“I founded Heidi to build an AI Care Partner that stands alongside clinicians, empowering them to deliver the care to which they have dedicated their lives.”

The Series B funding will accelerate Heidi’s mission to build an AI Care Partner that sits alongside clinicians, expanding their capacity by automating tasks such as clinical documentation, evidence search, and follow-up communications. Research shows clinicians spend nearly as much time on administration as on patient care. In just 18 months, Heidi has returned more than 18 million hours to frontline clinicians by streamlining critical administrative tasks.

Dr. Thomas Kelly, the CEO and co-founder of Heidi and former vascular surgical resident, said:

“It is untenable that healthcare demand continues to rise while clinical time continues to shrink. Building a sustainable healthcare system requires expanding clinical capacity without compromising clinician wellbeing or patient safety. That’s why I founded Heidi: to build an AI Care Partner that stands alongside clinicians, empowering them to deliver the care to which they have dedicated their lives.”

Tens of thousands of clinicians from over 200 medical specialties have turned to Heidi to ease administrative overload. Over the past 18 months, Heidi has supported 73 million patient consults and now supports over two million consults weekly in 110 languages across 116 countries.

As part of this Series B funding round, Heidi will continue to expand their headcount, office locations and local support in the USA, UK and Canadian markets and build on clinician-led adoption in France, Spain, Germany, Ireland, South Africa, Singapore and Hong Kong.

Primary care, hospitals and healthcare systems are exploring AI capabilities with Heidi, in:

• the UK selected by Modality Partnership in the largest deployment of ambient AI in UK and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; in pilot programmes with NHS Trusts across the North West London Acute Provider Collaborative – a group of hospitals serving a local population of ~2.2 million and One LSC, the collective of the five NHS Trusts in Lancashire and South Cumbria, serving nearly 1.8 million people;
• the USA with Beth Israel Lahey Health, the largest network of hospitals in Massachusetts and is cited as a “transformation partner” by MaineGeneral, one of the largest hospital networks in Maine which operates the biggest outpatient centre in the state;
• Canada as the official choice of the Yukon Government;
• Australia’s public health system with Monash Health, serving a local population of ~1.6 million across 40 facilities including 7 hospitals, and Queensland Health Children’s Hospital and Health Service, who leads life changing-care for children and young people, delivering a full range of clinical services, tertiary level specialist care and health promotion programs;
• New Zealand, formally endorsed by the Health Ministry as one of two healthcare AI providers safe to trial in the public health system.

Sri Chandrasekar, Managing Partner at Point72 Private Investments, which led the Series B funding round said:

“We believe administrative burden is contributing to clinician burnout and capacity challenges across healthcare systems. Heidi’s platform has the potential to meaningfully improve how clinicians manage their administrative workflows. We’re impressed by the adoption rates they’ve demonstrated within health systems and are excited to support their vision of expanding healthcare capacity while preserving the human touch in patient care.”

Heidi also today announced the appointment of Paul Williamson as Chief Revenue Officer, and Dr. Simon Kos as Chief Medical Officer.

Paul Williamson, previously Head of Revenue at Plaid, said:

“During my career, I’ve chosen to work with companies that have transformed their respective industries – from Salesforce in customer relationship management to Plaid in financial services. Today, I join Heidi’s mission to redefine healthcare in the age of AI.”

Dr. Simon Kos, previously Chief Medical Officer of Microsoft, said:

“With Heidi by their side, clinicians not only improve their experience of delivering care but the patients’ experience of receiving it. Heidi’s bold vision extends beyond the current promise of ambient voice technology and into a future where every clinician can leverage AI to expand their clinical capacity while protecting the human touch in healthcare.”

About Heidi

Heidi is building an AI Care Partner to expand clinical capacity by automating administrative work — documentation, form filling, and task management — so clinicians can focus on patients. Used across emergency departments, general practice, and specialist clinics, Heidi supports more than 2 million consults each week in 110 languages from 116 countries. Founded in Melbourne, Australia, Heidi has raised $96.6M USD from global investors including Point72 Private Investments, Blackbird, Headline, Phoenix Court’s growth fund – Latitude, Possible Ventures, and Archangel. Heidi adheres to international standards including the NHS, HIPAA, GDPR, and Australian Privacy Principles, and has obtained enterprise-grade security certifications such as SOC2 and ISO27001.

Learn more at heidihealth.com.

Contacts

Heidi Media:
Emma MacKenzie
media@heidihealth.com

USA:
Mackenzie Kreitler
mkreitler@heycommand.com

UK:
Rachel Gurney
rachel@founderscomms.co

Australia, New Zealand, Asia Pacific:
Caroline Shawyer
caroline@prgroup.com.au

Canada:
Lauren Hayes
lauren@pulsepointcommunications.ca

CBRE Rankings

Toronto has the highest concentration of AI-specialty talent in Canada, with 11,700 tech workers with key AI skills. Toronto’s AI talent pool is nearly twice as large as those of other tech markets like Vancouver, Montreal, and Austin. The most sought-after AI tech talent are AI software and hardware developers. As of 2023, there were 101,900 software developers and programmers employed in Toronto.

Over the past five years, Toronto has witnessed the highest job gains among all tech markets in the Americas with a remarkable 44 per cent growth in its tech talent pool, adding 95,900 new jobs in the past five years. This surge has been driven by the increasing demand for AI skill sets across various industries.

Ranking sixth overall in North America, Toronto’s tech ecosystem has seen a massive spike fueled by a collaborative AI network, government funding, and growth of skilled graduates. These factors have created a hotbed for the development of skilled AI workers.

Versatility of AI Talent

Most of Toronto’s AI talent is employed within the tech industry. However, Toronto’s distribution of AI talent across various sectors mirrors the city’s economic diversity and dominance in ranging industries, namely business and finance.

Over 15 per cent of Toronto’s AI talent is concentrated in the finance sector, matching the trends of major financial hubs like New York with 22.2per cent and Chicago with 20.2per cent. Similarly, 22.5 per cent of AI talent work in professional services and 16.2 per cent in non-tech industries.

With a significant number of AI jobs being created in non-tech industries, AI is becoming integral to sectors like banking, law, and insurance. This trend underscores the versatility of AI applications and the growing demand for AI talent in different fields. Toronto’s workforce is well-positioned to respond to AI adoption across all sectors. In addition, Canada leads the world in terms of bringing more women into AI roles, achieving the highest year over year percentage change in female AI talent globally since 2019, including 67per cent in 2022 alone (Deloitte 2023).

According to CBRE’s Scoring Tech Talent report the most impactful indicators for any market’s potential growth of AI-specialty talent are the presence of universities with established AI education programs, major technology companies developing AI and available venture capital funding. The Toronto region checks all the boxes with an ecosystem that supports the future growth of AI talent.

Global companies like Sanofi, Unilever, Samsung, and Recursion have opened AI hubs in Toronto, highlighting the region’s significant AI growth. Toronto has the highest concentration of AI startups in Canada, hosting the headquarters of over 454 AI startups. VC funding in AI companies continues on an upward trajectory. In 2023, AI companies in Ontario raised $1.16 billion the highest number across Canada.

The region’s education and research play a key role in the development of AI talent. The presence of world-class educational institutions, such as the University of Toronto and the Vector Institute, play a crucial role in nurturing this talent.  The University of Toronto ranks ninth globally in AI research. These institutions not only provide rigorous AI education but also foster an environment conducive to innovation and collaboration, making Toronto an attractive destination for tech professionals. 

The Toronto Region continues to build a strong pipeline that supports its high-quality talent pool. Since 2022, over 7,900 students have graduated with degrees in computer engineering, math, statistics, and other tech engineering. For the same year, Toronto had more degree completions than major tech hubs like Seattle and Austin.

In Toronto, the programs with the most graduate growth between 2017 and 2022 were Computer Engineering with a 68 per cent increase in degree completions; and Math & Statistics, with an increase of 92 per cent. These numbers outperform the top three tech markets (New York, Seattle and San Francisco) that have experienced decreases in degree completions in the past 5 years.

Toronto stands out as a prime destination for the world’s most ambitious AI talent. The city’s robust growth, demographic shifts, sector diversity, and commitment to inclusivity create fertile ground for innovation and success in the tech industry.

Qaiser Habib currently serves as the Head of Canada Engineering at Snowflake. Habib is a veteran engineering leader and a well-recognized expert in the Canadian market, currently focused on building and leading the Canadian engineering presence for Snowflake. Habib is a champion for community engagement and is committed to cultivating the leaders of tomorrow through university relations and hands-on mentorship.

Shannon Katschilo currently serves as the Country Manager of Canada at Snowflake. Katschilo brings over 15 years of client connection-building and employee stewardship to her role, scaling Snowflake’s presence in the market and taking a data-first approach to improving experiences at all levels of operation. Katschilo is passionate about female mentorship and sponsorship and prioritizes bringing an equitable lens to data-driven decisions by creating opportunities for women and underrepresented groups to take on leadership positions within the field.

SK: Can you give us the backstory on your career and how you landed at Snowflake?

When I made the decision to join Snowflake in 2022, I saw an opportunity to bring my 15 years of client connection-building experience and employee stewardship to a leadership role and be at the forefront of the rapidly evolving data and AI landscape.

I’m laser-focused on expanding the company’s customer base and partnering with Canada’s most iconic brands to strengthen their data foundations to accelerate AI adoption. Since landing in Canada, Snowflake’s achieved significant revenue growth, making Snowflake Canada one of the fastest-growing markets globally for the company.

Throughout my career, I’ve always been committed to knowledge-sharing in the industry by devising and chairing meetings, hosting client events, and regularly presenting at conferences and webinars. I’m also passionate about female mentorship and sponsorship and prioritize bringing an equitable lens to data-driven decisions by creating opportunities for women and underrepresented groups to take on leadership positions within the field.

QH: What has the engineering team been up to since you opened the Toronto office in 2022?

Since first opening our Canadian headquarters in 2022, making Toronto home to one of Snowflake’s five global Engineering Hubs, we’ve grown our headcount and footprint significantly. To support our strategic growth in the Canadian market, we’re on track to double our engineering team in 2024 and we opened a newly expanded headquarters in April 2024, which is more than double the size of our original office space and reflects the evolving needs of our team. 

Snowflake Canada’s Toronto Engineering Hub is powering ground-breaking innovations including the Snowflake Native App Framework and the transformation of how customers globally are building applications. This technology eliminates the need for organizations to move or copy their data during application development, which increases security and helps maintain governance controls.

We’ve seen incredible momentum around Snowflake Native Apps, which we are proud to announce is generally available on AWS and Azure. More than 90 Snowflake Native Apps (as of January 2024) are currently available in Snowflake Marketplace, which opens up opportunities for businesses to create entirely new revenue streams.

SK: What Canadian relationships or partnerships have been instrumental to Snowflake’s growth?

There are a myriad of factors and partnerships that have come together to promote Snowflake’s success and growth in the Canadian market. 

Internally, hiring the right talent and fostering a strong culture has been paramount. It’s imperative to hire from diverse backgrounds and expertise to have people who think differently and can identify problems to create solutions that train AI with an inclusive and broader lens. I also prioritize recognition and spotlighting talent within the workplace to boost visibility and retention.

Externally, building strong relationships with our customers and practicing a customer-first approach has been instrumental. I’ve dedicated my efforts to expanding the company’s customer base and collaborating with some of Canada’s most renowned brands to fortify their data infrastructure and facilitate AI adoption.

Additionally, our strategic partnerships with established industry cloud providers like AWS, Microsoft, and Google have played a crucial role in our growth trajectory. These key relationships continue to fuel our innovation and drive our success in the Canadian tech landscape, with the Snowflake platform being multi-cloud and cross-cloud across all three.

QH: Toronto continues to be one of the world’s top tech talent hubs. Tell us about your hiring efforts and what you look for when selecting a candidate. 

At Snowflake, our hiring efforts are focused on attracting top-tier candidates who align with our values and our dynamic team culture. We prioritize diversity, experience, empathy, and a genuine commitment to serving our customers and collaborating effectively with colleagues. 

From a hiring standpoint, we believe in being ‘engaged employers’ and focusing on the candidate experience.  This involves getting to know each candidate, understanding their potential fit within our team, assessing their unique strengths and assets, and ensuring alignment with our corporate culture.

We encourage and engage in open and honest conversations with candidates. This approach allows us to cover key topics such as soft skills, hard skills, and culture fit comprehensively. We understand that assessing these aspects requires depth and exploration beyond a single conversation, which is why we encourage our team to delve deep into different aspects of a candidate’s profile to assess the overall fit.

Snowflake’s Toronto office is continuing to hire for positions across engineering, sales, and more as the organization scales to meet increasing demand from customers. The region has a rich tech talent pool and top universities including the University of Toronto and the University of Waterloo, which we have deep relationships with. Our ultimate goal is to create a workforce and workplace where every team member thrives, and our hiring process reflects that commitment.

SK: Goldman Sachs, Kash Rangan, compared Snowflake to a Ferrari- bigger, better faster, analyzing data. How has the Snowflake platform evolved to deliver more value to customers? 

Snowflake is pioneering the next wave of AI innovation by providing enterprises with the data foundation and cutting-edge AI building blocks they need to fuel powerful AI and machine learning apps while keeping their data safe and governed.

An example of a recent innovation that I’m very excited about is Snowflake Cortex, which empowers all users to securely tap into the power of generative AI with their enterprise data — regardless of their technical expertise.

Snowflake Cortex is Snowflake’s new fully managed service that enables organizations to discover, analyze, and build AI apps in the Data Cloud more easily. With Snowflake Cortex, businesses can now build custom LLM-powered apps within minutes and maintain flexibility and control over their data. This also supports the democratization of generative AI, a key development in making AI accessible so every organization can harness it to drive value. 

QH: What industry trends are you currently seeing in data and AI, and how will these trends impact Canadian organizations [OR] the country’s tech talent? 

Several key trends in the data and AI landscape are impacting Canadian organizations and businesses in 2024, and beyond. 

We are seeing an explosion of large language model (LLM) apps, with the biggest surge in apps that put a natural language conversational layer on top of business problems, making it dramatically easier to talk to your data, generate insights, and even talk to your customers with intelligent chatbots. LLMs are growing exponentially as businesses leverage them to bring customer engagement and operational efficiency to a new standard. 

Additionally, we are seeing organizations get finer-grained about their data governance. There is a shift in focus from stringent data lockdowns to more nuanced data governance approaches. Businesses are exploring ways to make data accessible for authorized uses that align with their values and policies, reflecting an evolving approach to data management.

Lastly, the rise of the unified data platform is reshaping how enterprises are managing and utilizing data. Modern organizations are seeking centralized platforms that break down silos, facilitate integrations, ensure governance and security, and promote collaboration across departments. The growth of Snowflake Native Apps reflects this demand for unified data platforms, offering advantages in efficiency and collaboration.

SK: How do you keep an edge in a competitive tech environment? What are you reading now? Podcasts? Workouts? 

To stay competitive, I maintain open lines of communication with customers, as their feedback is crucial for product development to ensure we meet their needs and bolster their data and AI initiatives. 

Upskilling is another area of emphasis to maintain a competitive edge for my professional growth, alongside the professional growth of my teams. The evolving tech landscape demands continuous skill enhancement for everyone. From my perspective, as AI becomes more prevalent, employer-led upskilling programs will be critical for improved productivity. 

Physical well-being and community involvement have also been priorities throughout my career – from cold plunging to delivering presentations at local schools and forming partnerships with organizations like Toronto Womxn in Data Science. These experiences continue to be valuable for learning best practices, sharing experiences, and making meaningful contributions.

For more information about Snowflake Inc. visit https://www.snowflake.com/en/.

zeb’s product-centric digital transformation strategy customizes solutions that utilize advanced AWS features and AI-driven insights to optimize operations and reveal new business opportunities, ensuring unparalleled success and significantly enhances ROI for clients, establishing a new benchmark in digital excellence. 

“Our mission in Canada is simple yet ambitious: to empower businesses to harness AI for transformative success. Many companies know AI’s value but struggle to implement it. Our expertise across various industries allows us to seamlessly integrate AI, revolutionizing how businesses operate. We partner with major platforms like AWS, Databricks, ServiceNow, and Salesforce, identifying and bridging the gaps in their systems with AI solutions. Simply put, we don’t just use AI; we use it to strategically enhance businesses.” said Mal Vivek, CEO of zeb. 

zeb’s presence in the Canadian market will enable it to cater to the evolving needs of Canadian businesses effectively. By fostering collaborations with local industry players and academic partners, zeb is committed to driving digital transformation and unlocking growth opportunities for organizations in the region. zeb has partnered with the region’s economic development agency, Toronto Global, to make valuable connections and expand in the Toronto Region.

“Our partnership with Toronto Global marks a significant milestone in our journey to expand a strong foothold in the Canadian market. We are excited to support Canadian businesses by combining strategic planning with a AI-powered methodology.” said Divya Gopinath, Country Head of zeb in Canada.

“Groundbreaking tech companies like zeb choose the Toronto Region for its competitive tech talent and resourceful business ecosystem. zeb’s innovative AI solutions will be a fitting addition to the Toronto Region’s fast-growing AI community. We would like to congratulate zeb on its presence in Mississauga and look forward to continuing our work with them to foster connections across the region.” said Stephen Lund, CEO of Toronto Global.

For more information about zeb and its digital transformation services, visit www.zeb.co 

About zeb 

zeb is a leading digital transformation strategy company and AWS Advanced Tier Partner that offers clients a holistic, product-centric approach to digital transformation by combining strategic planning with a proprietary AI-powered implementation methodology. With over 15 years of experience and a team of more than 1,500 technologists, we are committed to harnessing bleeding-edge technologies to provide our clients maximum ROI from their technology platforms. 

Headquartered in Bear, Delaware with presences in Dallas, Toronto, and Chennai, we serve clients across the globe in various industries and possess the domain knowledge and expertise required to address the unique challenges of businesses. At zeb, we are passionate about driving innovation through an in-depth understanding of our clients, their businesses, and their challenges. We are dedicated to being an end-to-end partner in our clients’ digital transformation journeys. 

Media Contact
Dhanasekar Gangatharan 
Marketing Practice Head 
dg@zeb.co 
www.zeb.co  

Toronto Global is the first point of contact for international businesses looking to accelerate expansion, make connections and access talent in the Toronto Region, Canada’s business, tech and financial capital. Our business-driven team has provided complimentary concierge services to more than 250 companies – including Sanofi, Netflix, Infosys and Unilever – setting the stage for success in the fastest-growing, most educated and diverse market in North America.

VerAI Discoveries is disrupting Mineral Exploration by deploying a revolutionary Artificial Intelligence Platform that detects concealed mineral deposits. There are no more easy discoveries. The remaining ore deposits are concealed under covered terrain making them challenging to discover. Enormous quantities of metals are essential as the foundation of the green-energy transition, which involves decarbonization and electrification of the global economy.

TG: Can you tell us about how VerAI was founded and your role at the company?

TG: How are you using AI to solve a major problem like accessing concealed mines and limited minerals globally? What led you to join VerAI?

LG:  In mineral exploration, trying to find the next big mine or deposit, can feel like you are looking for a needle in a haystack. We’re changing this with AI. The main concept behind our approach is that it starts with the “right” data – geophysics – which is objective and measurable. Geophysics gives a signal that indicates what is below the surface. Using AI, we can detect patterns in the geophysical data to see what we can’t see with our eyes alone.

As VerAI started to bring their technology to new partners they needed someone with business acumen to help them take things to the next level. I had been working for the last 25 years in the SaaS software world starting at Geosoft, who was acquired by Seequent, and finally Bentley Systems.

Through that journey, my role focused on building the business across different verticals, industries, and regions. My background was in Geophysics, as a graduate of York University, and I had worked in mineral exploration early on in my career. This role at VerAI was a great fit given my history in the mining industry, business experience, and understanding of geophysics. I saw what VerAI is doing as a game-changer, bringing something new and innovative to the market.

TG: What is the environmental impact of leading with a technology solution instead of traditional mining?

LG: There is a sustainability element – by pinpointing with better certainty where to start your exploration program there is less site investigation, less ground disturbance, and fewer drill holes needed.

TG: VerAI is a great example of how AI is adaptable and can be used to help solve critical industry problems. Can you expand on the role VerAI plays in the mining industry? 

LG: Our business model is acting as a partner to mining companies and the value that we provide as their partner is faster, better, cheaper, and higher probability rates for discovery. The discovery rate of an exploration project becoming a mine is generally accepted today to be 1 in 1000. Only 4 mines went into production in Canada last year. We are using AI to improve the odds – the probability of success – in finding the next big discoveries to support the demand for minerals, particularly the critical minerals needed for green energy.  

TG: Can you share why VerAI is looking to Toronto for Canadian talent?

LG: Canada is an international mining hub, with Toronto as the headquarters for many mining companies. Toronto also hosts the annual Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) conference, which is one of the largest mining conferences in the world. Based on research centres like the Unilever AI Centre now in the Toronto Region, there is also a lot of AI talent.

For our decision, it came together around the talent search. I am based out of Toronto, and we are building out a world-class business team with one or two commercial division hires this year. I want to build a team at VerAI that is making a difference and loves what they do.

TG: What are your top career highlights and how have you developed your leadership skills over the years?

LG: I love building high-performance functioning teams. I look to build team synergy and collaboration to have everyone pulling in the same direction with the mantra ‘when one wins, we all win.’ A career highlight for me is that I co-founded the Women’s Leadership Circle at my previous company to provide networking and support for young women. I’ve also had the opportunity to travel and work in some amazing places with ties to mining in the Yukon, northern British Columbia, Ontario, and internationally.

TG: In past roles, you’ve mentored women (ie. Women’s Leadership Circle) in a male-dominated industry. What has changed since you started your career and what work still needs to be done?

LG: When I graduated in Geophysics, I was 1 of 2 women graduates, and today I’m thrilled there are so many more women in science. Seeing more women in STEM and in leadership roles are two areas I’m passionate about. I was fortunate to have great mentors throughout my career, both men and women. Today there are more female leaders who can be role models and mentors to help other young women see themselves as future leaders.

Lorraine’s Recommended Reads: Quiet Leadership by David Rock and Find Your Why by Simon Sinek

For more information about VerAI discoveries visit: https://ver-ai.com/.

Today’s announcement of Unilever’s Horizon3 AI lab is an incredible vote of confidence in Toronto’s AI Ecosystem. Unilever’s Horizon3 Labs is the first and only of its kind globally and represents an investment that grew out of the company’s strategy to become a data-driven company.

Unilever has implemented more than 400 applications of AI across various disciplines including marketing, innovation, supply chain, and research & development. This includes employing generative AI in its customer service and marketing, and advanced analytics and machine learning in supply chain and logistics.

The company also developed a bespoke AI solution that auto-updates product titles and descriptions on retail websites to respond to search trends to put relevant products in front of consumers.

Andy Hill, Unilever’s Chief Data Officer, went so far as to say, “We are working to solve real-life problems through innovation, and setting up this lab in Toronto allows us to access vibrant tech talent and some of the best partners in the business to bring solutions to life.”

Why did Unilever, a Fortune 500 company with products in over 190 countries and 3.4 billion daily users, choose Toronto for it’s first and only global AI Lab?

 “In selecting Toronto, we will be able to tap into one of the fastest growing AI superclusters in the world with access to best-in-class research facilities and world-class talent while also building off the collaborative power of academia, businesses and government,” said President of Unilever Canada, Gary Wade.

The numbers back up Wade’s assessment. Toronto Region’s AI ecosystem is a thriving center of innovation, where top-tier research meets cutting-edge startups and tech giants, making it a prime destination for AI projects. Many multinational enterprises, such as HSBC, Sanofi, Samsung, and NVIDIA, have chosen the Toronto Region as their AI R&D centres, a testament to the region’s dynamic AI ecosystem.  

Over 285,000 tech workers reside in the Toronto Region. We have the third largest tech talent pool in North America after San Francisco Bay Area and New York Metro, and the second fastest growing tech talent workforce. In Ontario, over 1,000 students graduated from AI Masters’ programs, while more than 1,500 enrolled. Our world-renowned University of Toronto is one of the largest producers of high-quality AI and tech talent for the Toronto Region. Alumni from the university work for some of the world’s most well-known firms such as OpenAI, Google, Apple, and Microsoft.

There are over 660 AI firms across Canada, with 273 AI firms in the Toronto Region alone, underscoring the region as a hub for AI activity. In the fiscal year 2022-23, Canada’s venture capital investments in AI accounted for 28 percent of the global total, surpassing the investments of countries like Germany, the UK, and Italy.

Radical Ventures, Canada’s AI-focused Venture Capital (VC) fund based in the Toronto Region, is dedicated to investing in companies that harness AI and disruptive technologies for innovative solutions. With the AI activities occurring in our ecosystem, Ontario experienced a record high in AI VC investments, reaching $1.16 billion in 2022.

Toronto is also home to the Creative Destruction Lab (CDL), global startup program for seed-stage, science-based companies. The Artificial Intelligence Stream, at CDL,  brings together experienced entrepreneurs, leading scientists, and active investors to help scale ventures focused on artificial intelligence. Alumni of the CDL program include Xanadu, Deep Genomics and Ada. In fact, the CDL model is so successful that it has scaled to 13 locations globally.

Another complement to our AI ecosystem is the Vector Institute, a research organization devoted to building Canada’s leadership in AI. Affiliated with the University of Toronto, Vector has over 700 members in their research community and works with dozens of corporate partners to drive research excellence and commercialization of AI. AI R&D funding in Ontario hit $1.08 billion in the last year, surpassing any other province’s investment in the sector.

The Vector Institute, led by Geoffrey Hinton, the ‘Godfather of AI’, plays a pivotal role in advancing AI research and commercialization. In fact, many University of Toronto alumni have had the privilege of being mentored by Hinton himself. Toronto Global helps companies partner with industry organizations such as the Vector Institute.

That’s a lot to consider. And, as part of our work with Unilever, Toronto Global prepared a comprehensive analysis of the Toronto Region’s AI ecosystem outlining how the region’s talent, ecosystem, innovation capacity, and global connectivity provide an immense advantage over other global locations. Toronto was chosen over 15 other jurisdictions globally for this investment.

Learn more about AI in the Toronto Region

Diversity is Toronto Region’s Global Advantage

Another component that sets the Toronto Region apart is the diversity of our people and economy. Half of our population is born outside of Canada, making Toronto one of the most diverse cities in the world. Businesses can access a workforce with unique perspectives, cultural awareness, and a worldly view that can help address barriers like data bias – which is critical to building technologies like AI.

By harnessing AI ethically and responsibly, businesses like Unilever are opening doors to new levels of productivity and innovation. In fact, ethical and explainable AI is of increasing interest to academia and industry in the Toronto Region.

Companies can also access talent globally through our open immigration programs. Toronto Region welcomes over 100,000 new immigrants a year, the largest proportion of any Canadian city. The Toronto Region’s workforce has a global perspective, with over 250 ethnicities and 190 languages represented, and more than half the population identifying as a visible minority. Business done in Toronto is better incorporated across the globe.

And the diversity of the Toronto Region’s economy? Accounting for 20 percent of Canada’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), our region stands at the forefront in Technology, Financial Services, Life Sciences, Manufacturing, and Food Processing. Unmatched in Canada, the Toronto Region’s economy is among the few in North America that can boast such a diverse spectrum of industries.

Unilever owns over 400 brands, including Dove, Hellmann’s, Vaseline, Degree, Axe, TRESemme, Knorr, Breyers and SheaMoisture. For companies like Unilever that manufacture a wide range of products, the Toronto Region’s economic diversity provides an opportunity to tap into vast industry expertise and work collaboratively to understand how industry peers and others are adopting AI.

What’s Next for Unilever?

Unilever’s investment builds on the company’s over 125-year history in Canada that. Establishing in Toronto in the 1890s as Lever Brother’s soap factory, Unilever’s current Canadian presence is still concentrated in the Toronto Region, including their Canadian headquarters, and a manufacturing facility in Rexdale that produces Hellman’s mayonnaise, and now Horizon3 Labs, in addition to a larger national presence.

Unilever is exploring data and analytic tools that unlock AI and machine learning across the value chain. Horizon3 Labs is set to concentrate on three key areas: advanced forecasting, graph database applications, and delivering insights through generative AI.

This strategic focus will integrate work conducted in Toronto into Unilever’s global business operations. Moreover, Horizon3 Labs’ projects will incorporate collaboration with academic researchers and industry experts, fostering a rich environment of innovation and expertise.

The Bottom Line

Unilever’s investment represents another strong signal that Canada, and particularly the Toronto Region, is the right place to invest. With Generative AI being the topic on everyone’s lips – from boardrooms to watercoolers – the time to invest in AI is now! In an increasingly competitive and changing economic landscape, the stability, diversity, and talent that the Toronto Region offers is universally sought after for companies incorporating AI into their business.  

Does your company have an AI strategy? Connect with the Toronto Global team to learn how we advise companies who are considering growth and AI innovation in the Toronto Region.

Toronto – November 16, 2023 – Unilever opened its new global Artificial Intelligence (AI) Lab “Horizon3 Labs” today in Toronto to accelerate the generation of new AI concepts, designs, and projects that can be scaled and shared across its business globally.  

Unilever’s “Horizon3 Labs” represents an increase in technology investment that grew out of the company’s focus on the use of AI to increase productivity and efficiency. Currently, Unilever is using this technology across its business including Generative AI in its customer service and marketing, and advanced analytics and machine learning in supply chain and logistics.    

“It is making a significant investment in developing and deploying AI technology across the business, and the launch of Unilever’s AI Lab will expedite the progress we are making globally and enable us to have the right focus on technology innovation,” said Andy Hill, Chief Data Officer, Unilever. “We are working to solve real-life problems through innovation, and setting up this lab in Toronto allows us to access vibrant tech talent and some of the best partners in the business to bring solutions to life.”    

The Toronto Edge 

“Horizon3 Labs” is strategically located in Toronto, which is recognized for its concentration of AI expertise across academia, start-ups and businesses. Unilever will look to benefit from the top-tier talent the city’s ecosystem offers.  

“It is incredibly exciting that Toronto will be home to Unilever’s first and only global AI Lab,” said Gary Wade, President of Unilever Canada. “In selecting Toronto, we will be able to tap into one of the fastest growing AI superclusters in the world with access to best-in-class research facilities and world-class talent while also building off the collaborative power of academia, businesses and government.”      

It worked closely with Toronto Global – the investment attraction agency for the Toronto Region – in choosing the location for “Horizon3 Labs.”  

“As Canada’s AI powerhouse and the second fastest growing tech workforce in North America, there is no better place to host Unilever’s groundbreaking AI lab than the Toronto Region,” said Toronto Global CEO Stephen Lund. “This is truly a milestone investment for the Toronto Region tech ecosystem, cementing Toronto’s place as a global leader in AI innovation for years to come. We are so pleased we could help Unilever choose Toronto for this exciting project.” 

AI-Powered Performance 

The company currently has more than 400 applications of AI across disciplines including marketing, supply chain, and research and development. For example, Unilever currently has 50,000 ice cream freezers around the world that are AI-enabled to efficiently place the right product in the right freezer at the right time. The company also developed a bespoke AI solution that auto-updates product titles and descriptions on retail websites to respond to search trends to put relevant products in front of consumers.  

The company, best known for its beloved brands such as Dove, Hellmann’s, and Knorr, is exploring data and analytics tools that unlock AI and machine learning across the value chain. The work done in Toronto will be incorporated across the business globally.  

The “Horizon3 Labs” team will initially focus on prioritizing three areas of interest: forecasting, modelling complex data relationships with graph technology, and generating insights of trends, patterns, and predictions through AI. The projects will be structured to embed researchers from academia and other experts and partners.  

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About Unilever Canada 

Unilever is one of the world’s leading suppliers of Beauty & Wellbeing, Personal Care, Home Care, Nutrition and Ice Cream products, with sales in over 190 countries and products used by 3.4 billion people every day. We have 127,000 employees and generated sales of €60.1 billion in 2022. 

Our vision is to be the global leader in sustainable business and to demonstrate how our purpose-led, future-fit business model drives superior performance. We have a long tradition of being a progressive, responsible business. 

The Unilever Compass, our global sustainable business strategy, is set out to help us deliver superior performance and drive sustainable and responsible growth, while aiming to: 

• improve the health of the planet;  
• improve people’s health, confidence and wellbeing;  
• and contribute to a fairer and more socially inclusive world. 

Our leading brands in Canada include Dove, Hellmann’s, Vaseline, Degree, Axe, TRESemmé, SheaMoisture, Knorr, Breyers, Magnum, Ben & Jerry’s, Vim, OLLY, and Liquid I.V.  

For more information on Unilever Canada and its brands visit: www.unilever.ca.  

Unilever Media contact:  

Canada.Communications@unilever.com  

Toronto Global Media Contact: 
Julia Sakas 
jsakas@torontoglobal.ca