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“There is so much capital that we can attract and there is such incredible talent that we have here," Urtasun told U of T President Melanie Woodin during a BetaKit event at Toronto Tech Week

Raquel Urtasun, a U of T professor of computer science who is an expert in autonomous vehicle technologies, is the founder and CEO of self-driving trucking company Waabi, which recently raised up to US$1 billion (photo by Lilac Media / BetaKit)

From self-driving vehicles to new frontiers in robotics, the next wave of AI is moving beyond the digital world — and Canada has the necessary ingredients to chart a bold path forward.

Attendees at a BetaKit Most Ambitious town hall on May 25 heard how innovators, buoyed by the country’s strong university-based research system, could play a critical role in safeguarding Canadian sovereignty in this new era.

Raquel Urtasun, founder and CEO of self-driving vehicle company , said transportation is an example of a critical industry that’s undergoing a major shift.

“Transportation is something core where — quoting Evan Solomon, our minister of AI — ‘We need to make sure that we have control over our destiny,’” said Urtasun, who is also a professor of computer science at the University of Toronto, during a fireside chat with U of T President Melanie Woodin.

“We need to make sure we can move goods and people regardless of how geopolitics and the world evolve over the next few years.”

Waabi CEO Raquel Urtasun in conversation with U of T President Melanie Woodin (photo by Johnny Guatto)

Held at the TIFF Bell Lightbox, the event — part of — celebrated the innovators named in BetaKit’s Most Ambitious 2026 issue, . It featured remarks from tech, entrepreneurship and political leaders including Solomon, Canada’s minister of artificial intelligence and digital innovation, Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow and Christian Weedbrook, a former U of T postdoctoral researcher who is the founder and CEO of quantum computing company Xanadu, which recently made its debut as a public company.

Urtasun said Canada’s deep roots in AI research and talent offers an opportunity to lead the way in next-generation automotive technology. While the transportation landscape has long been controlled by large car and truck manufacturers, she said that’s changing with self-driving tech.

In addition to Waabi, Urtasun noted that Canada is home to several other key players in autonomous transportation including parts manufacturer Magna International and operating system developer Blackberry QNX. “We have all the important pieces in order to really lead the transportation of the future ... versus ‘Let's just try to follow the U.S. and try to have something that's competitive here,’” Urtasun said.

Evan Solomon, Canada’s minister of artificial intelligence and digital innovation, speaks at the BetaKit event at Toronto Tech Week (photo by Lilac Media / BetaKit)

Waabi has already made . In January, the company announced it raised US$750 million to accelerate commercialization of its self-driving technology – its investors include Volvo, whose driverless truck is powered by Waabi – in addition to US$250 million in milestone-based funding from Uber to expand into robotaxis.

Urtasun said she hopes to see more Canadian success stories in the sector. “There is so much capital that we can attract and there is such incredible talent that we have here in Toronto, and in Canada in general, that we could become ‘the’ player that dictates what it’s going to be.”

Christian Weedbrook, a former U of T postdoctoral researcher, founded quantum computing company Xanadu (photo by Lilac Media / BetaKit)

Urtasun offered a bold prediction: a majority of vehicles on the road would be “Waabi-powered” within a decade. She also said there were many other potential applications for the company’s physical AI platform, ranging from elder care to mitigation of industrial accidents. “Self-driving is the first big vertical,” she said, adding that “not going all in on physical AI would be such a big miss for the country.”

U of T President Melanie Woodin, then dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science, and Raquel Urtasun on campus with one of Waabi’s self-driving trucks (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

The conversation also explored the benefits of academics embarking on entrepreneurial ventures. Recounting Urtasun's proposal to take on a leadership role at Uber’s self-driving lab in Toronto in 2017, Woodin — then the dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science — said the arrangement provided U of T graduate students with a compelling opportunity to conduct research and innovation at the forefront of the field.

She added that , have also acted as entrepreneurial role models, inspiring students “to want to follow that path.”

Urtasun, for her part, thanked Woodin and former U of T president Meric Gertler for their support.

“Since then, there are many faculty who have provided similar avenues for their students to not have to compromise between academia and industry — but do something that is better than either one of them alone.”

— Original story by Rahul Kalvapalle at

Boyan Litchev (Photo: Sanjana Iyer)

The math problem in front of Boyan Litchev felt familiar — something a professor might pose in class. For the next two hours, the second-year computer science and math specialist worked through it, erasing and starting over more than once. When he set down his pen with 20 minutes to spare, he felt satisfied. And for good reason.

Litchev was the highest University of Toronto scorer at the , a prestigious contest for undergraduate students across Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. The competition awards scholarships and cash prizes of up to $2,500 to top students and up to $25,000 to top schools.

Following the achievement, Litchev also became a (UTEA) recipient — a rare honour for a second-year student.

Finding meaning in the challenge

While the recognition is significant, for Litchev, competitions like Putnam are just as much about something else: a deeper connection to the subject.

“The biggest benefit of Putnam is the opportunity to get excited about math and discuss math with others,” he says. “There’s also something really fun about seeing a question and intuitively knowing why the claim would make sense, but working out the details and making sure your answer is coherent so you can share it with others. It creates a sense of community.”

Professor Ignacio Uriarte-Tuero understands that sense of community well. As the local organizer for Putnam, he helps students prepare through group study sessions. He sees the competition as a strong indicator of ability and potential.

“Success indicates that students have a very good ability to solve problems and high standards of rigour because the marking system is very hard,” he says. “People who have done well in Putnam have often gone on to be very good researchers later. There is a high correlation.”

Unlike more procedural problem-solving, where the path to a solution is often clear, Putnam-style questions require patience and a willingness to explore. Not knowing where a problem will lead and working through the ambiguity is part of the draw. At the same time, Litchev says coursework concepts helped inform his approach, highlighting how competition math and classroom learning reinforce one another.

“There were Putnam problems I solved because of what I had learned in the classroom,” he says. “Analysis and topology especially helped. I’ve also heard people say that competition improves their mathematical maturity and helps them approach problems better, which also helps in class. The process of thinking about abstract math is transitive.”

From competition to research

That trajectory is already taking shape through Litchev’s UTEA fellowship, which will give him direct experience on a faculty-led research project. UTEAs are valued at a minimum of $7,500. Litchev says he’s looking forward to spending 16 weeks in the lab, working with his supervisor and peers on developing a cryptographic protocol.

“I’m excited to be able to work on this project over the summer, and I’m already starting to think about how I’ll approach it,” he says. “I’m also glad the university is valuing this type of research and trusting me to do it. It’s a great opportunity.”