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Business Wire
4 days ago
- Business
- Business Wire
AXL Launches Venture Studio with $15M to Build 50 AI Companies, Fuelling Canada's Global Leadership in AI Research-to-Commercialization
TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, AXL, a new Canadian venture studio transforming world-class AI research into high-growth companies, has launched with a plan to build 50 AI-powered companies over the next five years to fuel Canada's research-to-commercialization pipeline. This is enabled by an oversubscribed first closing of its venture fund of $15 million CAD. With this, AXL will form and scale homegrown innovation — and keep it here. Daniel Wigdor, one of Canada's top innovators and AXL's Co-Founder and CEO, is reinvesting back into the Canadian tech ecosystem as the fund's lead investor, following the sale of his previous company, Chatham Labs, to Meta, where he served as the founding director of their Toronto research centre. AXL is also backed by a coalition of successful Canadian entities and strategic industry investors rallying around the future of AI in Canada, including David Martin, Founder of Smart Technologies; Gord Kurtenbach, former Head of Autodesk Research; Joshua Greer, Founder of Real-D; Frank Mersch, Chief Investment Officer and Senior Portfolio Manager of Front Street Capital; Rob McEwen, Chairman and Chief Owner of McEwen Mining; and many of Canada's leading professors in applied AI. As the global AI race heats up, Canada faces mounting pressure to retain its intellectual property and top talent to secure its leadership. Over the past decade, American firms have acquired 70 Canadian AI companies and counting, while Silicon Valley firms have opened large local offices, resulting in the loss of valuable intellectual property and potential upside. According to a study by Element AI in 2018, Canada experienced a net talent outflow, underscoring the challenge of retaining its top AI minds. 'Canada has a long history of pioneering breakthroughs, including AI, yet we've repeatedly failed to capture the value of our own innovations as our talent and biggest ideas scale somewhere else,' said Daniel Wigdor, Co-Founder and CEO of AXL. 'We're here to change that by connecting Canada's AI excellence with real market needs and the full-stack support that founders need to win globally.' Where research becomes scalable ventures Founded by a team of seasoned tech entrepreneurs and executives — Daniel Wigdor, Tovi Grossman, David Sharma, and Ray Sharma — AXL combines decades of experience scaling companies worldwide in a mission to bridge cutting-edge research with commercial success. AXL's proprietary venture studio model integrates access to AI research from the University of Toronto with market insights from Canada's top businesses through its AI Catalyst program. In this corporate partnership initiative, leading Canadian companies like Dillon Consulting partner with AXL to investigate how AI could reshape their businesses, often becoming the first customer and strategic investor in resulting ventures. This blend creates an environment where ventures are rooted in validated industry demand, supported by a full-stack team that manages everything from prototype and application development to legal, finance, sales, and growth strategies. 'Our corporate partnerships are the engine that transforms lab breakthroughs into ventures with real-world traction,' said David Sharma, Chief Growth Officer at AXL. 'By collaborating directly with Canada's private sector, we ensure that innovation is guided by genuine industry needs and positioned for rapid adoption. This approach closes a critical gap in Canada's innovation system, turning bright ideas into scalable solutions that deliver long-term value for our partners and the broader economy.' Seeing beyond the horizon NVIDIA's Jensen Huang has called Canada the 'Epicentre of Modern AI,' but what's lesser known is Canada's leadership in applied computing, the field that converts foundational research into practical tools. Applied computing bridges the gap between advanced technology and everyday life, making advanced technology more accessible to all. 'The transformative power of AI will come from impactful, practical applications, not just large models or infrastructure,' said Wigdor. 'Focusing solely on building bigger models risks missing the real opportunities in creating tools that genuinely empower people and open new possibilities in our daily lives.' Canada's 'AI moment' is here. It's a once-in-a-generation opportunity to fundamentally shift the balance of power in the tech industry. While the rest of the world rushes to commoditize infrastructure, AXL can see past that horizon by investing in the application layer, well beyond what Silicon Valley is currently betting on. 'If we do this right, we won't be saying things like 'Toronto is the Silicon Valley of Ontario.' Two decades from now, San Francisco will be trying to brand itself the 'Toronto of California,'' added Wigdor. Canada's path to a self-sustaining, world-leading AI ecosystem AXL is committed to nurturing a new generation of founders by providing capital, mentorship, operations, and the infrastructure necessary to turn ideas into impactful ventures, with the broader mission of creating a thriving, self-sustaining AI ecosystem that retains talent, intellectual property, and economic prosperity within Canada. 'We believe that Canadian entrepreneurs deserve the opportunity to build and scale world-class AI-powered companies here at home,' added Wigdor. 'With AXL, we're creating the infrastructure and community needed to transform innovation into lasting impact.' To learn more about how AXL is fuelling Canada's AI research to commercialization pipeline, visit their website at ABOUT AXL AXL is a Canadian venture studio transforming world-class research into high-growth companies that shape the future of applied AI. Led by seasoned tech entrepreneurs and applied AI experts, AXL's mission is to ensure Canada's top breakthroughs are built and scaled at home. By connecting academia with real market demand and full-stack venture creation, AXL helps Canada move from invention to impact, anchoring talent, intellectual property, and long-term economic value within the country.
News.com.au
09-06-2025
- News.com.au
Port Arthur gunman Martin Bryant's motive revealed in unearthed psychiatrist report
Australian mass murderer Martin Bryant's motivation for the horrific Port Arthur attack has been revealed in unearthed psychiatrist reports. Bryant was just 28 years old when he brutally murdered 35 people and injured 23 others during a two-day rampage around the Tasmanian tourist town in April 1996. He started his killing spree at the Seascape Cottage, owned by his first two victims David and Noelene 'Sally' Martin. The violent rampage ended there too when the psychopath set the house alight in a bid to escape waiting police who were camped outside. Now 58, Bryant is serving 35 consecutive life sentences in Risdon Prison Complex. He will never be released. News Corp Australia investigation has obtained four reports from interviews Bryant had with mental health experts after the shootings. One of those reports includes the details of an almost four-hour interview with forensic psychiatrist Paul Mullen about six days after the massacre, in which Bryant said his murder plot started with his hatred for Seascape Cottage owners David Martin, 72, and Noelene Martin, 69. The initial plan to kill the 'very mean' couple started about 12 months earlier and escalated to mass murder because he was furious people generally didn't like him, News Corp Australia revealed. The feeling of hatred toward the Martins stemmed from Bryant's father Maurice Bryant's unsuccessful attempts to buy Seascape Cottage, also called Seascape Guesthouse. Maurice died by suicide in 1993. Bryant blamed the Martins for the downfall of his family. After Bryant killed the Martins at Seascape Cottage, he ate at the Broad Arrow Cafe and then pulled a semiautomatic rifle out and began shooting. He killed 20 people in two minutes. He shot more people on the way out and escaped in his car. He then stole a BMW, killing its occupants. Bryant stopped at a petrol station, where he killed a woman and took a man hostage. He returned to Seascape Cottage with the hostage. The following morning Bryant was caught after the guesthouse went up in flames. Bryant used a range of semiautomatic weapons and the Port Arthur massacre led to significant changes in Australia's gun laws. There was a near ban on all fully automatic or semiautomatic firearms, and a gun buyback scheme was initiated. More than 640,000 firearms were handed in.
Daily Mail
08-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Martin Bryant's disturbing motive behind Port Arthur massacre is revealed as unearthed psychiatric reports expose mind of mass murderer
Martin Bryant initially planned to murder an older couple before he went on to kill 35 people in the Port Arthur massacre, according to psychiatric reports. Bryant made the admission in an interview with forensic psychologist Paul Mullen in the week after he tore through Port Arthur with two semi-automatic rifles in 1996. The 58-year-old is currently serving 35 life sentences at Risdon Prison Complex following the horrific attack. Dr Mullen's reports contained Bryant's confessions and a possible explanation for the massacre, including Bryant's admission he wished he had been gunned down at the scene. Bryant told Dr Mullen at his Hobart Royal Hospital bedside that his murder plot was hatched initially due to his hatred for Noeline 'Sally' Martin and her husband David. The pair owned a bed and breakfast called Seascape Cottage, just to the north of the former penal settlement. Bryant's father Maurice was desperate to buy the business and on several occasions sent his son to try and convince the Martins to sell. According to psychological reports, Maurice would tell his son about his disdain for the Martins, the Daily Telegraph reported. When Maurice took his life in 1993, Bryant came to blame the Martins, and believed the couple bought the bed and breakfast to stop his father from doing so. He told Dr Mullen the Martins were 'the worst people in my life'. Bryant initially plotted to kill the Martins about 12 months before the eventual massacre, but the plan escalated to a mass killing as Bryant struggled with loneliness and his inability to make friends. He told Dr Mullen all he had wanted was to be liked by people. As he approached the planned date for the massacre, Bryant became resolute in his plans. 'It was set in my mind, it was just set that Sunday,' he said. 'I wasn't worried about losing my property or never seeing my girlfriend again. It was just in my mind to go down and kill the Martins and a lot of people.' Psychology reports from Bryant's youth showed he was violent, tortured animals, and delighted in bullying his younger sister and children at school, Dr Mullen said. His IQ was 66 and he had a limited vocabulary. He was, however, aware of his own social issues, and bullying at school led to a pervasive fear people were laughing behind his back. Bryant also struggled to grapple with the passing of time and would conflate historical perceived injustices with the present day, holding grudges against perpetrators. 'He talked of the extent to which he thinks about the distress and rejections in the past. He said that he tries to live day by day, but acknowledged frequent thoughts about past rejections and what he recalls as victimisation at school by bullies intrude,' Dr Mullen said. Approaching the end of his 20s, Bryant began believing he had no future and feared he would remain lonely and rejected for life. He had troubles sleeping and feared his house was haunted by two women. His drinking increased and he became a daily drinker to pass the time and keep company with himself, talking to himself while drunk, according to his interview with Dr Muller. A year before the massacre, Bryant believed his life was not worth continuing and fixated on people he believed had caused him harm. He thought he himself would be better dead, but wanted to get square with those who had wronged him. Bryant initially had planned on strangling someone, but his fixation on weapons led him to hatch a shooting plan. His plan to shoot the Martins was made, but the plan for a larger shooting came to him in the weeks before the eventual massacre. He chose the location for its history of violence, labelling the former penitentiary as one of the most violent places in the country. Bryant took his guns down to Port Arthur on April 28, 1996 with the intention of killing others and getting killed himself, Dr Mullen said. The Port Arthur massacre remains one of the darkest days in Australia's history. At the time, it was considered the world's worst massacre, with 35 people killed and 23 injured by Bryant. Bryant was handed 35 life sentences and more than a thousand additional years' jail without parole. The shooting prompted significant gun reform under then-prime minister John Howard via the 1996 National Firearms Agreement. The laws banned rapid-fire guns from civilian ownership except under certain, restricted licences. It also tightened requirements for firearms licensing, registration and safe storage and established a government buyback of semi-automatic and pump-action rifles and shotguns.
BBC News
29-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
New Bournemouth emergency department 'incredible', says doctor
A new emergency department has been described as "incredible" by staff as they start to care for their first purpose-built facility within Royal Bournemouth Hospital is part of a £500m investment in Dorset NHS new A&E will eventually serve both Bournemouth and Poole and doctors working in the new facility said it was just what they "hoped it would be".The emergency department officially launched earlier in May and has begun seeing new patients in the £91m BEACH building. The branch is twice the size of the previous Bournemouth and Poole emergency departments and is part of a huge shake up to University Hospital Dorset was one of the first patients to be cared for after a fall at said: "I felt strange and wobbly which is something that's happened a lot to me. I've been to a lot of hospitals all over the world this is streaks ahead, much better." David Martin, consultant in emergency medicine, said: "It is incredible, it's just what I hoped it would be and I can already see the benefit, I can already see our patients benefitting and actually the staff as well."No patient ever wants to be in the emergency department, you don't want to be unwell, but if you're unwell you want to be in a clean, dignified environment and that's what we can now provide." 'Helps massively' Staff said patient waits for care should fall thanks to a quicker triage system and the new layout design meant quicker access to nurse said the site was "brilliant", while another added the extra space "helps massively with the flow of the department".Currently, the new department is only caring for Bournemouth patients, with Poole emergency department remaining open for an estimated eight more Browning, a consultant in emergency medicine, said: "Poole is still very much open for business. It's still the emergency department as it was previously, still the area's trauma unit and still has paediatrics on site."So if you would normally go to Poole hospital, still go to that emergency department." You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Perth Now
19-05-2025
- Automotive
- Perth Now
Huge update after bridge strike chaos
Authorities say an overpass on a major Queensland highway that was closed after a truck carrying part of a wind turbine slammed into it could reopen within days. The Warrego Highway - west of Brisbane - was thrown into chaos on Friday morning after the bridge strike, which left the turbine part being carried by the truck wedged underneath the Mount Crosby Road overpass at North Tivoli. The turbine has since been removed and westbound lanes of the highway reopened, but concerns lingered about when the overpass would be back to full capacity. Major highway set to reopen later this week, amid fears of long-term closures. Facebook/David Martin: Ipswich Credit: News Corp Australia Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding said on Saturday that the incident was having a 'major impact' for residents and freighting companies moving through the state's southeast, and that the closure of the overpass created a 30-minute detour. 'There's a lot of anxiety in our community about how long it's going to take,' she said as per 9News. 'We have seen other major accidents like this take over a year to be completed, so we're very keen to hear from (the Department of Transport and Main Roads).' The government body soon able to alleviate these fears, confirming to NewsWire that the overpass would reopen before the end of the week on their current timeline. 'The Mount Crosby Road overpass remains closed to traffic, with structural assessments and bridge repairs ongoing,' a TMR spokesperson said. 'Works are continuing to safely reopen part of the overpass to traffic as soon as possible, which may involve speed and load restrictions being put in place, pending the results of the structural assessment. The overpass is predicted to open later this week, at least partially. Facebook/TransportAccidentReport-Australia Wide Credit: News Corp Australia 'This timeline remains dependent on the outcome of structural assessments, weather, safety requirements and construction conditions. 'The public can continue to expect delays, with traffic control in place and warning signs active across the advanced notification network.' Ms Harding has since thanked TMR, police, and Ipswich council workers for their efforts since the bridge strike. Police believe the truck may have failed to follow escorting vehicles up an offramp to go around the overpass. Credit: News Corp Australia 'It took 41 hours from bridge strike to the Warrego opening,' she said. 'TMR will continue to work on repairing the Mount Crosby Road overpass, which remains closed, with at least a partial access opening late this week.' The truck driver, a man in his 50s, was assessed by paramedics at the scene. He was uninjured and has since been taken to Ipswich Hospital for further assessment. Police believe the truck may have failed to follow escorting vehicles up an offramp to go around the Mount Crosby overpass, and instead ploughed into the overhead bridge.
