SAAS NORTH

Scaling in the era of AI.
For founders, operators and the teams building what’s next.

[Matt Cohen @mattybcohen]

This year @TankTalkPodcast is taking the Keynote Stage at the @SAASNORTH Conference!

I'm sitting down with Avery Pennarun, Co-Founder and CEO of @Tailscale, for a live on-stage conversation.

The topic? "100x More Programmers: Who Controls What They Build?"

As AI democratizes coding to millions, maybe even billions, of new people, do we rebuild the mainframe around a handful of AI companies that control models, data, and compute...

or do we build a portable, composable, open system? 🤔

Avery, David Crawshaw, David Carney, and Brad Fitzpatrick started Tailscale in 2019. In just a few years, they turned Tailscale into the leading global secure and private network platform with their conviction in open infrastructure. And they did it while building out of Canada!

If you’re thinking or working in the AI space, you won’t want to miss this conversation!

📍 Canada Hall 1, Keynote Stage - Rogers Centre Ottawa
📅 November 4, 4:35 PM
🎟️ https://t.co/fnaGfD3HzS

See you in Ottawa 🍁

[SAAS NORTH @SAASNORTH]

This is the last day of launch pricing.

If SAAS NORTH has felt like the right room, you already know.

Launch pricing ends today (Jan 29).
Prices go up after that.

https://t.co/s8V8jmeaM5

[SAAS NORTH @SAASNORTH]

This is SAAS NORTH.

Sessions that spark ideas.
Conversations that sharpen them.
Launch sale pricing ends Jan 29.
After that, prices go up.

https://t.co/3kTa1pjQUa

[SAAS NORTH @SAASNORTH]

It usually starts between sessions.

A talk sparks a question.
A question turns into a real conversation.
Something clicks.
Hear it from the people who’ve been there.

Launch pricing is live: https://t.co/kFHBLRZgWt

[SAAS NORTH @SAASNORTH]

Most conferences chase volume.

More noise. More stages.

SAAS NORTH is built for the moments between sessions, where real learning happens.

Launch Sale Pricing isn’t urgency.

It’s committing to the room early.

https://t.co/eTEs9f4W3u

[SAAS NORTH @SAASNORTH]

SAAS NORTH tickets are live...

Launch sale pricing = the lowest they’ll be.

No gimmicks. Just a reward for builders who move early.

More details in inboxes tomorrow.

The deal? Live now.

https://t.co/YqfVjKwctr

[Aydin Mirzaee @aydin]

Just wrapped up an incredible few days at @SAASNORTH last week! I’m still feeling inspired from the conversations, ideas, and connections.

One of the highlights was meeting the Minister of AI, The Honourable @EvanLSolomon. We had a great discussion about Canada's trajectory to win in AI and how startups like Fellow can help shape the future of this space.

I also had the chance to moderate two panels this year, each focused on how AI is reshaping leadership and the future of work. Lmk below your guesses for the Masked Investor 👀

Events like this remind me why I love building in this moment, we’re not just witnessing a transformation, we’re part of it.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by the Fellow booth, joined a session, or shared an insight between talks.

See you at the next one 👋

[BetaKit @BetaKit]

At @SAASNORTH, founders wrestled with relevance, results, and the AI paradigm. Is SaaS waning in the #AI era, or is the market rich for startups with imagination?
@EvanLSolomon, @StackAdapt, @michaellitt, @OpenText, @DanielWigdor, @TheEldon, @MalBrodie

https://t.co/cjwL8RMecm

[Panache Ventures @PanacheVC]

Panache Weekly Roundup!

Where we were last week:
📍Innisfail — @DeepSkyCorp's Alpha Grand Opening
📍Calgary — Innovation Week and Pitch Breakfast
📍Toronto — Better Quality CDL Toronto and @AllRaise
📍Montréal — Workshop at @mcgillvc and 555 Demo Night
📍Ottawa — @SAASNORTH

[Quantropi Inc @Quantropi]

@SAASNORTH was electric⚡
Incredible to connect last week with Canada’s leading SaaS & AI innovators and showcase @Quantropi 's quantum-secure solutions for the present and post-quantum era.
Huge thanks to @Invest_Ottawa for making it happen!
@jamesnguyen28
#SaaSNorth #Quantropi

[Quantropi Inc @Quantropi]

Honoured to have Canada’s AI Minister @EvanLSolomon stop by our @SAASNORTH booth for an impromptu interview on why quantum security matters now.

We discussed quantum-AI threats, Canadian IP, and securing our digital future. Thank you, Minister—and @Invest_Ottawa

#Quantropi

[BetaKit @BetaKit]

"The dogs bark and the caravan moves on."

At @SAASNORTH, @EvanLSolomon praised Canada's entrepreneurs and told them to not take critics too seriously. On the BetaKit Keynote Stage with @theC100's Michael Buhr, Solomon talked #AI and gov't role in the #Innovation economy.

[BetaKit @BetaKit]

For The BetaKit Podcast, our editor-in-chief @tron sat down with @OpenText's Shannon Bell to learn exactly how one of Canada’s largest tech companies went all-in on #AI.

This chat was recorded live at @SAASNORTH, but you can listen now for free.

https://t.co/qDRc8YG8EQ

[BetaKit @BetaKit]

This week's BetaKit Podcast is the final in our annual series of fireside chats from @SAASNORTH: we're ending with a bang with #AI minister @EvanLSolomon. He takes @theC100's Michael Buhr through gov't commitment to #CDNTech, and where they stem from.

https://t.co/yYaL5z8U4v

[BetaKit @BetaKit]

.@vidyard and @GarageCapital founder @michaellitt had a bold message at @SAASNORTH: SaaS is dead.

Emerging instead is #RaaS, or "results as a service." Litt warned that in a world bloated with #SaaS licences, fatigued customers just want to see return on invested capital.

[Quantropi Inc @Quantropi]

Incredible energy at @SAASNORTH 2025! 🚀

Honoured to host Mayor @_MarkSutcliffe & AI Minister @EvanLSolomon at our booth — and show how @Quantropi is advancing dual-use, quantum-secure communications for the digital future.

Thanks to all sponsors!🔐🇨🇦

#SaaSNorth #Quantropi

[BetaKit @BetaKit]

At @SAASNORTH, @SheBoot_ awarded $300,000 to its sixth cohort: Nifemi Oguntuase of Lab 4 Inc., Mariia Zhuldybina of @TRAQC_MTL, and Ania Geerts of Paloma. SAAS NORTH’s PitchFest winner @akhilsuresh of @IncXena also took home $10,000

https://t.co/oyV9UEzBTQ

[Evan Solomon @EvanLSolomon]

Incredible energy today at @saasnorth — Canada’s entrepreneurs are building the future.

I joined @thec100 Michael Buhr for a great conversation on how we can help founders start, scale, and stay in Canada.

Budget 2025 is about creating the conditions for builders to thrive — and today’s crowd showed why that matters. 🇨🇦

—-

Énergie incroyable aujourd’hui à @SAASNorth — les entrepreneurs du Canada bâtissent l’avenir.

J’ai participé à une excellente discussion avec Michael Buhr de @theC100 sur la façon d’aider les fondateurs à démarrer, à croître et à rester au Canada.
Le budget 2025 vise à créer les conditions pour que les bâtisseurs prospèrent — et la foule d’aujourd’hui l’a bien démontré.

[SAAS NORTH @SAASNORTH]

“Have your sales team pitch your business back to you.”

A brilliant test from Renae Farough at SAAS North reveals preparation, creativity, and true selling skill.

Join the leaders shaping SaaS: https://t.co/8kMaQ2FN91

[SAAS NORTH @SAASNORTH]

AI won’t steal your job.

But it could steal your SaaS customers.

At SAAS NORTH, we’re digging into how founders + operators use AI to stay ahead, with strategies you can put to work right away.

Ottawa. November. 🚀 #SAASNORTH