Event category: BetaKit Keynote Stage
Events
Tactical & Practical Company Building Lessons from Paddle, the SaaS Unicorn Taking on Stripe
Paddle is quite a non-traditional, forward-thinking tech company with a non-traditional Founder at its helm. Join Christian Owens, Founder & CEO Paddle, and Douglas Soltys, Editor-In-Chief at BetaKit as they talk about Paddle’s journey from 0 to $1.4B and the lessons, stories, and hard-won advice that comes along with building and scaling a SaaS business that serves SaaS businesses.
Paddle is quite a non-traditional, forward-thinking tech company with a non-traditional Founder at its helm. Join Christian Owens, Founder & CEO Paddle, and Douglas Soltys, Editor-In-Chief at BetaKit as they talk about Paddle’s journey from 0 to $1.4B and the lessons, stories, and hard-won advice that comes along with building and scaling a SaaS business that serves SaaS businesses.
The Death of SaaS and the Rise of RaaS
In this bold and personal keynote, Vidyard’s Michael Litt unpacks the shifting SaaS landscape—where customers no longer pay for software, but outcomes. From contract lock-ins to value-driven results, the next era is Results-as-a-Service. Drawing on two decades of pivots—on-prem to SaaS, marketers to sellers, desktop to AI—Michael shares how to navigate uncertainty, place strategic bets, and build in the age of large language models. Where does AI end and your product begin? What categories are untouchable? What gets swallowed by foundation models? Expect war stories, real talk, and a future-forward look at what it really takes to evolve.
In this bold and personal keynote, Vidyard’s Michael Litt unpacks the shifting SaaS landscape—where customers no longer pay for software, but outcomes. From contract lock-ins to value-driven results, the next era is Results-as-a-Service.
The Evolution of a Company & CEO Through Chapters of Growth
Over the last eight years, Toronto-based B2B software startup Loopio has grown from 3 Co-founders to a 280-person strong company boasting over 1,400 customers. From 3+ years of bootstrapping, to being VC-backed for another 3+ years, and most recently, their Private Equity investment ($252 million CAD), Co-founder & CEO Zak Hemraj has had to constantly evolve himself and the company. In this session, you’ll learn about Zak’s key takeaways from each distinct chapter of growth, how he’s had to evolve as a CEO, and some challenges & failures along the way.
Over the last eight years, Toronto-based B2B software startup Loopio has grown from 3 Co-founders to a 280-person strong company boasting over 1,400 customers. From 3+ years of bootstrapping, to being VC-backed for another 3+ years, and most recently, their Private Equity investment ($252 million CAD), Co-founder & CEO Zak Hemraj has had to constantly evolve himself and the company. In this session, you’ll learn about Zak’s key takeaways from each distinct chapter of growth, how he’s had to evolve as a CEO, and some challenges & failures along the way.
The Funding Game: Where Love, Money, and Metrics Collide
We’re putting a spicy spin on the classic Dating Game—SAAS NORTH style. One lucky investor plays Bachelor or Bachelorette, and three bold, bootstrapped, or Series A founders will battle for their attention. But forget candlelight dinners—it’s charisma, traction, and total addressable market that will win hearts here.
Expect rapid-fire questions, snappy pitches, and hilarious one-liners as our mystery investor gets to know the contenders without seeing them. Who will they swipe right on? Which founder has the perfect blend of chemistry and ARR? It’s part matchmaking, part market validation, all in good fun.
We’re putting a spicy spin on the classic Dating Game- SAAS NORTH style. One lucky investor plays Bachelor or Bachelorette, and three bold, bootstrapped, or Series A founders will battle for their attention. But forget candlelight dinners- it’s charisma, traction, and total addressable market that will win hearts here.
The Masked Investor
Get ready for “The Masked Investor” – where one disguised investor spills the unfiltered truth, from working with VCs and avoiding founder pitfalls to the secrets of product success. Join the excitement as the incognito VC reveals investment strategies, insights, and predictions for the future and navigating the SaaS investment landscape. Who “IS” the Masked Investor – we may never know but we’ll keep you guessing.
Get ready for “The Masked Investor” – where one disguised investor spills the unfiltered truth, from working with VCs and avoiding founder pitfalls to the secrets of product success. Join the excitement as the incognito VC reveals investment strategies, insights, and predictions for the future and navigating the SaaS investment landscape. Who “IS” the Masked Investor – we may never know but we’ll keep you guessing.
The Next Frontier: Why Defence Tech Matters for Canadian Innovation
As the lines blur between national security and commercial innovation, defence tech is emerging as one of the fastest-growing and most strategically important sectors in Canada. In this fireside chat, Dominion Dynamics founder Eliot Pence joins Douglas Soltys, Editor-in-Chief of BetaKit, to explore how Arctic surveillance, sensor platforms, and sovereign technology are shaping the next wave of SaaS and data infrastructure. Expect insights on funding, dual-use innovation, and why the defence tech moment is opening big opportunities for Canadian founders.
As the lines blur between national security and commercial innovation, defence tech is emerging as one of the fastest-growing and most strategically important sectors in Canada.
The SaaS Surge: AI, Adaptation & the Next Growth Frontier
Welcome to SAAS NORTH 2025—where ambition meets acceleration. In this high-energy opening keynote, we take a bold look at the forces reshaping the SaaS landscape: the AI arms race, shifting capital markets, leaner teams, and the ever-hungry need to differentiate. You’ll hear what’s actually working, what’s fading fast, and how to seize the opportunities AI unlocks—from product to pricing. This is your wake-up call and your rally cry: it’s time to challenge assumptions, rethink what growth looks like, and gear up for the next chapter of SaaS success.
Welcome to SAAS NORTH 2025—where ambition meets acceleration. In this high-energy opening keynote, we take a bold look at the forces reshaping the SaaS landscape: the AI arms race, shifting capital markets, leaner teams, and the ever-hungry need to differentiate.
The State of SaaS in Canada: Trends, Challenges, and Growth
In this ‘View from the Top’ session, Douglas Soltys of Betakit sits down with Inovia’s co-founder Chris Arsenault for an in-depth exploration of the SaaS funding landscape in Canada. Part presentation, part fireside chat, key trends will be discussed regarding the state of funding for growth, and the various financing options when approaching an exit strategy. We’ll hear how Canadian SaaS companies are innovating to stay competitive, and how they can build optionality into their model. Whether you’re a SaaS founder, investor, or tech enthusiast, this session offers valuable insights into the state of SaaS in Canada and what it means for your company.
In this ‘View from the Top’ session, Douglas Soltys of Betakit sits down with Inovia’s co-founder Chris Arsenault for an in-depth exploration of the SaaS funding landscape in Canada. Part presentation, part fireside chat, key trends will be discussed regarding the state of funding for growth, and the various financing options when approaching an exit strategy. We’ll hear how Canadian SaaS companies are innovating to stay competitive, and how they can build optionality into their model. Whether you’re a SaaS founder, investor, or tech enthusiast, this session offers valuable insights into the state of SaaS in Canada and what it means for your company.
The whisper effect: How to find your customers in an age of noise
Every smart business leader is asking the same question right now: How do I find my customers when they, uh, don’t want to be found?
AI is flooding the internet with mediocre content, new competitors are popping up out of thin air every day, and your customers are turning on privacy settings to shut out the noise. And there is so much noise. Only a vanishingly small number of companies will be thoughtful and inventive enough to break through. In this eye-opening talk, Sarah Stockdale uses research and stories to show you how to sidestep the clamour to find your customers in places your competitors aren’t looking so you can build a brand that actually matters to them.
Every smart business leader is asking the same question right now: How do I find my customers when they, uh, don’t want to be found?
AI is flooding the internet with mediocre content, new competitors are popping up out of thin air every day, and your customers are turning on privacy settings to shut out the noise. And there is so much noise. Only a vanishingly small number of companies will be thoughtful and inventive enough to break through. In this eye-opening talk, Sarah Stockdale uses research and stories to show you how to sidestep the clamour to find your customers in places your competitors aren’t looking so you can build a brand that actually matters to them.
