When the Boast team landed in Canada’s capital for SaaS North 2025, the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. Just as the conference kicked off, Canada’s 2025 Federal Budget dropped, delivering the most significant SR&ED enhancements we’ve seen in years. Suddenly, every conversation we had was about more than innovation; it was about how Canadian founders could fuel that innovation with unprecedented R&D capital.

The Perfect Storm: Budget 2025 Meets Canada’s SaaS Community

For those who missed it, Budget 2025 brought massive changes to SR&ED, including enhanced tax credits for manufacturing, expanded eligibility, and streamlined processes designed to put more money back into the hands of innovators. Walking the halls of SaaS North with this news still fresh meant every handshake came with a natural question: “Have you seen what this means for your R&D investments?”

Our team came prepared.

Carlos Coelho, one of Boast’s SR&ED experts on the floor, spent the conference breaking down exactly what these changes mean for Canadian businesses. Whether founders were developing cutting-edge SaaS platforms, manufacturing hardware, or building AI solutions, Carlos helped them understand how Budget 2025 could accelerate their roadmap.

A major highlight of Day 1 was partnering with TechTO to co-host a pitch competition on the Gateway Stage. If you’ve been to a TechTO event, you know they bring unmatched energy to Canada’s startup ecosystem, and SaaS North was no exception.

Carlos from Boast joined Marie from TechTO on stage, calling founders up one by one to pitch their innovations to a packed main hall.

The room was electric; investors leaned in, founders brought their A-game, and the Gateway Stage became the place where emerging Canadian companies could showcase solutions ranging from AI-powered analytics to next-generation manufacturing tech.

Watching these founders pitch reminded us exactly why we do what we do. Each of them is solving real problems, pushing boundaries, and investing heavily in R&D to bring their visions to life. And with the new SR&ED enhancements? They now have even more fuel to accelerate.

Conversations That Matter: Interviewing Ottawa’s Innovation Leaders

Beyond the stage, we spent SaaS North doing what we love most: Talking to innovators. Armed with cameras and genuine curiosity, we captured conversations with founders, tech leaders, and ecosystem builders who are shaping Canada’s future.

Our interview lineup included:

  • Ryan from Invest Ottawa, discussing how the capital region supports scaling startups
  • Exectify Branding Solutions, sharing insights on building memorable brands in competitive markets
  • m2m Tech, exploring manufacturing innovation and how enhanced SR&ED credits unlock new possibilities
  • Mova Realities, diving into immersive technology and the R&D required to push XR boundaries
  • Colab Education, highlighting how edtech companies are revolutionizing learning through continuous innovation
  • ForeCaaS, unpacking predictive analytics and the technical challenges of building truly intelligent forecasting tools

Every conversation reinforced a common theme: Canadian innovators are world-class, but they need capital to compete globally. That’s where SR&ED comes in, and why Budget 2025’s enhancements are so critical.

Watch all the interviews from SaaS North: Boast at SaaS North 2025 Playlist

Breaking Down Budget 2025: Carlos’s Expert Analysis

Carlos recorded three detailed videos during the conference specifically addressing the SR&ED changes. Whether you’re in manufacturing, SaaS, or deep tech, these breakdowns explain:

  • What changed in Budget 2025’s SR&ED enhancements
  • Who benefits most from the expanded credits
  • How to maximize your R&D tax credit returns under the new rules

For manufacturers especially, this budget represents a windfall. Enhanced SR&ED credits now unlock unprecedented R&D capital for Canadian manufacturing, making it possible to invest in automation, AI integration, and next-generation production processes that were previously out of reach.

These changes represent real dollars that can extend your runway, accelerate product development, and help you compete with international players who’ve had more favorable R&D incentives for years.

Why Ottawa, Why Now

There’s something special about being in Ottawa when policy meets practice. Walking through SaaS North, you could feel the momentum building. Founders who’d been skeptical about SR&ED suddenly wanted to understand their eligibility. CFOs pulled us aside to discuss claim strategies. Investors asked how enhanced tax credits might improve their portfolio companies’ unit economics.

The energy expanded beyond the conference as the SR&ED overhaul marked a turning point for Canadian innovation funding.

What’s Next?

If SaaS North proved anything, it’s that Canada’s innovation ecosystem is ready to capitalize on these SR&ED enhancements. The technology is here, the talent is here, and now the funding support is finally catching up.

Whether you’re building in Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver, or anywhere across Canada, the question isn’t whether you qualify for SR&ED, but how much R&D capital you’re leaving on the table by not claiming it strategically.

Want to understand how Budget 2025’s SR&ED enhancements impact your business? Our team combines deep tax expertise with AI-powered technology to maximize your returns while minimizing your effort. Get your free R&D credit assessment or reach out to our team to discuss your specific situation.

Boast specializes in helping organizations claim and access eligible R&D tax credits, minimizing audit risks and time-consuming processes in Canada and the United States. We combine in-house technical and R&D tax expertise with the latest AI technology to help companies effortlessly navigate the complexities of tax credits, enabling them to focus on what they do best: Innovate.

Connect with us:

See you at the next one, Canada! Keep building, keep innovating, and don’t leave your R&D capital on the table.