Ottawa technology, national stakes.
Invested in Our New Reality is an Ottawa-focused business podcast built around founders, builders, and technology leaders. Recent seasons move from defense innovation and cyber readiness to solar software and concept vehicles, always tying company stories back to the capital region’s ecosystem.
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Invested in Our New Reality is a business and technology podcast anchored in Ottawa’s role as Canada’s capital region. The show treats the city as an operating system for company building: government nearby, research nearby, industry nearby, and hard public problems close enough to shape the product. Recent episodes focus heavily on defense innovation. They examine cybersecurity, data intelligence, AI, autonomy, Arctic sovereignty, dual-use technology, military readiness, and the practical path from prototype to deployment. The tone is formal but energetic. It likes big civic language, yet the conversations are strongest when guests move into constraints: training gaps, procurement realities, classified conversations, under-resourced capability, and the difference between credible delivery and over-promising. Ottawa is a recurring character. Guests describe the region as useful because federal decision makers, defense organizations, researchers, startups, scale-ups, and national headquarters functions sit within reach of each other. xahive brings cyber defense into questions of trust, transparency, responsible AI, and democratic resilience. Anvil Intelligence frames Ottawa’s value through proximity to government and the Canadian Armed Forces. H2 Analytics Inc. pushes into high-velocity data, modern training, and the leadership needed to understand new operating environments. TACTIQL brings a founder’s view of dual-use strategy, military focus, NATO opportunity, and the risk-taking required to serve defense customers. Dominion Dynamics turns the conversation toward sovereign capability, decision loops, Arctic operating conditions, autonomy, command and control, and industrial renewal. Quantropi connects cyber innovation to trust, deep tech, and the challenge of building serious startups in Canada. Earlier episodes widen the show’s scope, with Aurora Solar discussing solar project delivery and Studio 63 describing concept vehicles shaped by LIDAR, radar, cameras, sound, and human interface devices. The result is part ecosystem brief, part founder interview, part civic case for Ottawa’s technology sector. It is not a loose chat show. It is structured, purposeful, and repeatedly interested in how companies serve larger public needs.
Made for: For founders, technology operators, public-sector leaders, investors, and policy-minded listeners tracking Ottawa’s innovation economy. It especially suits people interested in defense, cybersecurity, deep tech, mobility, and regional company building.
What sets it apart: The show ties company stories to Ottawa’s unusual mix of federal decision makers, defense institutions, research capacity, and startups. Its interviews keep returning to how location, sovereignty, readiness, and deployment shape real technology businesses.
Invested in Our New Reality is Invest Ottawa’s podcast exploring the evolving business landscape of the city. Each season, industry experts and thought leaders share insights on key topics, from scaling high-growth companies to revitalizing Ottawa’s downtown core. With real-world stories and practical advice, this podcast is a must-listen for business leaders, entrepreneurs, and anyone interested in the future of Ottawa’s economy. Tune into Season 15 of Invested in Our New Reality: Defence Innovation, hosted by Reba Molotsi, Business Development Strategist for Defence and Security with Invest Ottawa, to hear directly from the innovators, founders, and leaders shaping Canada’s future. This se…
Ottawa's defense corridor is small enough for a walk across the street; your questions can get bigger.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A clear look at Ottawa's cybersecurity role through readiness, trust, and national purpose.
Cybersecurity lands here as a readiness issue, not just a technical one. Reba Malotzi of Invest Ottawa speaks with Sem Ponembalem, co-founder and CEO of Exahive, about what it means to prepare before an incident happens.
H2 Analytics' Hugo Hodgett argues that defense readiness starts with training institutions for high-velocity data environments.
H2 Analytics CEO Hugo Hodgett makes a focused case that defense organizations are entering a faster, more data-heavy operating environment without the standardized training needed to keep pace.
A focused episode on why dual-use defense technology has to start with serving military needs well.
Defense innovation is framed here as a matter of focus: whether a company with military and NATO opportunity can turn commercial products into serious military-grade work without losing sight of its nearest obligations.
A focused look at how Arctic sovereignty turns on data, autonomy, and the speed to act.
Canada's defense future comes into focus through control of the decision loop. Elliot Pence, founder of Dominion Dynamics and general partner at Tofino Capital, frames sovereign capability around data, networks, autonomy, and AI that can turn information into action.
Rob Walling on bootstrapped SaaS growth, plateaus, and exits — with founders who lived them.
Abbey Ashley's playbook for turning your job skills into a virtual assistant business.
SaaS operators on scaling, pricing and AI, metrics included.
Alex Blumberg interviews guests like Megan Phelps-Roper and Shane McAnally about failure and reinvention.
Reba Malotzi speaks with Sem Ponembalem, co-founder and CEO of Exahive, for Invested in Our New Reality Season 15: Defense Innovation.
Samuel Witherspoon, co-founder and CEO of Anvil Intelligence, traces the company from legal AI and court records management into defense and national security.
Reba Malotzi interviews Hugo Hodgett, CEO of H2 Analytics, after he received a recent Deloitte Award for work with military training and analytics.
Mike Nelson, founder and CEO of Tactical, says his path from Canadian Armed Forces lieutenant commander to defense-tech founder still centers on mission focus, problem-solving, and impact.
Elliot Pence, founder of Dominion Dynamics and general partner at Tofino Capital, frames Canada’s defense problem around the Arctic and the "decision loop." He says Dominion is building an "Arctic autonomy stack" with hardware, software, and autonomy, and he links that work to Ottawa’s telecom and government-contracting talent.
James Nguyen, CEO and co-founder of Ottawa-based Quantropy, says the company builds cryptography to protect data communications from quantum and AI attacks, and describes it as "lighter, faster, infinitely scalable." He traces Quantropy's roots to Nortel Networks through co-founder Dr.
Host Sam LaPrade interviews Thusha Angapati, Director of Engineering at Aurora Solar, about the company's growth and Ottawa's advantages for tech businesses.
An interview with Myles Hammond, founder of Studio 63, discussing the evolution of concept cars from design showcases to technology-driven vehicles for the market.
Interview with CEO of G Batteries about their fast-charging battery management technology for electric vehicles.
An interview with Fahad Hassanat, COO of SensorPortech, discussing AI-based perception systems that teach autonomous cars to navigate snowstorms.
Host Avis Favreau interviews Varsha Chowgai, co-founder of Evoke Health, about improving communication between families and long-term care homes.
Host Avis Favreau interviews Justin Sutherland, CEO of Realize Medical, about how virtual reality is used in medicine for surgical planning and training.
Host Manjula Selvarajah interviews Michelle Mollot, CMO of Solace, about real-time data movement and scaling businesses in Ottawa.
Host Manjula Selvarajah interviews Pierce Eugène Walla, co-founder of NAC, a codeless campaign creation platform for enterprise marketing teams, discussing the company's origin and how it simplifies marketing workflows.