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🕶️ Tariffs & tension: Canada’s techies are turning the page

Trump says TikTok deal will finalize by April 5

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Paula Echeverria & Lucila Sarquis
April 01, 2025

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Elon Musk’s xAI just dropped $33 billion on X to enhance social media with AI for 600 million users, while Amazon’s Nova Act AI is breaking records and making rivals like OpenAI and Anthropic sweat 🤖

Meanwhile, OpenAI, playing catch-up, plans to release its first open model since GPT-2, scrambling to stay relevant as Meta’s Llama hits a billion downloads and DeepSeek gains global traction 📈

Video pick: The ONE thing investors look for in Startups

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Nine bullets of updates

  1. 🌌 Elon Musk's xAI acquires X for $33B, aiming to enhance social media with AI for 600M+ users.

  2. 📈 Signal's downloads surged to 195k in a day after a Trump chat scandal brought unexpected attention.

  3. 🚫 OpenAI halts Sora's video gen for new users amid viral image tool traffic surge; staff burning the midnight oil.

  4. 📅 Trump says TikTok deal will finalize by April 5; Blackstone considers a stake in U.S. operations.

  5. 🛑 Perplexity CEO denies financial woes, confirms no IPO until 2028, and explains the new Auto mode's purpose.

  6. 💡 Next Gen entrepreneurs embrace innovation, with 41% using 6-9 banking innovations, blending tradition and tech.

  7. 🚀 Blue Origin targets late spring for its second New Glenn launch, aiming to deliver a satellite for Amazon.

  8. ⚖️ Harbinger accuses Canoo of hiding assets in bankruptcy sale, complicating its 2-month-old bankruptcy case.

  9. 🤖 Amazon unveils Nova Act AI, outperforming OpenAI and Anthropic with record-breaking agent capabilities.

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Sam Altman’s open-sourcing regret tour

Source: Shutterstock

OpenAI plans to release its first open language model since GPT-2, inviting feedback from developers and researchers via an online form. Developer events will be held globally, starting in San Francisco, to gather input and demo prototypes. CEO Sam Altman acknowledged OpenAI has lagged behind rivals like Meta and DeepSeek, which have embraced open models. Meta’s Llama hit over 1 billion downloads, while DeepSeek rapidly gained global traction.

Altman admitted OpenAI needs a better open-source strategy but noted it's not a top priority. The new model will feature reasoning capabilities similar to o3-mini and undergo rigorous evaluation before release. Allegations have also emerged that Altman misled executives about model safety reviews before his brief 2023 ouster.

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The ONE thing investors look for in Startups

In 2021, there were 35,000 funding rounds, with 20,000 at Angel or Seed stages. Despite the pandemic, VC funding hit $600 billion—double the previous year. Yet, only 0.08% of 5 million new US businesses secured VC funding. That's why we pivoted to serve all startups, not just VC-backed ones 🕶️ Subscribe for more!

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Big Tech Has Spent Billions Acquiring AI Smart Home Startups

The pattern is clear: when innovative companies successfully integrate AI into everyday products, tech giants pay billions to acquire them.

Google paid $3.2B for Nest.
Amazon spent $1.2B on Ring.
Generac spent $770M on EcoBee.

Now, a new AI-powered smart home company is following their exact path to acquisition—but is still available to everyday investors at just $1.90 per share.

With proprietary technology that connects window coverings to all major AI ecosystems, this startup has achieved what big tech wants most: seamless AI integration into daily home life.

Over 10 patents, 200% year-over-year growth, and a forecast to 5x revenue this year — this company is moving fast to seize the smart home opportunity.

The acquisition pattern is predictable. The opportunity to get in before it happens is not.

Past performance is not indicative of future results. Email may contain forward-looking statements. See US Offering for details. Informational purposes only.

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Slidebean Revenue Data

Mistakes were made as we grew Slidebean, but more than surviving, we've learned from them.

As part of that, we wanted to release our actual financial numbers for the company's formative years.

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Breaking up is hard to do—Just ask Canada

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney declared the “old relationship” with the U.S. “over” after Trump announced 25% tariffs on foreign-made cars, risking economic damage to Canada. Trump's hostile rhetoric has sparked Canadian nationalism and uncertainty, prompting founders to rethink strategies and consider building stronger local ecosystems. Investors like Chris Neumann see this as a wake-up call to boost resilience and innovation at home.

Despite tensions, Silicon Valley’s appeal remains strong for Canadian entrepreneurs. Networking groups like the “Maple Syrup Gang” are fostering national pride and encouraging local growth. However, critics argue Canada’s slow productivity and conservative entrepreneurship approach hinder competitiveness. As political rifts deepen, Canadian founders face a choice: rebuild domestically or continue relying on the U.S. ecosystem.

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Startup Events and Deadlines

  1. Today! Techstars Columbus | Deadline: April 1 | USA

  2. Startup Grind Conference 2025 | April 19-30 | USA

  3. Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator | Deadline: April 28 | USA

  4. Startup Battlefield 200 | Deadline: June 9 | Global

  5. Entrepreneur First London - Summer | Deadline: July 1 | UK

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