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BDC launches two entrepreneur-led AI programs to make small businesses, and itself, more productive
BDC launches Mission AI and Studio AI, two entrepreneur-led programs to boost small business AI adoption and BDC's own productivity.
Key points
- Mission AI, led by Dominic Gagnon, will help small businesses identify where AI can make them more productive.
- Studio AI, led by Raff Paquin, will reduce the time entrepreneurs take to receive money from BDC.
- A BDC study found 30 percent of Canadian SMEs use generative AI and are 24 percent more productive than non-users.
Why it matters. The programs may help small businesses adopt AI more easily and could speed up financing from BDC, which expects to contribute $28 billion to Canada's GDP over the next five years.
The Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) announced on Monday the launch of two AI programs, Mission AI and Studio AI, led by entrepreneurs Dominic Gagnon and Raff Paquin. Mission AI, run by Gagnon, will match small businesses with Canadian AI solutions, while a panel of entrepreneurs tests the tools for common challenges that can be automated. BDC cited a study finding that 30 percent of Canadian SMEs use generative AI and are 24 percent more productive than those that don't.
Latest updates
BDC launches two entrepreneur-led AI programs to make small businesses, and itself, more productive
Connect&GO founder and former Frank & Oak CTO will help SMEs reimagine their relationship with AI and BDC. The post BDC launches two entrepreneur-led AI programs to make small businesses, and itself, more productive first appeared on BetaKit . Connect&GO founder and former Frank & Oak CTO will help SMEs reimagine their relationship with AI and BDC. The Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) has tapped two entrepreneurs to help Canadian businesses adopt AI and improve its offerings. On Monday, BDC announced the launch of Mission AI, which will help small businesses identify where AI can make them more productive, and Studio AI, which will build and deploy solutions that make it easier for businesses to transact with BDC. “An entrepreneur should not have to become an AI expert to benefit from it.” Dominic Gagnon, BDC Each new program has its own experienced entrepreneur at the helm, with Mission AI spearheaded by Connect&GO founder Dominic Gagnon, and Studio AI led by former Frank & Oak CTO Raff Paquin. The programs are rooted in the results of a recent BDC study that found that 30 percent of Canadian small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) are using generative AI, and when they do they are 24 percent more productive than those that don’t. With Mission AI, Gagnon’s team will nail down an SME’s needs and match them with the Canadian AI solution that’s right for the job. At the same .