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  14. <description>R&#38;D Tax Credits, R&#38;D Intelligence &#124; Boast</description>
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  31. <title>What The Tech Episode 40: &#8220;Don&#8217;t wait for the right time&#8221; with Mila Banerjee of Pronti AI</title>
  32. <link>https://boast.ai/blog/what-the-tech-episode-40-dont-wait-for-the-right-timewith-mila-banerjee-of-pronti-ai/</link>
  33. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Paul Davenport]]></dc:creator>
  34. <pubDate>Thu, 28 Mar 2024 12:17:47 +0000</pubDate>
  35. <category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>
  36. <category><![CDATA[Podcasts]]></category>
  37. <category><![CDATA[Artificial Intelligence]]></category>
  38. <category><![CDATA[federal budget]]></category>
  39. <category><![CDATA[funding]]></category>
  40. <category><![CDATA[Government Funding]]></category>
  41. <category><![CDATA[growth]]></category>
  42. <category><![CDATA[Machine Learning]]></category>
  43. <category><![CDATA[playbook]]></category>
  44. <category><![CDATA[podcast]]></category>
  45. <category><![CDATA[SRED Resources]]></category>
  46. <category><![CDATA[startup]]></category>
  47. <category><![CDATA[startup resources]]></category>
  48. <category><![CDATA[strategy]]></category>
  49. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://boast.ai/?p=321386</guid>
  50.  
  51. <description><![CDATA[<p>Many would-be founders get hung up on timing, delaying their pursuit of innovation for any number of reasons: Lending markets [&#8230;]</p>
  52. <p>The post <a href="https://boast.ai/blog/what-the-tech-episode-40-dont-wait-for-the-right-timewith-mila-banerjee-of-pronti-ai/">What The Tech Episode 40: &#8220;Don&#8217;t wait for the right time&#8221; with Mila Banerjee of Pronti AI</a> appeared first on <a href="https://boast.ai">Boast</a>.</p>
  53. ]]></description>
  54. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><iframe title="What The Tech?, &quot;Don" src="https://www.buzzsprout.com/2167365/14738278-don-t-wait-for-the-right-time-with-mila-banerjee-of-pronti-ai?client_source=small_player&amp;iframe=true" width="100%" height="200" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>
  55.  
  56.  
  57. <p>Many would-be founders get hung up on timing, delaying their pursuit of innovation for any number of reasons: Lending markets may be tight, for instance, or an entrepreneur may have a great idea, but lack their own technological know-how to start developing solutions.&nbsp;</p>
  58.  
  59.  
  60.  
  61. <p>But as any successful founder will tell you, it’s not worth it to sit on the sidelines and wait for conditions to change. That’s because as <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/milabanerjee/">Mila Banerjee</a>, CEO and Tech Lead at <a href="https://www.pronti.com/">Pronti AI,</a> explains there are always storm clouds on the horizon, and waiting for things to change without taking matters into your own hands is no way to operate. </p>
  62.  
  63.  
  64.  
  65. <p>At Pronti, Mila and her team are looking to help Apparel and Accessory retailers access their share of the nearly $1 trillion dollar personalization opportunity that’s out there. They do this by giving retailers access to unique consumer purchase intent data that’s historically been just out of reach. </p>
  66.  
  67.  
  68.  
  69. <p>The Pronti app leverages six machine learning algorithms in the background to allow consumers to experience easy closet uploads and outfit inspiration, while being the only place where users can shop with their existing closet items.</p>
  70.  
  71.  
  72.  
  73. <p>Along with being an awesome tool for consumers and businesses alike, Pronti is impacting UN Sustainability Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production through individual closet utilization, and providing data for retailers to optimize production.</p>
  74.  
  75.  
  76.  
  77. <p>It’s an amazing solution that touches on a wealth of opportunities, but that’s only part of Mila’s journey, as she’s been leading the tech charge across industries and the entire globe over the course of her career to date. I’m so excited to hear about her latest venture, what’s in store for Pronti going forward, and her take on the current state of startups for fellow entrepreneurs in 2024.</p>
  78.  
  79.  
  80.  
  81. <h2 class="wp-block-heading">There will always be storms on the horizon</h2>
  82.  
  83.  
  84.  
  85. <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
  86. <iframe title="Episode 40: &quot;AI and ML today&quot; with Mila Banerjee of Pronti" width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eb8CPP4lyAc?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
  87. </div></figure>
  88.  
  89.  
  90.  
  91. <p>Mila Banerjee understands that machine learning algorithms need to work together to be most effective. The predictive capabilities of computer vision are only effective when they&#8217;ve been trained and cultivated by pros, which is what the team at Pronti is focused on mastering for shoppers and retailers alike.</p>
  92.  
  93.  
  94.  
  95. <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
  96. <iframe title="Episode 40: &quot;Time is elusive&quot; with Mila Banerjee" width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qsTWC6mmdIY?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
  97. </div></figure>
  98.  
  99.  
  100.  
  101. <p>The best time to get started building your business or developing a new innovation is always now. If you&#8217;re apprehensive and waiting on the sidelines, you may already be at a disadvantage. As Mila Banerjee of Pronti AI explains, there will always be storms on the horizon, whether it&#8217;s funding challenges or just tough markets. But you need to take action and get in the game to avoid losing momentum.</p>
  102.  
  103.  
  104.  
  105. <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Stream the full episode on <a href="https://youtu.be/NPruKcfGO48">Boast&#8217;s YouTube Channel here</a>.</h2>
  106. <p>The post <a href="https://boast.ai/blog/what-the-tech-episode-40-dont-wait-for-the-right-timewith-mila-banerjee-of-pronti-ai/">What The Tech Episode 40: &#8220;Don&#8217;t wait for the right time&#8221; with Mila Banerjee of Pronti AI</a> appeared first on <a href="https://boast.ai">Boast</a>.</p>
  107. ]]></content:encoded>
  108. </item>
  109. <item>
  110. <title>Boast, the Leading R&#038;D Tax Credit Solution, Names Imad Jebara as Chief Executive Officer</title>
  111. <link>https://boast.ai/news/boast-the-leading-rd-tax-credit-solution-names-imad-jebara-as-chief-executive-officer/</link>
  112. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Paul Davenport]]></dc:creator>
  113. <pubDate>Tue, 26 Mar 2024 13:17:25 +0000</pubDate>
  114. <category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
  115. <category><![CDATA[Press Releases]]></category>
  116. <category><![CDATA[AI]]></category>
  117. <category><![CDATA[Artificial Intelligence]]></category>
  118. <category><![CDATA[CEO]]></category>
  119. <category><![CDATA[funding]]></category>
  120. <category><![CDATA[growth]]></category>
  121. <category><![CDATA[Product]]></category>
  122. <category><![CDATA[senior leadership]]></category>
  123. <category><![CDATA[SLT]]></category>
  124. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://boast.ai/?p=320959</guid>
  125.  
  126. <description><![CDATA[<p>Boast hires new CEO to accelerate its transformation into the R&#038;D System of Intelligence.</p>
  127. <p>The post <a href="https://boast.ai/news/boast-the-leading-rd-tax-credit-solution-names-imad-jebara-as-chief-executive-officer/">Boast, the Leading R&amp;D Tax Credit Solution, Names Imad Jebara as Chief Executive Officer</a> appeared first on <a href="https://boast.ai">Boast</a>.</p>
  128. ]]></description>
  129. <content:encoded><![CDATA[
  130. <p>Boast hires new CEO to accelerate its transformation into the R&amp;D System of Intelligence.</p>
  131.  
  132.  
  133.  
  134. <p>VANCOUVER,&nbsp;March 26, 2024 &#8211;&nbsp;Boast, the leading platform for R&amp;D and tax credit intelligence, is proud to announce the hiring of <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/imad-jebara/">Imad Jebara</a> as Chief Executive Officer, bringing a recognized leader in both the Finance and Software space to the helm as Boast broadens their mission to expand access to R&amp;D tax credits.&nbsp;</p>
  135.  
  136.  
  137.  
  138. <p>Mr. Jebara has more than two decades of experience leading both Operations and Customer Success at top SaaS and Finance businesses. This includes more than 8 years at Diligent (nee Galvanize), the world’s leading governance, risk and compliance (GRC) SaaS company, where Jebara led support for more than 1 million users from over 25,000 global customers in his role as Senior Vice President of Global Customer Operations.</p>
  139.  
  140.  
  141.  
  142. <p>“I’ve had the opportunity to personally work with Imad at Galvanize, through its transformation to a $1B category leader in the Governance, Risk and Compliance space,” said Laurie Schultz, Boast’s Chair of the Board. “There he brought the perfect balance of culture, domain, and financial acumen to our transformation and I’m confident he will do the same at Boast.”</p>
  143.  
  144.  
  145.  
  146. <p>“I am delighted to be joining Boast at this stage of its growth”, said Mr. Jebara. “We’ve already engaged with literally thousands of clients to both facilitate their recovery of R&amp;D tax credits and inform how they can optimize R&amp;D productivity, and I look forward to significantly expanding the value we deliver to our clients through both services and technology”.</p>
  147.  
  148.  
  149.  
  150. <p>Boast is the only R&amp;D tax credit solution that combines unmatched industry expertise with cutting-edge, AI-driven technology to simplify filing and increase returns on R&amp;D investments. Only 1 out of every 20 eligible businesses take advantage of the more than $20 billion in R&amp;D tax credits available in North America today. Boast streamlines access to this critical, non-dilutive resource, helping deserving businesses recoup the maximum share of their eligible R&amp;D expenses to drive greater innovation and achieve growth.</p>
  151.  
  152.  
  153.  
  154. <p>In December 2020, Boast announced $30 million CAD in Series A funding. The company has since expanded its executive leadership while continuing to scale into new markets and showing strong revenue and logo growth.</p>
  155. <p>The post <a href="https://boast.ai/news/boast-the-leading-rd-tax-credit-solution-names-imad-jebara-as-chief-executive-officer/">Boast, the Leading R&amp;D Tax Credit Solution, Names Imad Jebara as Chief Executive Officer</a> appeared first on <a href="https://boast.ai">Boast</a>.</p>
  156. ]]></content:encoded>
  157. </item>
  158. <item>
  159. <title>Despite optimism, CFOs remain wary of Debt and Equity financing in Q1 2024</title>
  160. <link>https://boast.ai/blog/despite-optimism-cfos-remain-wary-of-debt-and-equity-financing-in-q1-2024/</link>
  161. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Paul Davenport]]></dc:creator>
  162. <pubDate>Thu, 21 Mar 2024 18:49:58 +0000</pubDate>
  163. <category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>
  164. <category><![CDATA[Business Growth]]></category>
  165. <category><![CDATA[banks]]></category>
  166. <category><![CDATA[debt]]></category>
  167. <category><![CDATA[equity]]></category>
  168. <category><![CDATA[federal budget]]></category>
  169. <category><![CDATA[funding]]></category>
  170. <category><![CDATA[Government Funding]]></category>
  171. <category><![CDATA[growth]]></category>
  172. <category><![CDATA[innovation]]></category>
  173. <category><![CDATA[non-dilutive funding]]></category>
  174. <category><![CDATA[playbook]]></category>
  175. <category><![CDATA[sr&ed]]></category>
  176. <category><![CDATA[SRED Resources]]></category>
  177. <category><![CDATA[startup resources]]></category>
  178. <category><![CDATA[strategy]]></category>
  179. <category><![CDATA[tax credits]]></category>
  180. <category><![CDATA[United States]]></category>
  181. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://boast.ai/?p=320935</guid>
  182.  
  183. <description><![CDATA[<p>While CFOs are optimistic about 2024, fears around inflation and interest rates have made debt and equity financing a risky bet.</p>
  184. <p>The post <a href="https://boast.ai/blog/despite-optimism-cfos-remain-wary-of-debt-and-equity-financing-in-q1-2024/">Despite optimism, CFOs remain wary of Debt and Equity financing in Q1 2024</a> appeared first on <a href="https://boast.ai">Boast</a>.</p>
  185. ]]></description>
  186. <content:encoded><![CDATA[
  187. <p>While CFOs closed out 2023 with a conservative outlook, the latest <a href="https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/us/Documents/finance/us-xa-1q24-cfo-signals-full-report.pdf">research from Deloitte</a> shows a significantly more positive view of both the global economy’s prospects and how CFOs expect their own businesses to fare in 2024.&nbsp;</p>
  188.  
  189.  
  190.  
  191. <p>Despite a general uptick in optimism, however, CFOs face growing headwinds when it comes to <em>cost and capital management</em>, <em>innovation and growth</em>, and <em>execution and efficiency</em>—to say nothing of how global economic pressures are impacting decisions around financing.</p>
  192.  
  193.  
  194.  
  195. <p>We’ll break down what’s driving this mixed-bag of cautious optimism among global financial leaders, the unique economic factors impacting CFO decision making in 2024, and actions finance leaders should take today to prepare for what the rest of the year has in store.</p>
  196.  
  197.  
  198.  
  199. <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" alt="About: Despite optimism, CFOs remain wary of Debt and Equity financing in Q1 2024" src="https://boast.ai/wp-content/uploads/iStock-1437413132-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-320940" srcset="https://boast.ai/wp-content/uploads/iStock-1437413132-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://boast.ai/wp-content/uploads/iStock-1437413132-300x200.jpg 300w, https://boast.ai/wp-content/uploads/iStock-1437413132-768x512.jpg 768w, https://boast.ai/wp-content/uploads/iStock-1437413132-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://boast.ai/wp-content/uploads/iStock-1437413132-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">CFOs are more positive about the economy and even their own businesses in 2024, but remain apprehensive about the state of equity and debt financing. </figcaption></figure>
  200.  
  201.  
  202.  
  203. <h2 class="wp-block-heading">CFO <em>Optimism</em> grows slightly, while <em>Pessimism </em>plummets</h2>
  204.  
  205.  
  206.  
  207. <p>Of the 116 financial leaders polled across five industries in the 1Q 2024 CFO Signals Survey, the number of respondents who were <em>More Optimistic</em> about their own company’s prospects jumped to 42 percent compared to 38 percent in the previous quarter.&nbsp;</p>
  208.  
  209.  
  210.  
  211. <p>Perhaps more telling, the percentage of CFOs labeled as <strong><em>More Pessimistic</em></strong><strong> shrank from 27 percent in Q4 2023 to only 11 percent during Q1 2024</strong>.&nbsp;</p>
  212.  
  213.  
  214.  
  215. <p>The TL;DR? <em>Net optimism</em> has more than tripled among respondents quarter-over-quarter, hitting a +31 score among CFOs polled in the latest research compared to just +11 in Q3 2023.&nbsp;</p>
  216.  
  217.  
  218.  
  219. <p>To put a finer point on it, <strong><em>CFOs haven’t been this optimistic since the pandemic investment boom of Q4 2021</em></strong>, when Net Optimism was tagged at +35.</p>
  220.  
  221.  
  222.  
  223. <p>But things are hardly one-to-one for Q4 2024 compared to the same period three years ago.&nbsp;</p>
  224.  
  225.  
  226.  
  227. <p>Aside from continuing volatility on the global geopolitical front, CFOs are flagging significant and acute challenges to their own businesses that are tempering otherwise enthusiastic outlooks.&nbsp;</p>
  228.  
  229.  
  230.  
  231. <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><em>Debt</em> and <em>Equity</em> financing remains a tepid prospect</h2>
  232.  
  233.  
  234.  
  235. <p>For one, the attractiveness of <em>Debt</em> and <em>Equity</em> financing today is nowhere near the almost 90 percent and 60 percent (respectively) consensus felt among CFOs back in 2021.&nbsp;</p>
  236.  
  237.  
  238.  
  239. <p>Instead, only 37 percent of respondents think <em>Debt financing</em> is attractive for their business, while <em>Equity financing</em> has plummeted to just 18 percent among respondents in the latest quarter.&nbsp;</p>
  240.  
  241.  
  242.  
  243. <p>Split among the different industries polled, viewpoints around both financing options varied, but remained well below their pandemic highs, ie:</p>
  244.  
  245.  
  246.  
  247. <ul>
  248. <li>Among CFOs at public companies, 35 percent view <em>Equity</em> financing as attractive, while 22 percent favor <em>Debt</em> financing</li>
  249.  
  250.  
  251.  
  252. <li>For privately held firms, 42 percent of CFOs are attracted to <em>Equity</em> financing, while just 11 percent are open to<em> Debt</em> financing.</li>
  253. </ul>
  254.  
  255.  
  256.  
  257. <p>While Geopolitics (42) was cited as the leading factor influencing CFO attitudes in the context of financing, Macroeconomics (32)—that is, concerns around a potential recession, federal spending, and government deficits in the U.S. and Canada— was the second most prevailing source of insecurity among respondents.&nbsp;</p>
  258.  
  259.  
  260.  
  261. <p>In that same vein, Interest Rates (17) stood apart from both Macroeconomics and Politics as their own cause for concern.&nbsp;</p>
  262.  
  263.  
  264.  
  265. <p>As we’ve mentioned previously on the blog, in both the U.S. and Canada, f<a href="https://boast.ai/blog/as-u-s-fed-warns-of-more-bank-failures-cfos-turn-to-non-dilutive-funding/">ederal leaders are standing firm on maintaining interest rates</a> at some of their highest levels in decades to help battle inflation.&nbsp;</p>
  266.  
  267.  
  268.  
  269. <p>While Federal Reserve officials in the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/03/20/business/fed-meeting-interest-rates">U.S. are still committing to rate drops later in 2024</a>, businesses will continue facing some extremely tight lending conditions in the short term.</p>
  270.  
  271.  
  272.  
  273. <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Greater <em>efficiency, capital diversity</em> to drive growth</h2>
  274.  
  275.  
  276.  
  277. <p>As much as external economic factors are at play here, there are significant internal hurdles holding back CFOs from expressing more enthusiasm about their prospects. From <em>cost and capital management</em> to <em>effectiveness and efficiency</em>—and even the ascendency of new tech and the associated skills gap that can introduce—CFOs are facing a rash of new challenges today that didn’t even exist just half a decade ago.&nbsp;</p>
  278.  
  279.  
  280.  
  281. <p>The silver lining for CFOs is that there are actionable steps they can take to fortify their business on all of these fronts.&nbsp;</p>
  282.  
  283.  
  284.  
  285. <p>For starters, <em>Talent and Retention</em>—flagged as the top concern among 44 of respondents—is an issue across departments, but especially within finance, where a<a href="https://boast.ai/blog/growth/with-accountant-shortage-impacting-startups-can-ai-fill-the-gap/"> continued accountant shortage</a> has forced many teams to be slimmer than ever.&nbsp;</p>
  286.  
  287.  
  288.  
  289. <p>Fortunately, new technology—including artificial intelligence—is helping to fill in some of the gaps without introducing a high “barrier-to-entry” that often comes when introducing new tools into legacy systems.&nbsp;</p>
  290.  
  291.  
  292.  
  293. <p>In that same vein, CFOs can (and should) start leveraging automation within their workflows that more meaningfully drive the <em>effectiveness and efficiency</em> they crave on their own teams.</p>
  294.  
  295.  
  296.  
  297. <p>With an effective automation strategy in place, CFOs can then focus squarely on tackling their most prescient <em>cost and capital management</em> challenges, thanks to easier access to the data they need to understand the ROI of their investments and areas for optimization.</p>
  298.  
  299.  
  300.  
  301. <p>Innovation, however, is another top concern among CFOs, who are acknowledging “<em>growth pressure and increased competitive intensity</em>” as a leading impediment to growth. <strong><em>Much of this can be attributed to an inability to finance new product development or staff R&amp;D teams</em></strong>, which can be an even larger threat to the organization’s long-term prospects than even immediate economic pressures.&nbsp;</p>
  302.  
  303.  
  304.  
  305. <h2 class="wp-block-heading">A system of intelligence to drive optimization, non-dilutive financing—and ultimately innovation</h2>
  306.  
  307.  
  308.  
  309. <p>By aligning key project, financial and payroll data into a single platform for analysis, CFOs can take actionable steps that will improve productivity, save their company money, and unlock real-time analysis of their financial data.&nbsp;</p>
  310.  
  311.  
  312.  
  313. <p>With these insights in hand, CFOs and finance teams can embark on more informed decision-making and effective financial planning, helping increase agility across the organization and ultimately extend their business’ runway.</p>
  314.  
  315.  
  316.  
  317. <p>At the heart of all of this is <strong>unlocking access to non-dilutive funding that can help financial leaders finance their operations without relying solely on </strong><strong><em>Debt</em></strong><strong> of </strong><strong><em>Equity</em></strong><strong> financing</strong>.</p>
  318.  
  319.  
  320.  
  321. <p>This opens up the door for businesses to push the gas on aggressive innovation and R&amp;D initiatives that can help drive competitive advantage while even opening up new opportunities for financing, ala R&amp;D tax credits.&nbsp;</p>
  322.  
  323.  
  324.  
  325. <p>At Boast, our AI-powered platform allows startups at any stage to sync the systems they use to manage financial, payroll and workflow data into a single source of intelligence. From there, teams can actively understand what activities could qualify for R&amp;D tax credits, for instance, while also actively tracking all of the relevant information necessary to file a claim in one spot.&nbsp;</p>
  326.  
  327.  
  328.  
  329. <p>Boast goes beyond providing guidance on non-dilutive government funding, too. Our solution offers businesses a comprehensive resource that combines expert guidance and cutting-edge technology to optimize their R&amp;D efforts, streamline capital management, and visualize a successful capital strategy.</p>
  330.  
  331.  
  332.  
  333. <p><a href="https://boast.ai/talktous/"><em>Talk to an expert</em></a><em> from Boast today to learn more about how we combine cutting edge technology with years of expertise—and a founder’s POV—to optimize your R&amp;D and fund your innovation.</em></p>
  334. <p>The post <a href="https://boast.ai/blog/despite-optimism-cfos-remain-wary-of-debt-and-equity-financing-in-q1-2024/">Despite optimism, CFOs remain wary of Debt and Equity financing in Q1 2024</a> appeared first on <a href="https://boast.ai">Boast</a>.</p>
  335. ]]></content:encoded>
  336. </item>
  337. <item>
  338. <title>What The Tech Episode 38: “Hustle and get traction” with Roy Pereira of Unified</title>
  339. <link>https://boast.ai/blog/what-the-tech-episode-38-hustle-and-get-traction-with-roy-pereira-of-unified/</link>
  340. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Paul Davenport]]></dc:creator>
  341. <pubDate>Wed, 20 Mar 2024 15:02:57 +0000</pubDate>
  342. <category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>
  343. <category><![CDATA[Podcasts]]></category>
  344. <category><![CDATA[AI]]></category>
  345. <category><![CDATA[API]]></category>
  346. <category><![CDATA[Artificial Intelligence]]></category>
  347. <category><![CDATA[Canada]]></category>
  348. <category><![CDATA[funding]]></category>
  349. <category><![CDATA[Government Funding]]></category>
  350. <category><![CDATA[growth]]></category>
  351. <category><![CDATA[playbook]]></category>
  352. <category><![CDATA[podcast]]></category>
  353. <category><![CDATA[saas]]></category>
  354. <category><![CDATA[Software]]></category>
  355. <category><![CDATA[startup resources]]></category>
  356. <category><![CDATA[strategy]]></category>
  357. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://boast.ai/?p=320908</guid>
  358.  
  359. <description><![CDATA[<p>On the latest episode of What The Tech, we welcome to the show self-proclaimed serial entrepreneur and Techstar Roy Pereira.</p>
  360. <p>The post <a href="https://boast.ai/blog/what-the-tech-episode-38-hustle-and-get-traction-with-roy-pereira-of-unified/">What The Tech Episode 38: “Hustle and get traction” with Roy Pereira of Unified</a> appeared first on <a href="https://boast.ai">Boast</a>.</p>
  361. ]]></description>
  362. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><iframe src="https://www.buzzsprout.com/2167365/14729875-hustle-and-get-traction-with-roy-pereira-of-unified-api?client_source=small_player&#038;iframe=true" loading="lazy" width="100%" height="200" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title='What The Tech?, "Hustle and Get Traction" with Roy Pereira of Unified API'></iframe></p>
  363.  
  364.  
  365. <p>Becoming a successful entrepreneur calls for inherent curiosity. While <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/roypereira/">Roy Pereira</a> characterizes his school-aged self as a “math geek,” it’s really his interest in understanding how nascent computing technologies were able to “make stuff out of nothing” that launched him on the career path he’s taken to date.&nbsp;</p>
  366.  
  367.  
  368.  
  369. <p>On the latest episode of What The Tech, we welcome to the show self-proclaimed serial entrepreneur and Techstar Roy Pereira. <a href="https://unified.to/">Roy is currently the CEO of Unified</a>, the integrations-as-a-Service platform for B2B SaaS companies. With their Unified APIs, developers can integrate just once to add multiple software systems to their products from categories like HR, ATS, CRM and Authentication. Their solution has transformed what used to take several months into an afternoon project, helping SaaS companies swiftly and securely scale their integrations.&nbsp;</p>
  370.  
  371.  
  372.  
  373. <p>It should go without saying, but those time savings and value adds can be a gamechanger for emergent SaaS products as they look to make their mark, achieve new market potential and drive more revenue.&nbsp;</p>
  374.  
  375.  
  376.  
  377. <p>But along with steering the innovation over at Unified, Roy has been a positive presence in the Toronto and broader Canadian tech scene for a while now, with more than a decade of pushing the envelope in the Advertising, Security, Networking, and of course Software industries.</p>
  378.  
  379.  
  380.  
  381. <p>We&#8217;re thrilled to hear what’s in store for Unified, how Roy got into the startup scene in the first place, and his take on the current state of the tech ecosystem.</p>
  382.  
  383.  
  384.  
  385. <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Funding has fundamentally changed</h2>
  386.  
  387.  
  388.  
  389. <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
  390. <iframe loading="lazy" title="Episdoe 38: &quot;Funding has fundamentally changed&quot; with Roy Pereira of Unified API" width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dTcCBG6OXEQ?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
  391. </div></figure>
  392.  
  393.  
  394.  
  395. <p>As Roy Pereira explains, over the past two years there has been a ground shift in how startups, scale ups and even mature businesses tackle funding. As a result, business leaders will need to &#8220;hustle and get traction,&#8221; seeking out creative paths to funding that stretch dollars further without overextending budgets. </p>
  396.  
  397.  
  398.  
  399. <p>At the heart of all of this is never losing sight of customers, who will not only help guide what shape your products and services take, but how much revenue can ultimately play in your long-term capital strategy.</p>
  400.  
  401.  
  402.  
  403. <h2 class="wp-block-heading">The dawn of Useful AI</h2>
  404.  
  405.  
  406.  
  407. <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
  408. <iframe loading="lazy" title="Episode 38: &quot;Useful AI&quot; with Roy Pereira of Unified API" width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oU8JJ6pJPBg?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
  409. </div></figure>
  410.  
  411.  
  412.  
  413. <p>There are a wealth of AI tools that have been available in the market for years. But by combining the neural networks and machine learning capabilities of the past, today&#8217;s AI innovators are finally creating truly useful artificial intelligence compared to the more &#8220;novel&#8221; applications available less than a decade ago.</p>
  414.  
  415.  
  416.  
  417. <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
  418. <iframe loading="lazy" title="Episode 38: &quot;How do machines make stuff out of nothing&quot; with Roy Pereira of Unified API" width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eAjEVOhJjGU?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
  419. </div></figure>
  420.  
  421.  
  422.  
  423. <p>While Roy considered himself a &#8220;math geek&#8221; during high school and university, it was his inherent curiosity into understanding how computers can &#8220;make stuff out of nothing&#8221; that cultivated his entrepreneurial spirit.</p>
  424.  
  425.  
  426.  
  427. <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Watch the full interview on <a href="https://youtu.be/tZqgZUyX-RY">Boast’s YouTube Channel Here</a>.</h3>
  428.  
  429.  
  430.  
  431. <h2 class="wp-block-heading">To learn more about leveraging non-dilutive funding to fuel your growth and innovation, <a href="https://boast.ai/talktous/">talk to an expert at Boast today</a>.</h2>
  432. <p>The post <a href="https://boast.ai/blog/what-the-tech-episode-38-hustle-and-get-traction-with-roy-pereira-of-unified/">What The Tech Episode 38: “Hustle and get traction” with Roy Pereira of Unified</a> appeared first on <a href="https://boast.ai">Boast</a>.</p>
  433. ]]></content:encoded>
  434. </item>
  435. <item>
  436. <title>SR&#038;ED + IRAP: How to stack innovation funding</title>
  437. <link>https://boast.ai/blog/sred-irap-how-to-stack-innovation-funding/</link>
  438. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Paul Davenport]]></dc:creator>
  439. <pubDate>Tue, 19 Mar 2024 21:26:01 +0000</pubDate>
  440. <category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>
  441. <category><![CDATA[SR&ED]]></category>
  442. <category><![CDATA[Canada]]></category>
  443. <category><![CDATA[capital strategy]]></category>
  444. <category><![CDATA[federal budget]]></category>
  445. <category><![CDATA[funding]]></category>
  446. <category><![CDATA[Government Funding]]></category>
  447. <category><![CDATA[grants]]></category>
  448. <category><![CDATA[growth]]></category>
  449. <category><![CDATA[irap]]></category>
  450. <category><![CDATA[playbook]]></category>
  451. <category><![CDATA[SRED Resources]]></category>
  452. <category><![CDATA[startup]]></category>
  453. <category><![CDATA[startup resources]]></category>
  454. <category><![CDATA[strategy]]></category>
  455. <category><![CDATA[tax credits]]></category>
  456. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://boast.ai/?p=320891</guid>
  457.  
  458. <description><![CDATA[<p>We’ll break down the key differences and similarities between SR&#038;ED and IRAP and the info you need to ensure a smooth application process.</p>
  459. <p>The post <a href="https://boast.ai/blog/sred-irap-how-to-stack-innovation-funding/">SR&amp;ED + IRAP: How to stack innovation funding</a> appeared first on <a href="https://boast.ai">Boast</a>.</p>
  460. ]]></description>
  461. <content:encoded><![CDATA[
  462. <p>Of the many innovation funding programs on offer from the Canadian government, the <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/scientific-research-experimental-development-tax-incentive-program.html">Scientific Research and Experimental Development</a> (SR&amp;ED) tax credit and the <a href="https://nrc.canada.ca/en/support-technology-innovation/financial-support-technology-innovation-through-nrc-irap">Industrial Research Assistance Program</a> (IRAP) grants are among the most popular and most generous.&nbsp;</p>
  463.  
  464.  
  465.  
  466. <p>Where both SR&amp;ED and IRAP overlap is in being tools that businesses can use to finance innovative research and development: Both programs hinge on leveraging S<em>ystematic Investigation</em> to drive <em>Technological Advancement</em> that ultimately addresses <em>Technological Uncertainty</em>.&nbsp;</p>
  467.  
  468.  
  469.  
  470. <p>However, while SR&amp;ED is offered as a tax credit for work already completed, IRAP funding is delivered as a grant before projects are started.</p>
  471.  
  472.  
  473.  
  474. <p>To that end, SR&amp;ED applications and funding are all funneled through the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA), while IRAP is managed via the National Research Council of Canada (NRC).</p>
  475.  
  476.  
  477.  
  478. <p>We’ll break down the key differences and similarities between SR&amp;ED and IRAP, how (and when) to tap into both programs to fund innovation, and the info you need to ensure a smooth application process.</p>
  479.  
  480.  
  481.  
  482. <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" alt="About: SR&amp;ED + IRAP: How to stack innovation funding" src="https://boast.ai/wp-content/uploads/iStock-1158944309-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-320895" srcset="https://boast.ai/wp-content/uploads/iStock-1158944309-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://boast.ai/wp-content/uploads/iStock-1158944309-300x200.jpg 300w, https://boast.ai/wp-content/uploads/iStock-1158944309-768x512.jpg 768w, https://boast.ai/wp-content/uploads/iStock-1158944309.jpg 1254w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>
  483.  
  484.  
  485.  
  486. <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Key differences between SR&amp;ED and IRAP</h2>
  487.  
  488.  
  489.  
  490. <p>A defining <a href="https://boast.ai/blog/innovation-insights/everything-you-need-to-know-about-irap-funding/">feature of the IRAP grant</a> is that it involves more than just funding. Targeting small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) with fewer than 500 full-time workers, IRAP also delivers advisory assistance to qualifying Canadian businesses, connecting applicants with more experienced, larger companies in their field. </p>
  491.  
  492.  
  493.  
  494. <p>Another essential characteristic of IRAP is that it’s geared toward commercialization; that is, activities must be towards advancing products-for-market. This is important because while SR&amp;ED-eligible activities don’t have a commercialization requirement—that is, even if R&amp;D doesn’t produce a new product, the efforts are still uncovering a <em>Technological Uncertainty—</em>commercial outcomes are a hard prerequisite for IRAP.</p>
  495.  
  496.  
  497.  
  498. <p>To apply, teams need to first create a business plan that will communicate to your local IRAP industrial technology adviser (ITA) how you plan to market your innovative products, services or processes in Canada. This calls for developing a comprehensive business plan that includes your projected <em>economic impact</em>, <em>operational strategies</em>, <em>projected growth</em>, and b<em>usiness challenges.</em></p>
  499.  
  500.  
  501.  
  502. <p>After engaging with the ITA, applicants can expect a review within three months, withthe NRC taking into consideration the impacts of your proposed project on both your business and for Canada.&nbsp;</p>
  503.  
  504.  
  505.  
  506. <p>If your claim gets approved, you will start receiving funding to cover a portion of your project immediately—and will need to start submitting monthly reimbursement claims to the NRC as a result.&nbsp;</p>
  507.  
  508.  
  509.  
  510. <h3 class="wp-block-heading">SR&amp;ED casts a wider net</h3>
  511.  
  512.  
  513.  
  514. <p>While we have plenty of resources that you can leverage to go deep into the SR&amp;ED claim process, perhaps the largest distinction between these tax credits and IRAP are that they are dispersed as a <strong><em>refund on investments teams have already made into innovation</em></strong>.</p>
  515.  
  516.  
  517.  
  518. <p>For both SR&amp;ED and IRAP, a compelling and convincing claim that communicates the truly unique nature of your project’s innovation needs to come together.&nbsp;</p>
  519.  
  520.  
  521.  
  522. <p>Unlike IRAP, however, SR&amp;ED claims are a return on efforts already taken to drive innovation, which calls for significantly less forecasting. Instead, maximizing SR&amp;ED claims calls for detailed record keeping across both your product, development and finance teams, syncing key payroll, time tracking and project scope data into a compelling narrative.&nbsp;</p>
  523.  
  524.  
  525.  
  526. <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Additional Considerations</h3>
  527.  
  528.  
  529.  
  530. <figure class="wp-block-table"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td>SR&amp;ED</td><td>IRAP</td></tr><tr><td>Budget limitations</td><td>Because SR&amp;ED is a tax credit, there is no cap on funding amounts that the government will cover.&nbsp;&nbsp;</td><td>IRAP dispersals are contingent on NRC budget allocations. Even if your project gets IRAP approved, for instance, there’s a limited pool of IRAP funding available to support all projects each year.</td></tr><tr><td>How funding is calculated</td><td>Credits are contingent on your company’s tax status (net income, capitalization); refunds are therefore not always guaranteed.&nbsp;</td><td>Eligible businesses have to be a CCPC with less than 500 full-time employees.&nbsp;</td></tr><tr><td>Cash-flow impact</td><td>Because claims are filed as part of your company’s income tax return, refunds are made available anywhere from three to six months after filing (if not longer).</td><td>Disbursements can be claimed as soon as a project is approved. Claims are made monthly and reimbursements are received within 15 days.</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>
  531.  
  532.  
  533.  
  534. <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Can businesses use both SR&amp;ED and IRAP?</h2>
  535.  
  536.  
  537.  
  538. <p>The short answer here is <strong><em>yes</em></strong>. As with any capital strategy, you just need to be very careful and be sure you’re not maximizing access to one program at the expense of valuable resources from the other.&nbsp;</p>
  539.  
  540.  
  541.  
  542. <p>For instance, businesses can’t subsidize the same dollar amount of eligible expenditures twice.&nbsp;</p>
  543.  
  544.  
  545.  
  546. <p>Therefore, some businesses will take the approach of using IRAP to cover the costs of wages and subcontractor expenses related to a specific project, while using SR&amp;ED to cover overhead expenditures after the work has been completed. This can help free up cash flow, opening up opportunities for folks to double-down on innovation investments, or put refunds toward other areas of the business.&nbsp;</p>
  547.  
  548.  
  549.  
  550. <p>Another strategy is to focus IRAP funding on larger projects, while using SR&amp;ED to recoup expenses on smaller research initiatives with less certain outcomes. </p>
  551.  
  552.  
  553.  
  554. <p>Then, to the earlier point regarding “commercialization”: Teams can also be sure that they separate go-to-market research that might be IRAP eligible from the technical activities and expenses—even developer salaries—that might fall under SR&amp;ED.</p>
  555.  
  556.  
  557.  
  558. <p>In most scenarios, teams will start with IRAP grants to get programs in motion, then leverage SR&amp;ED to cover remaining overhead costs (as eligible).&nbsp;</p>
  559.  
  560.  
  561.  
  562. <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Advanced SR&amp;ED funding, R&amp;D insights</h2>
  563.  
  564.  
  565.  
  566. <p>As powerful as the SR&amp;ED program is on its own, however, it’s really just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to stretching R&amp;D dollars to maximize your product development runway.&nbsp;</p>
  567.  
  568.  
  569.  
  570. <p>Boast can help you make your R&amp;D expenditures go even further by letting you tap into your end-of-year SR&amp;ED claim before your fiscal year has even wrapped. That means not just being able to predict your R&amp;D spend and associated claims throughout the year, but gaining access to a chunk of those funds early to actually increase your total SR&amp;ED claim in real time.&nbsp;</p>
  571.  
  572.  
  573.  
  574. <p>By syncing the systems your team already uses to track R&amp;D workflows, bookkeeping and payroll, Boast’s AI-driven solution can actively estimate your year-end SR&amp;ED claim while projects are still in motion.</p>
  575.  
  576.  
  577.  
  578. <p>With <a href="https://boast.ai/products/boast-quickfund/">QuickFund from Boast</a> innovative businesses can receive up to 75 percent of the R&amp;D expenditures they’ve accrued in a given quarter.</p>
  579.  
  580.  
  581.  
  582. <p>With this early access to their SR&amp;ED refund, teams can actually start embarking on activities that will increase their SR&amp;ED eligibility for the next quarter. By compounding their efforts and investments (as early as three months into the tax year with QuickFund), R&amp;D teams will ultimately be better funded—and by extension, more effective.&nbsp;</p>
  583.  
  584.  
  585.  
  586. <p>All of this is done without forcing founders to seek dilutive sources of equity, while giving startups the financial flexibility needed to make better decisions about scaling the business.<br>To learn more about how Boast helps businesses achieve higher SR&amp;ED claims and stronger innovation outcomes, <a href="https://boast.ai/talk-to-an-expert/">talk to an expert</a> today.</p>
  587. <p>The post <a href="https://boast.ai/blog/sred-irap-how-to-stack-innovation-funding/">SR&amp;ED + IRAP: How to stack innovation funding</a> appeared first on <a href="https://boast.ai">Boast</a>.</p>
  588. ]]></content:encoded>
  589. </item>
  590. <item>
  591. <title>Quebec restructures CDAE, CTMM to help fill historic budget deficit</title>
  592. <link>https://boast.ai/blog/quebec-restructures-cdae-ctmm-to-help-fill-historic-budget-deficit/</link>
  593. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Paul Davenport]]></dc:creator>
  594. <pubDate>Sun, 17 Mar 2024 10:01:50 +0000</pubDate>
  595. <category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>
  596. <category><![CDATA[Business Growth]]></category>
  597. <category><![CDATA[budget]]></category>
  598. <category><![CDATA[Canada]]></category>
  599. <category><![CDATA[capital]]></category>
  600. <category><![CDATA[CDAE]]></category>
  601. <category><![CDATA[CTMM]]></category>
  602. <category><![CDATA[federal budget]]></category>
  603. <category><![CDATA[funding]]></category>
  604. <category><![CDATA[Government Funding]]></category>
  605. <category><![CDATA[Quebec]]></category>
  606. <category><![CDATA[SRED Resources]]></category>
  607. <category><![CDATA[startup]]></category>
  608. <category><![CDATA[startup resources]]></category>
  609. <category><![CDATA[strategy]]></category>
  610. <category><![CDATA[tax credits]]></category>
  611. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://boast.ai/?p=320884</guid>
  612.  
  613. <description><![CDATA[<p>For CDAE, the Quebec government will scale up the non-refundable share from 6 percent today to 10 percent by 2028.</p>
  614. <p>The post <a href="https://boast.ai/blog/quebec-restructures-cdae-ctmm-to-help-fill-historic-budget-deficit/">Quebec restructures CDAE, CTMM to help fill historic budget deficit</a> appeared first on <a href="https://boast.ai">Boast</a>.</p>
  615. ]]></description>
  616. <content:encoded><![CDATA[
  617. <p>Minister of Finance Eric Girard tabled his <a href="https://www.finances.gouv.qc.ca/Budget_and_update/budget/index.asp">2024 budget for Quebec</a> last week, which called for a significant restructuring to two of the province&#8217;s banner innovation tax credit programs.&nbsp;</p>
  618.  
  619.  
  620.  
  621. <p>Specifically, the budget calls for rebalancing the refundable and non-refundable portions of the <a href="https://www.revenuquebec.ca/en/online-services/forms-and-publications/current-details/co-1029-8-36-da-t/">Electronic Business Development Tax Credit</a> (CDAE) and the Multimedia Tax Credit (CTMM).</p>
  622.  
  623.  
  624.  
  625. <p><a href="https://boast.ai/blog/sred-cdae-what-you-need-to-know/">For CDAE</a>, the Quebec government will scale up the non-refundable share—that is, the portion of the credits where businesses must pay tax to Quebec for qualification—from 6 percent today to 10 percent by 2028. Simultaneously, the refundable portion of the tax credit will be scaled down from 24 percent in 2024 to just 20 percent by 2028.</p>
  626.  
  627.  
  628.  
  629. <figure class="wp-block-table"><table><tbody><tr><td>Year</td><td>Refundable</td><td>Non-Refundable</td></tr><tr><td>2024</td><td>24%</td><td>6%</td></tr><tr><td>2025</td><td>23%</td><td>7%</td></tr><tr><td>2026</td><td>22%</td><td>8%</td></tr><tr><td>2027</td><td>21%</td><td>9%</td></tr><tr><td>2028</td><td>20%</td><td>10%</td></tr></tbody></table><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Source: Government of Quebec</figcaption></figure>
  630.  
  631.  
  632.  
  633. <p>The CTMM, which <strong>currently doesn’t have a non-refundable component</strong>, will also see the total taxable balance shift to a 20:10 percentage split by 2028 in an attempt to encourage more provincial income from successful businesses in this sector.</p>
  634.  
  635.  
  636.  
  637. <figure class="wp-block-table"><table><tbody><tr><td>Year</td><td>Refundable</td><td>Non-Refundable</td></tr><tr><td>2024</td><td>30%</td><td>0%</td></tr><tr><td>2025</td><td>27.5%</td><td>2.5%</td></tr><tr><td>2026</td><td>25%</td><td>5%</td></tr><tr><td>2027</td><td>22.5%</td><td>7.5%</td></tr><tr><td>2028</td><td>20%</td><td>10%</td></tr></tbody></table><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Source: Government of Quebec</figcaption></figure>
  638.  
  639.  
  640.  
  641. <p>Combined, both of these measures ultimately reduce the total ‘generosity’ of these programs, which cost the provincial government almost $850 million CAD in 2023. </p>
  642.  
  643.  
  644.  
  645. <p>This in the face of an $11 billion budget deficit for 2024—perhaps the largest in the province’s history—as Quebec punts balancing the provincial budget a full two years later than previously promised.&nbsp;</p>
  646.  
  647.  
  648.  
  649. <p>&#8220;Right now, we have no growth,&#8221; Girard said, citing a hike in interest rates over the last year that drove the budget deficit to be almost three times larger than forecasts predicted in 2023.</p>
  650.  
  651.  
  652.  
  653. <p>With the goal of having a fully balanced provincial budget by 2028 in place, the government is now looking toward the successes of the local media and electronics industry in Quebec to help bolster healthier conditions across the province.</p>
  654.  
  655.  
  656.  
  657. <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Businesses will need to claim taxes in Quebec at higher rates going forward</h2>
  658.  
  659.  
  660.  
  661. <p>While neither the CDAE or CTMM will be going away, many businesses that had never paid taxes in the province may have to start in order to continue qualifying for non-refundable credits long-term.</p>
  662.  
  663.  
  664.  
  665. <p>As <a href="https://www.lapresse.ca/affaires/techno/2024-03-12/budget-du-quebec-2024/le-menage-commence-par-les-ti-et-les-jeux-video.php">noted by LaPresse</a>, researchers who have studied these tax credit programs have flagged that of the 702 companies eligible for both CTMM and CDAE, only four had paid taxes in 2019.&nbsp;</p>
  666.  
  667.  
  668.  
  669. <p>By 2028, the government anticipates that it will recover upwards of $365 million CAD by making these adjustments to the refundable ratio to both programs.&nbsp;</p>
  670.  
  671.  
  672.  
  673. <p><strong>The 2024 budget also removes the ceilings on eligible salaries for the CTMM ($100,000) and the CDAE ($83,333)</strong>. As a result, businesses will in theory be able to apply tax credit claims to higher-salary individuals.&nbsp;</p>
  674.  
  675.  
  676.  
  677. <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Qualifying for CDAE in the first place</h2>
  678.  
  679.  
  680.  
  681. <p>CDAE tax credits are geared toward businesses <em>developing and selling software licenses or services</em> (ie. Software-as-a-Service or SaaS). <a href="https://www.investquebec.com/Documents/qc/FichesDetaillees/FTCDAE_en.pdf">To pass this threshold</a>, companies must have <strong>75 percent of gross revenue derived from IT sector activities</strong>, with 50 percent of these activities related to a core subset of the IT sector.</p>
  682.  
  683.  
  684.  
  685. <p>Additionally, a qualifying company must have at least 6 full-time technical employees for the entire fiscal year of the CDAE claim, which differs from SR&amp;ED in that it doesn’t have revenue or employee-number requirements (per se) as part of the qualifying criteria.&nbsp;</p>
  686.  
  687.  
  688.  
  689. <p>It’s worth noting that <em>there is flexibility here: </em>Startups that have existed for less than 2 years will meet the eligibility criteria for CDAE once they have 6 eligible technical employees on the payroll for a given fiscal year.</p>
  690.  
  691.  
  692.  
  693. <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" alt="About: Quebec restructures CDAE, CTMM to help fill historic budget deficit" src="https://boast.ai/wp-content/uploads/iStock-831505910-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-320888" srcset="https://boast.ai/wp-content/uploads/iStock-831505910-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://boast.ai/wp-content/uploads/iStock-831505910-300x200.jpg 300w, https://boast.ai/wp-content/uploads/iStock-831505910-768x512.jpg 768w, https://boast.ai/wp-content/uploads/iStock-831505910-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://boast.ai/wp-content/uploads/iStock-831505910-2048x1367.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>
  694.  
  695.  
  696.  
  697. <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Stacking SR&amp;ED, CDAE and innovation capital in Quebec</h2>
  698.  
  699.  
  700.  
  701. <p>Both SR&amp;ED and CDAE are tools that founders can use to cover salaries, but the requirements (and credit amounts) vary pretty significantly given each program’s focus.</p>
  702.  
  703.  
  704.  
  705. <p>For instance, CDAE covers <strong><em>only the salary of employees in technical roles</em></strong> (ie. developers and quality engineers) during the product development life cycle. An important caveat (and distinction from SR&amp;ED) is that this R&amp;D <em>needs to be contributing toward a revenue-generating product</em> that’s already in the market.&nbsp;</p>
  706.  
  707.  
  708.  
  709. <p>From there, CDAE funds are delivered in the form of an up to <strong>24 percent refundable tax credit</strong> and an up to <strong>6 percent non-refundable tax credit</strong> of each eligible employee’s salary <strong>(for 2024, at least)</strong>. These credits are also applied to the total salary of the qualified individual.</p>
  710.  
  711.  
  712.  
  713. <p>For SR&amp;ED, on the other hand, businesses can claim tax credits on expenses such as salaries, wages, materials consumed or transformed, subcontractor expenses, and overhead—so long as they are directly related to or directly supporting eligible R&amp;D activities in Canada. Put simply, the SR&amp;ED refundable tax credit is based on the percentage of time an employee has spent on R&amp;D activities relative to their salary.&nbsp;</p>
  714.  
  715.  
  716.  
  717. <p>CDAE is most beneficial to more mature companies that have made progress in their development but need additional funding to scale—especially as it relates to bringing software-based innovations to market.</p>
  718.  
  719.  
  720.  
  721. <p>There are options for businesses that want to optimize both CDAE and SR&amp;ED on the provincial level to maximize the tax credit amount.</p>
  722.  
  723.  
  724.  
  725. <p>Doing this is tricky, however, and requires not just deep knowledge of existing tax code, but the ability to communicate the nature of innovation both from the business-side and technical-side of R&amp;D.&nbsp;</p>
  726.  
  727.  
  728.  
  729. <p>This is especially critical for businesses that may be applying for the first time—or who have maybe struggled with their application in the past despite delivering on all relevant criteria.&nbsp;</p>
  730.  
  731.  
  732.  
  733. <h3 class="wp-block-heading">To learn more about how to optimize your tax credit claims to help extend your R&amp;D runway and drive greater innovation, <a href="https://boast.ai/talktous/">book a call</a> with a member of the Boast AI team today.&nbsp;</h3>
  734. <p>The post <a href="https://boast.ai/blog/quebec-restructures-cdae-ctmm-to-help-fill-historic-budget-deficit/">Quebec restructures CDAE, CTMM to help fill historic budget deficit</a> appeared first on <a href="https://boast.ai">Boast</a>.</p>
  735. ]]></content:encoded>
  736. </item>
  737. <item>
  738. <title>3 Survival Hacks: Riding Out a VC Funding Downturn</title>
  739. <link>https://boast.ai/events/on-demand-webinars/3-survival-hacks-riding-out-a-vc-funding-downturn/</link>
  740. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Paul Davenport]]></dc:creator>
  741. <pubDate>Fri, 15 Mar 2024 11:41:19 +0000</pubDate>
  742. <category><![CDATA[On Demand Webinars]]></category>
  743. <category><![CDATA[funding]]></category>
  744. <category><![CDATA[SRED]]></category>
  745. <category><![CDATA[startup]]></category>
  746. <category><![CDATA[startup funding]]></category>
  747. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://boast.ai/?p=320877</guid>
  748.  
  749. <description><![CDATA[<p>Learn how you can strategically optimize your product development strategy to tap into a wealth of non-dilutive funding sources that enables you to double-down on growth while extending your runway.</p>
  750. <p>The post <a href="https://boast.ai/events/on-demand-webinars/3-survival-hacks-riding-out-a-vc-funding-downturn/">3 Survival Hacks: Riding Out a VC Funding Downturn</a> appeared first on <a href="https://boast.ai">Boast</a>.</p>
  751. ]]></description>
  752. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As you know, the last 2.5 years have seen a sharp decline in VC funding due to economic challenges and shifting valuations. Amidst this uncertainty and without an immediate rebound in view, founders need to pivot their focus to alternative financing options.</span></p>
  753. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Join a conversation about how you can strategically optimize your product development strategy to tap into a wealth of non-dilutive funding sources that enables you to double-down on growth while extending your runway.</span></p>
  754. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Chikei Yeung, capital strategist at Boast, will lead this discussion on March 19th and do a deep dive into:</span></p>
  755. <ol>
  756. <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Funding options to expand your product innovation and talent acquisition</span></li>
  757. <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Alternative investment options and how they best fit with your company&#8217;s lifecycle</span></li>
  758. <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Using R&amp;D tax credits strategically to extend your runway</span></li>
  759. </ol>
  760.  
  761.  
  762. <div class="wp-block-leadin-hubspot-form-block">
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  774. <p>The post <a href="https://boast.ai/events/on-demand-webinars/3-survival-hacks-riding-out-a-vc-funding-downturn/">3 Survival Hacks: Riding Out a VC Funding Downturn</a> appeared first on <a href="https://boast.ai">Boast</a>.</p>
  775. ]]></content:encoded>
  776. </item>
  777. <item>
  778. <title>Maximizing Talent, Minimizing Costs: A Workshop for Growth-Phase Founders</title>
  779. <link>https://boast.ai/events/on-demand-webinars/maximizing-talent-minimizing-costs-a-workshop-for-growth-phase-founders/</link>
  780. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Paul Davenport]]></dc:creator>
  781. <pubDate>Thu, 14 Mar 2024 22:14:37 +0000</pubDate>
  782. <category><![CDATA[On Demand Webinars]]></category>
  783. <category><![CDATA[funding]]></category>
  784. <category><![CDATA[SRED]]></category>
  785. <category><![CDATA[startup]]></category>
  786. <category><![CDATA[startup funding]]></category>
  787. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://boast.ai/?p=320869</guid>
  788.  
  789. <description><![CDATA[<p>The Boast team is joined by Affinity, Backstretch Recruitment Group, and VanHack to discuss Maximizing Talent, Minimizing Costs: A Workshop [&#8230;]</p>
  790. <p>The post <a href="https://boast.ai/events/on-demand-webinars/maximizing-talent-minimizing-costs-a-workshop-for-growth-phase-founders/">Maximizing Talent, Minimizing Costs: A Workshop for Growth-Phase Founders</a> appeared first on <a href="https://boast.ai">Boast</a>.</p>
  791. ]]></description>
  792. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The Boast team is joined by Affinity, Backstretch Recruitment Group, and VanHack to discuss <em><strong>Maximizing Talent, Minimizing Costs: A Workshop for Growth-Phase Founders</strong></em>. If you are striving to fuel your company&#8217;s growth while maintaining tight budgets, this is a session you don&#8217;t want to miss.</p>
  793. <p>Founders will walk away with actionable strategies to maximize their talent pool, save money, and drive sustainable growth. We discuss:</p>
  794. <ul>
  795. <li>The current financial landscape and challenges facing growth-stage companies</li>
  796. <li>How to leverage financial efficiencies as part of your talent strategy</li>
  797. <li>Retention strategies that save resources while enhancing talent development</li>
  798. <li>Common questions </li>
  799. </ul>
  800. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  801.  
  802.  
  803. <div class="wp-block-leadin-hubspot-form-block">
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  815. <p>The post <a href="https://boast.ai/events/on-demand-webinars/maximizing-talent-minimizing-costs-a-workshop-for-growth-phase-founders/">Maximizing Talent, Minimizing Costs: A Workshop for Growth-Phase Founders</a> appeared first on <a href="https://boast.ai">Boast</a>.</p>
  816. ]]></content:encoded>
  817. </item>
  818. <item>
  819. <title>What The Tech Episode 38: “Innovation Can’t Be Random” with Steven Forth of Ibbaka</title>
  820. <link>https://boast.ai/blog/what-the-tech-episode-38-innovation-cant-be-random-with-steven-forth-of-ibbaka/</link>
  821. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Paul Davenport]]></dc:creator>
  822. <pubDate>Wed, 13 Mar 2024 16:07:11 +0000</pubDate>
  823. <category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>
  824. <category><![CDATA[Customer Success Stories]]></category>
  825. <category><![CDATA[Podcasts]]></category>
  826. <category><![CDATA[federal budget]]></category>
  827. <category><![CDATA[funding]]></category>
  828. <category><![CDATA[Government Funding]]></category>
  829. <category><![CDATA[growth]]></category>
  830. <category><![CDATA[playbook]]></category>
  831. <category><![CDATA[podcast]]></category>
  832. <category><![CDATA[pricing]]></category>
  833. <category><![CDATA[Software]]></category>
  834. <category><![CDATA[SRED Resources]]></category>
  835. <category><![CDATA[startup]]></category>
  836. <category><![CDATA[startup resources]]></category>
  837. <category><![CDATA[strategy]]></category>
  838. <category><![CDATA[United States]]></category>
  839. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://boast.ai/?p=320863</guid>
  840.  
  841. <description><![CDATA[<p>At Ibbaka, their focus is on helping SaaS companies set pricing models that align with the true value they deliver.</p>
  842. <p>The post <a href="https://boast.ai/blog/what-the-tech-episode-38-innovation-cant-be-random-with-steven-forth-of-ibbaka/">What The Tech Episode 38: “Innovation Can’t Be Random” with Steven Forth of Ibbaka</a> appeared first on <a href="https://boast.ai">Boast</a>.</p>
  843. ]]></description>
  844. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><iframe src="https://www.buzzsprout.com/2167365/14683566-innovation-can-t-be-random-with-steven-forth-of-ibbaka?client_source=small_player&#038;iframe=true" loading="lazy" width="100%" height="200" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title='What The Tech?, "Innovation Can't Be Random" with Steven Forth of Ibbaka'></iframe></p>
  845.  
  846.  
  847. <p>Ready or not, artificial intelligence is going to fundamentally shift not only how we build and deliver solutions, but how we assign value to products going forward. This is especially acute in the world of SaaS, as the mainstream emergence of generative AI and other machine learning practices changes the entire cost paradigm of product development—and we’re arguably only getting started.</p>
  848.  
  849.  
  850.  
  851. <p>So how can SaaS businesses determine the value of their offerings—and price their solutions accordingly—in this new reality?</p>
  852.  
  853.  
  854.  
  855. <p>Today we welcome <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenforth/">Steven Forth</a>, Co-Founder and CEO of <a href="https://www.ibbaka.com/">Ibbaka</a>, to help answer exactly that.</p>
  856.  
  857.  
  858.  
  859. <p>At Ibbaka, their focus is on helping SaaS companies set pricing models that align with the true value they deliver, helping drive increased revenue, profitability and customer retention in the process. Through both the Ibbaka Valio Platform and through consulting that is informed by research and data, Steven and his team are helping SaaS companies “achieve greatness” in the subscription economy.</p>
  860.  
  861.  
  862.  
  863. <p>And few people are more qualified than Steven to help steer this effort. His journey as an entrepreneur has seen him lead innovative businesses in both the US and Canada, while he’s consulted on go-to-market strategies, value management and pricing for a wide breadth of exciting products and services. He’s even been identified as one of the leading experts in B2B pricing by Openview, combining design and decision making frameworks with value management and pricing strategy to help SaaS businesses grow.</p>
  864.  
  865.  
  866.  
  867. <p>It’s an impressive and exciting mission, and I couldn’t be happier to have Steven join us to discuss his takes on the innovation economy, what it takes to succeed in today’s market, and what’s in store for Ibbaka in 2024.</p>
  868.  
  869.  
  870.  
  871. <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Innovation Never Stops—and Time is a Scarce Resource</h2>
  872.  
  873.  
  874.  
  875. <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
  876. <iframe loading="lazy" title="Episode 38: &quot;Time is a scarce resource&quot; with Steven Forth of Ibbaka" width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LigGQGiuJYI?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
  877. </div></figure>
  878.  
  879.  
  880.  
  881. <p>Working with Boast has changed some of Steven Forth&#8217;s assumptions about how his most high-value personnel—that is, the senior leaders driving Ibbaka&#8217;s research and development—should be spending their time.</p>
  882.  
  883.  
  884.  
  885. <p>On average, teams that don&#8217;t work with Boast to capture innovation capital to fuel their R&amp;D can spend up to 60 hours across their entire product team compiling the necessary data to execute a successful SR&amp;ED claim.</p>
  886.  
  887.  
  888.  
  889. <p>Even after all that sunk time, there&#8217;s little assurance that the claim has truly captured all of the tax credit-worthy activities—let along that your accountants have communicated your innovation in language the CRA will accept.</p>
  890.  
  891.  
  892.  
  893. <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
  894. <iframe loading="lazy" title="Episode 38: &quot;AI will drive margins down&quot; with Steven Forth of Ibbaka" width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qreKVarFfHE?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
  895. </div></figure>
  896.  
  897.  
  898.  
  899. <p>As Steven Forth puts it, generative AI isn&#8217;t as new as many people may think, and it&#8217;s also not going anywhere. To that end, it will fundamentally change how businesses operate going forward, and there&#8217;s no turning back from that.</p>
  900.  
  901.  
  902.  
  903. <p>This pushes founders to start rethinking how they price solutions—especially in the SaaS space—as well as fund their operational runways given the tighter operating margins that AI will inevitably bear out.</p>
  904.  
  905.  
  906.  
  907. <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Watch the full interview on <a href="https://youtu.be/PpiAcoqwj1w">Boast’s YouTube Channel here</a>.</h2>
  908. <p>The post <a href="https://boast.ai/blog/what-the-tech-episode-38-innovation-cant-be-random-with-steven-forth-of-ibbaka/">What The Tech Episode 38: “Innovation Can’t Be Random” with Steven Forth of Ibbaka</a> appeared first on <a href="https://boast.ai">Boast</a>.</p>
  909. ]]></content:encoded>
  910. </item>
  911. <item>
  912. <title>As U.S. Fed warns of more bank failures, CFOs turn to Non-dilutive funding</title>
  913. <link>https://boast.ai/blog/as-u-s-fed-warns-of-more-bank-failures-cfos-turn-to-non-dilutive-funding/</link>
  914. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Paul Davenport]]></dc:creator>
  915. <pubDate>Tue, 12 Mar 2024 15:21:54 +0000</pubDate>
  916. <category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>
  917. <category><![CDATA[Business Growth]]></category>
  918. <category><![CDATA[bank closure]]></category>
  919. <category><![CDATA[bank failure]]></category>
  920. <category><![CDATA[banks]]></category>
  921. <category><![CDATA[federal budget]]></category>
  922. <category><![CDATA[Federal Reserve]]></category>
  923. <category><![CDATA[funding]]></category>
  924. <category><![CDATA[Government Funding]]></category>
  925. <category><![CDATA[growth]]></category>
  926. <category><![CDATA[non-dilutive funding]]></category>
  927. <category><![CDATA[playbook]]></category>
  928. <category><![CDATA[R&D]]></category>
  929. <category><![CDATA[research]]></category>
  930. <category><![CDATA[Silicon Valley Bank]]></category>
  931. <category><![CDATA[startup]]></category>
  932. <category><![CDATA[startup resources]]></category>
  933. <category><![CDATA[strategy]]></category>
  934. <category><![CDATA[tax credits]]></category>
  935. <category><![CDATA[United States]]></category>
  936. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://boast.ai/?p=320856</guid>
  937.  
  938. <description><![CDATA[<p>We break down how innovative CFOs should interpret the latest warnings around bank failures from the U.S. Federal Reserve.</p>
  939. <p>The post <a href="https://boast.ai/blog/as-u-s-fed-warns-of-more-bank-failures-cfos-turn-to-non-dilutive-funding/">As U.S. Fed warns of more bank failures, CFOs turn to Non-dilutive funding</a> appeared first on <a href="https://boast.ai">Boast</a>.</p>
  940. ]]></description>
  941. <content:encoded><![CDATA[
  942. <p>It’s already been one year since <a href="https://boast.ai/blog/the-latest-on-svb-updates-for-payroll-canadian-startups-and-more/">Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and Signature Bank</a>—two of the largest banking partners for the tech sector at the time—were abruptly shuttered.</p>
  943.  
  944.  
  945.  
  946. <p>While the wound this inflicted is still fresh for many—after all, SVB had backed upwards of 40 percent of venture-backed technology and healthcare companies in the United States when they closed—it’s worth bearing in mind the broader fallout from these sudden closures:</p>
  947.  
  948.  
  949.  
  950. <ul>
  951. <li>Shortly after the SVB news broke on Friday, March 10, 2023, the four largest U.S. banks alone <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/silicon-valley-bank-sell-stock-cope-with-cash-burn-2023-03-09/">lost roughly $50 billion dollars</a> in market share, while more than $80 billion in stock market value evaporated from the 18 banks making up the S&amp;P 500.</li>
  952.  
  953.  
  954.  
  955. <li>The impact was global, with declines across markets in Asia and Europe as shares in HSBC and Barclays dropped 4.8 percent and 3.8 percent, respectively, following the news.&nbsp;</li>
  956. </ul>
  957.  
  958.  
  959.  
  960. <p>None of this is lost on customers of the banks themselves. While SVB has since reorganized and is back in the VC game, many businesses who had partnered with the bank at the time remember all too well being unsure if they’d be able to make payroll.&nbsp;</p>
  961.  
  962.  
  963.  
  964. <p>To that end, it wasn’t until later that weekend—an eternity for CFOs—that the FDIC assured SVB customers that they would backstop all depositors through the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF).</p>
  965.  
  966.  
  967.  
  968. <p>This all bears repeating following recent comments from US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, who <a href="https://thehill.com/business/4516758-powell-there-will-be-bank-failures-caused-by-commercial-real-estate-losses/">warned that similar bank failures are likely inevitable</a> given a few key market realities.</p>
  969.  
  970.  
  971.  
  972. <p>We’ll break down how innovative businesses should interpret Powell’s recent statements to the Senate Banking Committee, how current market conditions compare to what was happening during past banking crises, and the benefits of a diversified capital strategy to maintain liquidity in any market. </p>
  973.  
  974.  
  975.  
  976. <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" alt="About: As U.S. Fed warns of more bank failures, CFOs turn to Non-dilutive funding" src="https://boast.ai/wp-content/uploads/iStock-1409273628-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-320857" srcset="https://boast.ai/wp-content/uploads/iStock-1409273628-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://boast.ai/wp-content/uploads/iStock-1409273628-300x200.jpg 300w, https://boast.ai/wp-content/uploads/iStock-1409273628-768x512.jpg 768w, https://boast.ai/wp-content/uploads/iStock-1409273628.jpg 1254w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell has warned that small- and medium-sized banks are most at risk to failures in current economy. </figcaption></figure>
  977.  
  978.  
  979.  
  980. <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Medium-sized banks most at risk</h2>
  981.  
  982.  
  983.  
  984. <p>“This is a problem we’ll be working on for years more, I’m sure. There will be bank failures,” Chairman Powell warned during a March 7 hearing on the Fed’s monetary policy before the Senate Banking Committee.</p>
  985.  
  986.  
  987.  
  988. <p>While a jarring statement on it’s own, Powell has clarified that unlike the banking crisis that struck in 2008, he anticipates future closures will spare the largest lenders. A large reason is that many of the largest banks were designated “systemically important” (read: too big to fail) in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis.</p>
  989.  
  990.  
  991.  
  992. <p>“It’s not a first-order issue for any of the very large banks. It’s more smaller and medium-sized banks that have these issues. We’re working with them. We’re getting through it. I think it’s manageable, is the word I would use,” he said.</p>
  993.  
  994.  
  995.  
  996. <p>At the heart of these tighter lending conditions are sinking commercial real estate values, which have plummeted across almost every major market globally following the pandemic. Simply put, with fewer workers going into offices today, once-costly real estate investments are no longer a business-critical expense for many businesses.</p>
  997.  
  998.  
  999.  
  1000. <p>As a result, many Commercial real estate investment trusts (REITs) have been in <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/investing/markets/inside-the-market/article-reit-yield-advantage-not-enough-to-suggest-strong-future-returns/">negative territory since the start of 2024</a>. This has begun to trigger an avalanche of economic repercussions: With fewer workers populating downtowns across North America, not only are offices empty, but there are fewer retail customers to support commerce in core districts.&nbsp;</p>
  1001.  
  1002.  
  1003.  
  1004. <p>But rather than seek short-term solutions, Powell has indicated that this ‘secular change &#8216; in the economy—while painful for many as the number of medium-sized banks inevitably consolidates—will need to be reflected in the lending landscape.&nbsp;</p>
  1005.  
  1006.  
  1007.  
  1008. <p>Although Powell stopped short of detailing the regulatory measures planned to shield the most vulnerable banks from negative REIT exposure, the Fed has at least been proactive in reaching out to the institutions they’ve flagged as most vulnerable.</p>
  1009.  
  1010.  
  1011.  
  1012. <p>“We are in dialogue with them: Do you have your arms around this problem? Do you have enough capital? Do you have enough liquidity? Do you have a plan? You’re going to take losses here — are you being truthful with yourself and with your owners?” Powell told Senate leadership.</p>
  1013.  
  1014.  
  1015.  
  1016. <h2 class="wp-block-heading">What does this mean for innovation funding?</h2>
  1017.  
  1018.  
  1019.  
  1020. <p>These bank failure warnings are of course tied closely to larger struggles across the global business landscape. Commercial REITs and retail are just two pieces of a massive puzzle that impact interest rates, inflation and the tighter lending conditions many businesses face in today’s economy.&nbsp;</p>
  1021.  
  1022.  
  1023.  
  1024. <p>As we discussed previously on the blog, these are a few of the conditions that are deflating the <a href="https://boast.ai/blog/cfos-with-30-drop-in-ebitda-forecasted-non-dilutive-funding-becomes-critical/">EBITDA forecasts for CFOs</a> across the middle-market and beyond.&nbsp;</p>
  1025.  
  1026.  
  1027.  
  1028. <p>By the numbers, <a href="https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-02-14-gartner-predicts-cfos-will-be-challenged-with-ebitda-margins-that-will-shrink-by-more-than-thirty-percent-by-2027">Gartner anticipates</a>:</p>
  1029.  
  1030.  
  1031.  
  1032. <ul>
  1033. <li>Only 2 percent revenue growth through 2027 (based on weak GDP forecasts);</li>
  1034.  
  1035.  
  1036.  
  1037. <li>A 5 percent jump in labor costs across the US and Eurozone;</li>
  1038.  
  1039.  
  1040.  
  1041. <li>An 8 percent increase in technology costs globally;</li>
  1042.  
  1043.  
  1044.  
  1045. <li>US long-term inflation of 3 percent through the end of the decade.</li>
  1046. </ul>
  1047.  
  1048.  
  1049.  
  1050. <p>To avoid falling into a spiral akin to SVB and Signature Bank, many banks will be focusing on the near-term payback risk of their investments until labor and material costs better align with consumer demand over the course of the decade.&nbsp;</p>
  1051.  
  1052.  
  1053.  
  1054. <p>Part-in-parcel with this will be the requirement of longer operational and development runways for any organizations that seek sources of outside funding. As we recently discussed with <a href="https://boast.ai/blog/what-the-tech-episode-37-metrics-that-matter-most-with-lauren-thibodeau-of-saascan/">saascan founder Lauren Thibodeau on our podcast</a>, lenders are now looking at a minimum 18-24+ month runway before bringing a company into their portfolio, compared to 12 months just a few years back. </p>
  1055.  
  1056.  
  1057.  
  1058. <p>However, as Gartner VP of Research Randeep Rathindran explained in a <a href="https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-02-14-gartner-predicts-cfos-will-be-challenged-with-ebitda-margins-that-will-shrink-by-more-than-thirty-percent-by-2027">recent report</a>, “CFOs can help their organizations overcome reliance on high-interest debt by broadening their view of funding sources beyond bank lending and corporate bonds.”</p>
  1059.  
  1060.  
  1061.  
  1062. <p>“Financial leadership should explore secondary equity issues, venture capital, and non-dilutive financing options [&#8230;],” Rathindran continued.</p>
  1063.  
  1064.  
  1065.  
  1066. <h2 class="wp-block-heading">How innovation can extend runway, drive value</h2>
  1067.  
  1068.  
  1069.  
  1070. <p>A powerful (and underutilized) source of non-dilutive funding are R&amp;D tax credits, which CFOs can use to reinvest a share of the capital they’re already put into their product development.&nbsp;</p>
  1071.  
  1072.  
  1073.  
  1074. <p>Each year in the US, businesses can claim up to $500,000 to offset payroll, income or any other tax liabilities related to R&amp;D as <a href="https://boast.ai/guides/qualified-research-activities-guide/">part of the IRC Section 41 tax credit.</a> That means up to $500,000 in liquid assets can actually stay in your business’ bank account each year if your team is able to secure a successful claim with the IRS.</p>
  1075.  
  1076.  
  1077.  
  1078. <p>Canada’s SR&amp;ED program similarly serves <a href="https://boast.ai/blog/what-is-a-ccpc-and-what-are-the-benefits/">R&amp;D-focused CCPCs</a> of all sizes and across industries, providing almost $4 billion in support to over <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/programs/consultations/2024/consultation-on-scientific-research-and-experimental-development.html">22,000 innovative Canadian businesses in 2021 alone</a>.&nbsp;</p>
  1079.  
  1080.  
  1081.  
  1082. <p>In total, this represents more than $20 billion in available R&amp;D tax credits that can help innovative businesses retain some liquidity and actually double down on driving more value.</p>
  1083.  
  1084.  
  1085.  
  1086. <p>But on both sides of the border, accessing these claims calls for the ability to speak not just the language of innovation, but also the vernacular tax code of either the CRA or IRS.</p>
  1087.  
  1088.  
  1089.  
  1090. <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Your partner for non-dilutive funding</h2>
  1091.  
  1092.  
  1093.  
  1094. <p>By combining decades of combined human expertise in navigating tax code—while also being a team of founders in our own right—with a platform that synchronizes key financial, project workflow and payroll data into a single system of proof, Boast leaves no stone unturned in digging deeper to uncover all of your credit-worthy activities.&nbsp;</p>
  1095.  
  1096.  
  1097.  
  1098. <p>In the context of investors, businesses that take advantage of these non-dilutive funding opportunities are showing that they are savvy with their budgets, making their business a stronger candidate for funding than businesses that leave R&amp;D tax credits on the table.</p>
  1099.  
  1100.  
  1101.  
  1102. <p>Instead, businesses that receive money back from the government to continue funding innovation are demonstrating to investors that their R&amp;D is so impactful innovative, that even the federal government wants to support its success.</p>
  1103.  
  1104.  
  1105.  
  1106. <p>This could be one of the most powerful bona-fides in your corner when pitching your solution to potential investors.&nbsp;</p>
  1107.  
  1108.  
  1109.  
  1110. <p>To learn more about how Boast combines leading technology with years of expertise in the innovation ecosystem for the industry’s leading R&amp;D tax credit solution, <a href="https://boast.ai/talktous/">talk to an expert from our team today</a>.</p>
  1111. <p>The post <a href="https://boast.ai/blog/as-u-s-fed-warns-of-more-bank-failures-cfos-turn-to-non-dilutive-funding/">As U.S. Fed warns of more bank failures, CFOs turn to Non-dilutive funding</a> appeared first on <a href="https://boast.ai">Boast</a>.</p>
  1112. ]]></content:encoded>
  1113. </item>
  1114. <item>
  1115. <title>3 Ways CFOs can drive growth in rocky economy</title>
  1116. <link>https://boast.ai/blog/3-ways-cfos-can-drive-growth-in-rocky-economy/</link>
  1117. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Paul Davenport]]></dc:creator>
  1118. <pubDate>Fri, 08 Mar 2024 11:42:00 +0000</pubDate>
  1119. <category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>
  1120. <category><![CDATA[Business Growth]]></category>
  1121. <category><![CDATA[business intelligence]]></category>
  1122. <category><![CDATA[CFO]]></category>
  1123. <category><![CDATA[data visualization]]></category>
  1124. <category><![CDATA[development]]></category>
  1125. <category><![CDATA[federal budget]]></category>
  1126. <category><![CDATA[Government Funding]]></category>
  1127. <category><![CDATA[growth]]></category>
  1128. <category><![CDATA[innovation]]></category>
  1129. <category><![CDATA[playbook]]></category>
  1130. <category><![CDATA[R&D]]></category>
  1131. <category><![CDATA[research]]></category>
  1132. <category><![CDATA[sr&ed]]></category>
  1133. <category><![CDATA[SRED Resources]]></category>
  1134. <category><![CDATA[startup]]></category>
  1135. <category><![CDATA[strategy]]></category>
  1136. <category><![CDATA[United States]]></category>
  1137. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://boast.ai/?p=320841</guid>
  1138.  
  1139. <description><![CDATA[<p>How CFOs at innovative companies work smarter to achieve growth despite market headwinds in 2024.</p>
  1140. <p>The post <a href="https://boast.ai/blog/3-ways-cfos-can-drive-growth-in-rocky-economy/">3 Ways CFOs can drive growth in rocky economy</a> appeared first on <a href="https://boast.ai">Boast</a>.</p>
  1141. ]]></description>
  1142. <content:encoded><![CDATA[
  1143. <p>If you’re following the headlines regarding the state of the economy in 2024, you may be feeling a bit of whiplash.</p>
  1144.  
  1145.  
  1146.  
  1147. <p>On the one hand, if you’re in the artificial intelligence (AI) game, your business may be feeling hotter than ever, with <a href="https://news.crunchbase.com/ai/valuations-venture-not-slowing-2024/">valuations of AI startups</a> continuing to rise alongside Nvidia’s <a href="https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/nvidia-stock-market-cap-2-trillion-b1c839c8">record-setting stock rally</a> just a few weeks back.</p>
  1148.  
  1149.  
  1150.  
  1151. <p>Despite a hot streak for AI, however, the larger global economy remains bogged down by higher interest rates from central banks in the United States, Canada and other leading economies in an attempt to tamp down on inflation.</p>
  1152.  
  1153.  
  1154.  
  1155. <p>While the latest economic data (including <a href="https://www.wsj.com/economy/jobs/jobs-report-january-today-unemployment-economy-4f3a772e">employment figures from January</a>) indicates that interest rate tightening may be pushing the larger economy in a healthier direction, the U.S. Federal Reserve stopped short of cutting rates in the <a href="https://www.wsj.com/economy/central-banking/powell-says-fed-on-track-to-cut-rates-this-year-52e5feb3">most recent statement to the House Financial Services Committee</a>.&nbsp;</p>
  1156.  
  1157.  
  1158.  
  1159. <p>All of that is to say that while there are indications the economy is trending in the right direction, <strong><em>there are still very real challenges</em></strong> that are hindering many companies from achieving their growth goals—even just 3 months into 2024.</p>
  1160.  
  1161.  
  1162.  
  1163. <p>With higher–than-usual interest rates pushing borrowing costs to their highest point in decades, for instance, traditional avenues to scale are simply harder to come by.&nbsp;</p>
  1164.  
  1165.  
  1166.  
  1167. <p>In this blog, we’ll unpack how finance teams at innovative companies can work smarter to achieve growth despite market headwinds as Spring 2024 rolls on.&nbsp;</p>
  1168.  
  1169.  
  1170.  
  1171. <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Step 1: Better visualize, organize key data</h2>
  1172.  
  1173.  
  1174.  
  1175. <p>As we <a href="https://boast.ai/blog/report-mid-market-cfos-put-data-visualization-business-intelligence-first-for-2024/">recently discussed on the blog</a>, mid-market CFOs—those working at businesses with annual revenues roughly in the $10 million to $1 billion range—have flagged “data visualization” and “business intelligence” as their top areas for improvement in 2024, and for good reason.&nbsp;</p>
  1176.  
  1177.  
  1178.  
  1179. <p>For starters, many financial teams are wasting a lot of time just getting access to the data they need to make informed decisions and optimize their cap tables.&nbsp;</p>
  1180.  
  1181.  
  1182.  
  1183. <p>That’s not to say that businesses haven’t been working hard to introduce new technologies that better collect and organize data from different corners of the business. But from the POV of many financial leaders, much of this data remains extremely siloed.</p>
  1184.  
  1185.  
  1186.  
  1187. <p>“[…] functional leaders in sales, marketing, supply chain, operations, risk management all have plugged technology in that can capture data and make what was once not measurable, measurable,” CFO Alliance CEO and Founder Nick Araco noted in their <a href="https://thecfoalliance.com/news/just-released-2024-mid-market-cfo-sentiment-report">latest CFO Sentiment report</a>.</p>
  1188.  
  1189.  
  1190.  
  1191. <p>What savvy CFOs will need to prioritize to unlock the true potential of this data are systems that automatically synchronize relevant and related data, while delivering actionable insights that can help these teams budget for growth.&nbsp;</p>
  1192.  
  1193.  
  1194.  
  1195. <p>Look no further than the product or R&amp;D department for proof.&nbsp;</p>
  1196.  
  1197.  
  1198.  
  1199. <p>Teams that leverage Boast’s platform to align the key <strong>project</strong>, <strong>payroll </strong>and <strong>financial data</strong> into a single system of intelligence not only enjoy 20 percent higher returns on their R&amp;D tax credit claims, but spend significantly less time filing—<em>only 6-8 hours a year compared to 20+ hours working without a tech-enabled partner</em>.&nbsp;</p>
  1200.  
  1201.  
  1202.  
  1203. <p>This is just one example where CFOs can better organize and align their data to tackle their growth targets, and stretch their investments further.&nbsp;</p>
  1204.  
  1205.  
  1206.  
  1207. <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Step 2: Deploy AI where it counts most</h2>
  1208.  
  1209.  
  1210.  
  1211. <p>Whether they like it or not, CFOs often steer their organization’s tech adoption—even at more mature businesses outside of the middle market. After all, CFOs are the ultimate budget owners, and (ideally) have the holistic view into costs and returns to guide where new investments can have the greatest impact.&nbsp;</p>
  1212.  
  1213.  
  1214.  
  1215. <p>While AI solutions, for instance, are widely touted as game changing in virtually every corner of the business—after all, the <a href="https://www.imf.org/en/Blogs/Articles/2024/01/14/ai-will-transform-the-global-economy-lets-make-sure-it-benefits-humanity">International Monetary Fund forecasts</a> that 60 percent of jobs in advanced economies will be impacted by AI—new research has emerged that shows where teams are enjoying the greatest returns on these investments.&nbsp;</p>
  1216.  
  1217.  
  1218.  
  1219. <p>For instance, a <a href="https://saascan.ca/key-report-downloads-5-metrics-2024/">recent saascan survey</a> that took in perspectives from investors across both the U.S. and Canada found that generative AI is <em>transforming how SaaS companies </em><strong><em>build products</em></strong><em> </em>more than as a solution for general productivity.</p>
  1220.  
  1221.  
  1222.  
  1223. <p>In this dimension—<em>ie. Product Design and even R&amp;D</em>—deploying generative AI to streamline processes could have a twofold payoff: Teams will not only drive more innovation, faster, but they may be increasing the number of activities and investments that qualify for R&amp;D tax credits in the process.&nbsp;</p>
  1224.  
  1225.  
  1226.  
  1227. <p>Similarly, <a href="https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2023-09-18-gartner-predicts-80percent-of-large-enterprise-finance-teams-will-use-internal-ai-platforms-by-2026#:~:text=By%202026%2C%2080%25%20of%20large,%2C%20according%20to%20Gartner%2C%20Inc.">research from Gartner</a> has found that 80 percent of large enterprise finance teams will be using AI by 2026 to improve and accelerate decision making. Boast sits at the intersection of all of this, offering an AI-driven approach to claiming innovation funding that bridges workflows across both finance and product to deliver more actionable insights.&nbsp;</p>
  1228.  
  1229.  
  1230.  
  1231. <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Step 3: Prioritize innovation</h2>
  1232.  
  1233.  
  1234.  
  1235. <p>This next point may seem obvious, but it bears repeating: <strong><em>No one is going to pay for a boring or unoriginal product.&nbsp;</em></strong></p>
  1236.  
  1237.  
  1238.  
  1239. <p>On average, teams that put innovation at the core of their business <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/innovative-growers-a-view-from-the-top">unlock greater profitability</a> and even better shareholder value in the long run. While this is especially true in the context of R&amp;D and continually funding your product teams to evolve and cultivate new products, it’s also true for businesses that look to innovate in all dimensions.</p>
  1240.  
  1241.  
  1242.  
  1243. <p>In finance specifically, leaders have been <a href="https://the-cfo.io/2023/11/13/the-slow-march-of-ai-in-finance-a-contrast-to-potential-and-reality/#:~:text=The%20primary%20obstacle%20to%20AI,reluctance%20to%20invest%20in%20AI.">notoriously slow to embrace</a> the digital transformation that has been a topline priority across almost every other area of the business. But given how quickly AI has accelerated the pace of innovation in virtually all sectors of tech, there’s no time to wait in helping CFOs modernize their approaches to achieve growth in 2024.</p>
  1244.  
  1245.  
  1246.  
  1247. <p>This is especially true given the continued market uncertainty outlined at the start of this post, as well as the pressing need for businesses to continue developing unique products and services.&nbsp;</p>
  1248.  
  1249.  
  1250.  
  1251. <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Modernizing finance to achieve growth</h2>
  1252.  
  1253.  
  1254.  
  1255. <p>At Boast, we aren’t just using AI for the sake of the buzzword. Our platform is unique in our industry for making it easy for finance teams to visualize the true state of their R&amp;D and capture key non-dilutive funding.&nbsp;</p>
  1256.  
  1257.  
  1258.  
  1259. <p>This is especially critical as investors are upping the ante when it comes to operating budgets, indicating that a <a href="https://boast.ai/blog/what-the-tech-episode-37-metrics-that-matter-most-with-lauren-thibodeau-of-saascan/">24+ month runway is now the “new normal”</a> baseline for healthy businesses within their portfolio</p>
  1260.  
  1261.  
  1262.  
  1263. <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
  1264. <iframe loading="lazy" title="Episode 27: Longer SaaS Runways" width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/87rtsIa_LVs?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
  1265. </div></figure>
  1266.  
  1267.  
  1268.  
  1269. <p>To extend your runway, you need to be sure you’re capturing every opportunity to stretch your dollars further. Both Canada’s SR&amp;ED tax credit and the R&amp;D funding programs from the U.S. federal government offer non-dilutive avenues for founders to reclaim a significant portion of the innovation investments they’re already making, essentially unlocking the opportunity to double down on their most impactful projects.&nbsp;</p>
  1270.  
  1271.  
  1272.  
  1273. <p>In the context of investors, businesses that take advantage of these non-dilutive funding opportunities are showing that they are savvy with their budgets, making their business a stronger candidate for funding—whether equity or debt—than businesses that leave this free money on the table.</p>
  1274.  
  1275.  
  1276.  
  1277. <p>Finally, by receiving money back from the government to continue funding innovation, you’re demonstrating to investors that your R&amp;D is so impactful that even the federal government wants to support your success.</p>
  1278.  
  1279.  
  1280.  
  1281. <p>This could be one of the most powerful bona-fides in your corner when pitching your solution to potential investors. </p>
  1282.  
  1283.  
  1284.  
  1285. <p>To learn more about how Boast combines leading technology with years of expertise in the innovation ecosystem for the industry’s leading R&amp;D tax credit solution, talk to an expert from our team today.</p>
  1286. <p>The post <a href="https://boast.ai/blog/3-ways-cfos-can-drive-growth-in-rocky-economy/">3 Ways CFOs can drive growth in rocky economy</a> appeared first on <a href="https://boast.ai">Boast</a>.</p>
  1287. ]]></content:encoded>
  1288. </item>
  1289. <item>
  1290. <title>What The Tech Episode 37: Metrics That Matter Most with Lauren Thibodeau of saascan</title>
  1291. <link>https://boast.ai/blog/what-the-tech-episode-37-metrics-that-matter-most-with-lauren-thibodeau-of-saascan/</link>
  1292. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Paul Davenport]]></dc:creator>
  1293. <pubDate>Thu, 07 Mar 2024 12:07:38 +0000</pubDate>
  1294. <category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>
  1295. <category><![CDATA[Podcasts]]></category>
  1296. <category><![CDATA[SR&ED]]></category>
  1297. <category><![CDATA[AI artificial intelligence]]></category>
  1298. <category><![CDATA[Burn Rate Multiple]]></category>
  1299. <category><![CDATA[CAC]]></category>
  1300. <category><![CDATA[federal budget]]></category>
  1301. <category><![CDATA[funding]]></category>
  1302. <category><![CDATA[generative AI]]></category>
  1303. <category><![CDATA[Government Funding]]></category>
  1304. <category><![CDATA[growth]]></category>
  1305. <category><![CDATA[LTV]]></category>
  1306. <category><![CDATA[playbook]]></category>
  1307. <category><![CDATA[podcast]]></category>
  1308. <category><![CDATA[sr&ed]]></category>
  1309. <category><![CDATA[SRED]]></category>
  1310. <category><![CDATA[SRED Resources]]></category>
  1311. <category><![CDATA[startup]]></category>
  1312. <category><![CDATA[startup resources]]></category>
  1313. <category><![CDATA[strategy]]></category>
  1314. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://boast.ai/?p=320835</guid>
  1315.  
  1316. <description><![CDATA[<p>Saascan provides mentoring, enablement and advisory services to Canadian SaaS startups at almost all stages of growth.</p>
  1317. <p>The post <a href="https://boast.ai/blog/what-the-tech-episode-37-metrics-that-matter-most-with-lauren-thibodeau-of-saascan/">What The Tech Episode 37: Metrics That Matter Most with Lauren Thibodeau of saascan</a> appeared first on <a href="https://boast.ai">Boast</a>.</p>
  1318. ]]></description>
  1319. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><iframe loading="lazy" title="What The Tech?, &quot;Metrics That Matter&quot; with Lauren Thibodeau of saascan" src="https://www.buzzsprout.com/2167365/14632144-metrics-that-matter-with-lauren-thibodeau-of-saascan?client_source=small_player&amp;iframe=true" width="100%" height="200" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>
  1320.  
  1321.  
  1322. <p>To understand what a healthy capital strategy looks like—<em>especially for organizations that are courting funding</em>—it only makes sense to get insights straight from the source: <strong>Investors themselves</strong>.</p>
  1323.  
  1324.  
  1325.  
  1326. <p>That’s the strategy that the team at <a href="https://saascan.ca/">saascan</a> takes when compiling resources to “level the playing field” for innovative Canadian SaaS companies. By speaking with the investors funding innovation today and understanding what they’re looking for within their own portfolios, everyone from the SaaS CFO to the frontline developer can optimize their approach to drive even more value.</p>
  1327.  
  1328.  
  1329.  
  1330. <p>See their recent <a href="https://saascan.ca/the-saas-map-of-canada/">SaaS Map of Canada</a> for further proof.&nbsp;</p>
  1331.  
  1332.  
  1333.  
  1334. <p>Today we welcome to the show <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenthibodeau/">Lauren Thibodeau</a>, who, along with being the Founder at saascan, is an adviser and all-around rock star within the Canadian startup ecosystem.&nbsp;</p>
  1335.  
  1336.  
  1337.  
  1338. <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><em>Leveling the playing field</em> with innovation insights</h2>
  1339.  
  1340.  
  1341.  
  1342. <p>At saascan, Lauren and her team provide mentoring, enablement and advisory services to Canadian SaaS startups at almost all stages of their growth journey. What sets saascan apart is that they help SaaS leaders be metrics-savvy and customer-centric, leveraging the latest research to inform all decisions. This ultimately helps businesses achieve higher Annual Recurring Revenue, Net Dollar Retention, and SaaS company valuation.</p>
  1343.  
  1344.  
  1345.  
  1346. <p>On the topic of research, Lauren and her team recently published <a href="https://saascan.ca/the-saas-metrics-that-matter-most-for-startups-in-2024/"><em>The SaaS Metrics That Matter Most for Startups in 2024</em></a><em> </em>report, which highlighted the key success factors that burgeoning SaaS businesses need to prioritize to navigate all that 2024 has in store. From the expected impacts of generative AI to the rise of “hashtag growficiency,” I’m excited to get Lauren’s take on how these metrics are starting to bear as 2024 rolls out.&nbsp;</p>
  1347.  
  1348.  
  1349.  
  1350. <p>But as I mentioned before, Lauren’s reach goes beyond saascan, as she’s an advisor to incubators and accelerators across Canada—including our friends at Volta and Invest Ottawa—as well as directly providing customer success strategy for a roster of startups in her network.&nbsp;</p>
  1351.  
  1352.  
  1353.  
  1354. <p>She’s got her finger on the pulse of the Canadian startup ecosystem, and I can’t wait to pick her brain on the current state of startups and what it takes to succeed in today’s market.</p>
  1355.  
  1356.  
  1357.  
  1358. <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Avoid the Generative AI Hype</h2>
  1359.  
  1360.  
  1361.  
  1362. <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
  1363. <iframe loading="lazy" title="Episode 37: Avoid the Generative AI Hype" width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/x6lizmGM2WE?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
  1364. </div></figure>
  1365.  
  1366.  
  1367.  
  1368. <p>For saascan&#8217;s <em>The SaaS Metrics That Matter Most for Startups in 2024</em> report, Lauren&#8217;s team spoke with investors from across North America to provide direct insights to SaaS businesses about where they can be driving the most value within their businesses.&nbsp;</p>
  1369.  
  1370.  
  1371.  
  1372. <p>Both investors and SaaS leaders themselves cited generative AI and it&#8217;s raise as driving incredible efficiencies within product development, helping teams accomplish more. It&#8217;s also not proving to be a workforce displacer, but a way to enhance processes while demonstrating to investors that dollars are being spent wisely,</p>
  1373.  
  1374.  
  1375.  
  1376. <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
  1377. <iframe loading="lazy" title="Episode 37: Burn Rate Multiple" width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/X98L-ffFb10?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
  1378. </div></figure>
  1379.  
  1380.  
  1381.  
  1382. <p>Investors are focused on capital efficiency in today&#8217;s market. For SaaS leaders, that means driving a healthy burn rate multiple earlier than ever when building new products and acquiring subscribing customers.</p>
  1383.  
  1384.  
  1385.  
  1386. <p>To get even more specific, teams need to be more focused than ever on the outcomes their investments are driving, and seek out ways to recoup costs and stretch dollars further to drive market differentiation and innovation without burning through runway.</p>
  1387.  
  1388.  
  1389.  
  1390. <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
  1391. <iframe loading="lazy" title="Episode 27: Longer SaaS Runways" width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/87rtsIa_LVs?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
  1392. </div></figure>
  1393.  
  1394.  
  1395.  
  1396. <p>It&#8217;s not just findings from saascan—across the tech industry, investors and founders are all accepting the fact that operational cash runways need to be longer than ever in today&#8217;s market.&nbsp;</p>
  1397.  
  1398.  
  1399.  
  1400. <p>By demonstrating that teams can successfully budget for 18-24 months, they&#8217;re offering a &#8220;best case&#8221; scenario to potential investors, who are understandably more conservative given the current market volatility.</p>
  1401.  
  1402.  
  1403.  
  1404. <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Extend your runway with innovation capital</h2>
  1405.  
  1406.  
  1407.  
  1408. <p>At Boast, we have an unmatched track record for helping Canadian businesses capture the non-dilutive capital they need to drive innovation efficiently and at scale.&nbsp;</p>
  1409.  
  1410.  
  1411.  
  1412. <p>By tapping into programs like the Canadian government’s SR&amp;ED tax credit, teams can regain a share of the investments that they’re already making into product development to actually double down on tackling “technological uncertainty” and driving innovation.</p>
  1413.  
  1414.  
  1415.  
  1416. <p>Using non-dilutive funding to diversify your capital strategy isn’t just a means to stretch your dollars further either. By taking advantage of SR&amp;ED, you’re demonstrating to potential investors that your business is not only financially savvy, but the work that you’re R&amp;D teams are driving has the government’s literal buy-in.&nbsp;</p>
  1417.  
  1418.  
  1419.  
  1420. <p>This is a bona fide that companies can wear proudly as they seek out avenues of growth and scale, despite whatever lending or funding conditions the market may present.&nbsp;</p>
  1421.  
  1422.  
  1423.  
  1424. <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Watch the full interview on <a href="https://youtu.be/9tJdlF2dhD0">Boast&#8217;s Youtube Channel here</a>. </h2>
  1425.  
  1426.  
  1427.  
  1428. <h3 class="wp-block-heading">To learn more about how Boast can help your team tap into SR&amp;ED and drive meaningful insights and capture even more market value, <a href="https://boast.ai/talktous/">talk to an expert today</a>.</h3>
  1429. <p>The post <a href="https://boast.ai/blog/what-the-tech-episode-37-metrics-that-matter-most-with-lauren-thibodeau-of-saascan/">What The Tech Episode 37: Metrics That Matter Most with Lauren Thibodeau of saascan</a> appeared first on <a href="https://boast.ai">Boast</a>.</p>
  1430. ]]></content:encoded>
  1431. </item>
  1432. </channel>
  1433. </rss>
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