.com/disruptors.

Today on RBC Disruptors, John Stackhouse sits down with two Torontonians who are working to ensure black entrepreneurs have access to more opportunities in the city’s thriving tech sector. They discuss the challenges unique to Canadian black entrepreneurs, the barriers they face getting their ideas off the ground, and why companies that invest in diversity and inclusion tend to be more successful. Isaac Olowolafe Jr., who heads a Toronto-based asset management firm, is the founder of Dream Maker Ventures – a venture capital fund that invests in diverse founders from marginalized communities. He’s joined by Abdullah Snobar, the Executive Director of the DMZ – a tech incubator at Ryerson University. Dream Maker Ventures and the DMZ raised $1M to launch the Black Innovation Fellowship – a program addressing the lack of diversity in the startup ecosystem. In light of Black History Month, Isaac and Abdullah called for Canadians to consider the importance of access and championing of black innovators. Increased opportunity and visibility will be key in advancing black entrepreneurship in the digital economy.

On New Year’s Eve, BlueDot—a Toronto technology company aiming to fight epidemics using AI—saw something concerning. By the next day, BlueDot had alerted its clients of the possible outbreak of a novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China—days before the World Health Organization. On RBC Disruptors, meet Dr. Kamran Khan, a Canadian physician and entrepreneur using AI and Big Data to create an early-warning system for infectious diseases. Khan and John Stackhouse discuss: - How BlueDot’s early warning system detected the 2020 coronavirus ahead of everyone else - Why Canada is a challenging environment for healthcare innovation - How societies struggle in 2020 to contain infectious diseases despite a wave of new technologies Sign up for the RBC Disruptors email newsletter at rbc.com/disruptors.

In the age of automation, we are undergoing a skills shift. By 2022, 54% of frontline workers will need significant reskilling. Carol Leaman, CEO of Axonify joined us on RBC Disruptors to discuss how they are revolutionizing the way companies retrain their frontline workers

By 2035, Canada’s senior citizens will make up 23% of the country and a shortage of 199,000 long-term care beds will exist if action is not taken. Canada’s health care system has a big problem to solve: how to fundamentally changing the way we care for seniors.  Mike Wessinger of PointClickCare and Michelle E. DiEmanuele of Trillium Health Partners joined RC Disruptors to explore how to address the silver tsunami with technology.

Peoples’ viewing habits are shifting dramatically, with the rise of streaming services and mobile viewing – yet, digital isn’t stopping live entertainment from drawing crowds. Cameron Bailey and Joana Vicente – the co-heads of the Toronto International Film Festival joined the 50th episode of RBC Disruptors to speak to the power of audience in an age of digital experience.

Technology is transforming the vote. Shuman Ghosemajunder, CTO of Shape Security and former click fraud czar at Google joined us on RBC Disruptors to discuss what technology is doing to democracy, and how technology can fix it.

The changing nature of work is keeping millennials and gen Z up at night. In a tech-driven economy, the path to success is no longer clear -- so young people are taking control. On this episode of RBC Disruptors, two young entrepreneurs joined us to explain why they founded their companies—and why others should follow in their footsteps. This episode's guests are Julia Kirouac, Founder & CEO of NudFud, and Braden Ream, Founder & CEO of VoiceFlow.

Automation is changing the nature of food production. In part two of this mini-series, John Stackhouse visits the dairy operation of Matt and Jaclyn Walker in Muir, Ontario, two food producers that define Farmer 4.0; entrepreneurs experimenting with technology and innovating the business model of farming. With their robotic milking machine, they are able to shift their focus to cultivating data, problem-solving and improving animal health. For more on Farmer 4.0, see rbc.com/farmer4

Agriculture is undergoing a skills revolution. In part one of this mini-series, John Stackhouse discusses the findings of a new RBC report, Farmer 4.0, with Andrew Schrumm, its lead researcher, and how agriculture can thrive in the age of automation. Unfavourable demographics and disruptive technologies in the industry magnify the skills challenge ahead for the 2020s, in which Canada has the opportunity to feed an ever expanding global population. For more on Farmer 4.0, see rbc.com/farmer4

There is a shift happening in retail. Angela Ahrendts, former SVP of Retail at Apple and CEO at Burberry joined us on RBC Disruptors to discuss the trends she's seen from her time at two iconic global brands and to share her vision for the future of retail.

Technology is disrupting the brain. Dr. Murali Doraiswamy, a physician and brain scientist at Duke University highlighted that 8%-10% of people in North America show signs of a serious addiction to the Internet and gaming - on this special episode we turned our minds inward - Murali shares his perspective and research on how technology is changing the brain and mind.

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning are moving at a staggering pace but big hurdles remain to dreams like self-driving cars and personalized medicine. What are the risks, opportunities, and timelines? John Stackhouse is joined by the Head of Borealis AI and Chief Scientist Officer at RBC, Foteini Agrafioti, and key experts including Layla el Asri (Microsoft Research), Jean-Francois Gagne (Element AI) and Natalie Cartwright (Finn AI) to discuss the massive potential – and the societal and ethical implications – of artificial intelligence.

When Ritual CEO Ray Reddy was a product manager at Google, he learned a trick from Larry Page: the toothbrush test. If you can use a product twice a day, it will become habit-changing. A ritual. Reddy took this premise and applied it to the last frontier of digitization: the local market. At its core, Ritual is about connecting the physical and digital worlds by monetizing the local, in-person experience. He joined us at the last RBC Disruptors event to share how he’s working to make lines a thing of the past, allowing customers to place orders ahead of time.

Global shipping ushered in the modern economy — but in 2019, it still has a 19th-century problem: too much paperwork. With growth in global trade contracting, there is tremendous pressure to find efficiencies. At our latest RBC Disruptors, we took our show on the road to Halifax to talk about the future of shipping with Karen Oldfield, who is tasked with making Halifax the most tech-savvy port on the Eastern seaboard, and Todd Scott, who is at the forefront of simplifying global trade with Blockchain technology.