Canadian AI Newsletter - About us

Canada punches above its weight in AI — in research, in talent, in companies that matter globally. But there’s no single place to keep up with all of it. That’s what this newsletter is for.

Every week, I curate the most important deals, milestones, policy moves, and research coming out of Canada’s AI ecosystem. No fluff, no hype cycles — just the stuff that matters if you’re building, funding, or buying AI in this country.

Who it’s for: Founders, operators, and investors in Canadian tech.

What you get: A weekly email covering funding rounds, product launches, corporate moves, government policy, and research updates — with enough context to actually understand why each one matters.

Who I am: I’m Raif Barbaros, a partner at Mistral Venture Partners, one of Canada’s most established seed-stage firms. We are focused on AI in the enterprise. Before VC, I was a technical founder (CTO and product). I spend my weeks talking to AI founders across Canada and seeing what’s getting built before it hits the press. Some of that perspective shows up here.

A note on transparency: Our fund is an investor in companies like Cohere and Backboard. When I cover portfolio companies, I’ll always flag it with a disclosure. You deserve to know where my incentives sit.

Have a story? Building something in Canadian AI? Raising? Just spotted something I should cover? Reply to any issue — I read everything.

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