Celebrating the Canadian Spirit

Stradigi AI is home to an amazing group of talented individuals. If you walk into our offices, you’ll notice that we look like a “typical group of Canadians”, mainly because of our diversity. 10 ethnic backgrounds, 12 languages spoken, different stages of life and a fairly equal male to female representation. When I asked my colleagues to describe Canada with one word, these were their top answers: free, friendly, diverse, welcoming, colourful, loyal and harmonious.

It made me feel proud that most of the things we love about Canada, are also what I love about our team. It got me thinking, maybe there is a parallel between our growing success in the field of artificial intelligence, and the way the True North has been able to distinguish itself from the rest of the world in it’s very short modern history.

We both share an innovative spirit, which enables us to dream big and create solutions that will improve people’s lives. We embrace inclusivity and practice respect in all its forms, which is also a truly Canadian trademark. We believe in diversity not only because it creates opportunities to thrive, but because we find strength in working with people from different backgrounds.

Let’s dig a little deeper, shall we?

Canadian Innovation

Here are a few statistics to get us started:

• In the last few years, Canada has invested an average of $30 billion in research and development.
• We’ve produced 25 Nobel laureates in physics, chemistry, and medicine (including David H. Hubel and his research on visual perception).
• Canada was ranked fourth worldwide for scientific research quality.

The courage to create what doesn’t yet exist is heavily ingrained in our culture. If you’ve ever doubted our innovative spirit, you can thank Canadians for giving you: the Java programming language, insulin, the BlackBerry, key frame animation and the Canadarm. We can’t help but relate to this concept since we spend our days developing solutions with technology most people have heard of, but don’t quite understand. It takes courage to believe in your vision and forge your own path, no matter what people around you are saying.

Success is often plagued with failures. Sometimes the timing isn’t right, you make mistakes, your plans fall through, but every extra step you take to reach your goal is an opportunity to learn. Delivering AI projects takes a village of people and we’ve only just begun scratching the surface of what is possible. Solving problems is never simple, but with enough research, hard work and imagination, we’ve been able to unlock the potential to create things that will improve people’s lives.

We’ve never been afraid of leaving our comfort zone for the great unknown, after all, if you look at our history, it’s what allowed us to get here in the first place.

Canadian Inclusivity

• Children in Canada think nothing of hearing five or six different languages spoken on the playground.
• 1 out of 5 Canadians was born elsewhere and chose to immigrate to Canada.
• Notable moments in Canadian history: The Underground Railroad. The Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The Multiculturalism Act. The Official Languages Act.

Canadians are known for their inclusivity. In the 1970’s, we became the first country in the world to adopt multiculturalism as an official policy. We’ve never considered ourselves to be a melting pot of different nationalities. Instead, we like to describe ourselves as a mosaic. There are no expectations for people to lose all sense of who they are in order to fit into our society. We celebrate different ethnic identities because it allows us to open our eyes to the rest of the world and validates the notion that human beings have more in common than they do differences. We are a society that believes that open doors is the right policy, and Stradigi AI is no different.

Our strength lies in our diversity. Everyone has a story and every person has something to bring to the table. Our Chief Scientific Officer said it best: “Advancement in our industry is a collaborative effort. It’s extremely complex and nobody starts from scratch because if we did, nobody would get anywhere.” In this particular case, we believe that actions speak louder than words. We find solutions because we value listening and constructive dialogue and we have the strength to admit when we are wrong. The world is moving faster than it ever has and in order to keep up, we must be able to rely on each other. Succeeding isn’t simply about making deadlines and delivering work we can be proud of, but building a strong foundation of relationships that is based on trust and respect.

Canadian Opportunities

Right now, people will tell you that there is a race to acquire talent in our industry. We need to go beyond our ecosystem to find the right people and it’s extremely competitive. When confronted with the decision about where to live and where to thrive, most people choose Canada for the same reason they choose Stradigi AI. Here’s why:

We love to learn: Canada is the most educated country in the world with more than half of the population earning some kind of education after high school, the reason being that we spend more on education than any other industrialized nation. Last year, Montreal was named the best city in the world for students, which pushed our academic hub to the next level. This is incredibly important since learning is going to be a much bigger part in our lives going forward. During C2, all experts were in agreement that in order to stay relevant, we are all going to have to learn new skills throughout our lives. Canada is a thriving country for those with a passion for learning. At Stradigi AI, my colleagues and I share the same passion. We are constantly learning from each other, but we also take the time to research and develop our skills in order to attain our professional and personal goals. The opportunities are endless and even better, they are in close reach.

We’re happy people: Canada is ranked the 7th happiest country in the world due to it being one of the safest and healthiest places to live. Happiness is a journey in itself, but when people don’t have to worry about safety or their health, they tend to be more creative, hardworking and focused on opportunities for growth. This is something us Canadians tend to take for granted. The same way Canada has a small population that’s surrounded by vast and incredible landscapes, Stradigi AI is a growing team of talented minds, sifting their way through the limitless possibilities of AI. We are able to focus our energy on our passions because we are in the right environment, and that opportunity in itself is invaluable.

O, Canada. The True North strong and free. Home to over 36 million people, covering 9.985 million km² including 10 provinces, 3 territories and a thriving AI ecosystem which is developing incredible advancements in technology for the greater good.

Our recipe for success stems from building a team of innovative people that share the same goals and values, which is why we want to give thanks to the spirit of this great country.

Happy Canada Day! 🇨🇦