Disruptors
Understand the forces that are shaping the future of business and technology to navigate the
rapid changes in Canada’s tech landscape.
Innovation is driving business productivity and sustainability across industries in Canada and beyond. How can Canadian entrepreneurs make the most of these new technology opportunities? How can they embrace disruption and scale their businesses?
Powered by cutting-edge research from RBC, Season 8 of Disruptors kicks off with a special
series, Disruptors x CDL: The Innovation Era, co-hosted by Sonia Sennik, Chief Executive Officer of Creative Destruction Lab (CDL),
and RBC’s John Stackhouse. Together, they dive into the latest advancements in AI,
automation, and data analytics, highlighting their transformative impact on business and the
economy.
You’ll hear from pioneers in AI, clean energy, and life sciences—people leading the way in
turning technology innovation into practical business solutions. From AI’s role in improving
business productivity to the future of work, Disruptors x CDL: The Innovation Era delivers the insights you need to stay competitive in a world driven by technology and digital transformation.
The show highlights strategies and ideas that can help your business navigate rapid changes in
the tech landscape. Whether you’re a business leader, entrepreneur, or policymaker, Disruptors x CDL: The Innovation Era equips you with the tools to thrive in this new technology-driven economy.
Follow Disruptors x CDL: The Innovation Era, an original podcast from RBC, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen.
- Update frequency
- every 12 days
- Average duration
- 28 minutes
- Episodes
- 204
- Years Active
- 2018 - 2025
REBOOT: Agentic AI - The Next Frontier
AI is moving beyond passive outputs toward autonomous action. In this episode, John Stackhouse and Sonia Sennik explore Agentic AI, a new class of AI systems that can reason, plan, and take initiativ…
REBOOT: AgriFood and Food Security: Can Canada Feed the World?
With a growing global population and climate challenges reshaping food production, Canada has a golden opportunity to lead the ag-tech revolution. But are we ready? In this episode of Disruptors x CD…
REBOOT: Powering Canada: Electricity and Data Centres
What does it take to power the intelligence economy of the future? In this episode of Disruptors x CDL: The Innovation Era, hosts John Stackhouse and Sonia Sennik dive into the surging energy demands…
REBOOT: AI in Canada: Leading Innovation, Lagging Adoption
In this episode of Disruptors x CDL: The Innovation Era, hosts John Stackhouse, Senior VP of RBC, and Sonia Sennik, CEO of Creative Destruction Lab, dive into one of the most transformative technolog…
Canada’s AI Opportunity with Minister of Artificial Intelligence Evan Solomon
Are we ready for the AI era or are we stuck in an imagination gap? In this special 200th episode, recorded live at Creative Destruction Lab’s Super Session, John Stackhouse and Sonia Sennik sit down …
Space: The Low Earth Orbit Movement
From Arctic sovereignty to wildfire response, Canada’s challenges are increasingly being solved by the low earth orbital satellites less than 1000km from the earth’s surface. In this episode, co-hos…
Building Global from Canada: Shopify’s Entrepreneurial Ambition
What does it take to transform a startup into Canada’s second-largest company in just a decade? Sonia Sennik and John Stackhouse discuss his conversation with Harley Finkelstein, President of Shopify…
Agentic AI - The Next Frontier
AI is moving beyond passive outputs toward autonomous action. In this episode, John Stackhouse and Sonia Sennik explore Agentic AI, a new class of AI systems that can reason, plan, and take initiativ…
Beyond Offsets: How to Build a Carbon Removal Industry
Carbon offsets aren’t enough. To truly tackle climate change, we need a global industry dedicated to pulling carbon out of the air and at massive scale. Join hosts John and Sonia inside the innovatio…
Detect Early, Treat Early: Innovations Shaping the Fight Against Cancer
Early detection remains the single most effective strategy for treating cancer, significantly enhancing survival rates and outcomes. Join hosts John Stackhouse and Sonia Sennik as they explore how gr…
How Tech Entrepreneurs Can Capitalize on the Buy Canadian Movement
The “Buy Canadian” movement has surged during talks of tariffs, often highlighting consumer goods. How can Canadian tech companies take advantage of this sentiment? Join John Stackhouse and Sonia Sen…
The Cleantech Edge: Tackling Methane Emissions with Canadian Innovation
With global energy demands surging and climate concerns intensifying, Canada finds itself in a rare position: rich in natural resources, top technical talent, and the innovation needed to become a cl…
Scammers, Fraud, and Deepfakes: The AI Arms Race
With cybercriminals leveraging AI to fuel scams and misinformation, how do we verify what's real? Joined by cybersecurity experts Shuman Ghosemajumder (former Global Head of Product Trust at Google a…
Entrepreneurs seek to boost Canada’s prosperity and productivity
How can Canadians unleash their competitive spirit and rediscover the drive to build bigger, faster, and smarter? Serial entrepreneur and tech investor Daniel Debow joins John and Sonia to tackle tha…
AgriFood and Food Security: Can Canada Feed the World?
With a growing global population and climate challenges reshaping food production, Canada has a golden opportunity to lead the ag-tech revolution. But are we ready? In this episode of Disruptors x CD…
Inside the WEF: AI, Geopolitics, and Canada's Place in the Future Economy
What happens in Davos doesn’t stay in Davos, it shapes the future of business, technology, and global markets. In this episode of Disruptors x CDL: The Innovation Era, John Stackhouse joins co-host S…
Powering Canada: Electricity and Data Centres
What does it take to power the intelligence economy of the future? In this episode of Disruptors x CDL: The Innovation Era, hosts John Stackhouse and Sonia Sennik dive into the surging energy demands…
From AI to the Final Frontier: Tech Trends Shaping 2025
In this year-end episode of Disruptors x CDL: The Innovation Era, hosts John Stackhouse and Sonia Sennik take a look back at 2024’s groundbreaking tech stories and gaze ahead to what 2025 might bring…
On the Move: Canada’s EV Revolution
In this episode of Disruptors x CDL: The Innovation Era, John Stackhouse and Sonia Sennik dive into the rapidly advancing world of electric vehicles (EVs) and the ecosystem needed to support their su…
Commercializing Space (Part 2): From Frontier to Marketplace
Part two of Disruptors x CDL: The Innovation Era continues with a focus on how space technology is transitioning from exploration to commercial viability.
John Stackhouse and Sonia Sennik are joined b…