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Christian P. Gauthier

Capital Markets and M&A Lawyer at Bennett Jones Vancouver and Toronto

Partner

Kwang Lim

Corporate and Securities Lawyer at Bennett Jones Vancouver

Vancouver Managing Partner

Generative AI is taking the venture capital world by storm. Despite the slump in overall VC funding, investor interest in AI is intensifying. PitchBook notes that "in the world of startup valuations, there's generative AI—and everything else." The Wall Street Journal describes the current environment as "ChatGPT fever . . . Amid broader venture-capital doldrums, it is boom times for startups touting generative artificial intelligence tech." As VC investors look to the generative AI market and companies seek funding, there are several things to consider including valuations, the ever evolving regulatory landscape and a heightened need for robust diligence and corporate governance processes.

Booming Venture Capital Investment in Generative AI Considerations for Investors and Companies

Booming Venture Capital Investment in Generative AI: Considerations for Investors and Companies

Gordon N. Cameron

Canadian Corporate and Securities Lawyer at Bennett Jones New York

Principal, Head of New York Office

Thomas A. Bauer

M&A, Corporate Reorganization, and Income Trust Tax Lawyer at Bennett Jones Toronto

Partner 

Xenia Wong

Equity and Debt Securities New York Lawyer at Bennett Jones

Counsel

The special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) IPO boom of 2021 fizzled in 2022 as SPAC IPO activity declined sharply—a trend that will likely continue in 2023. In 2021, there were a record-breaking 613 SPAC IPOs whereas, as of March 2023, there have only been seven SPAC IPOs. This marked decrease in SPAC IPO activity has been driven by rising interest rates, inflation and changes in the regulatory landscape due to increased scrutiny by the SEC.

Canada CrossBorder DeSPAC Transactions What US Listed SPACs and Canadian Companies Need to Know

Canada Cross-Border De-SPAC Transactions: What U.S.-Listed SPACs and Canadian Companies Need to Know

Linda Misetich Dann

Securities, Corporate Finance, M&A and Mining Transaction Lawyer at Bennett Jones Toronto

Harinder S. Basra

Mergers and Acquisitions, Corporate Finance and Securities Lawyer at Bennett Jones Calgary

Calgary Managing Partner

<a rel="noopener noreferrer" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.canadianlawyermag.com/practice-areas/corporate-commercial/ma-activity-slips-in-q3-but-year-to-date-numbers-better-than-before-pandemic-bennett-jones-lawyers/370559" target="_blank">Canadian Lawyer</a> reports on Bennett Jones' Q3 look at the M&A landscape. Linda Misetich Dann, Christian Gauthier and Harinder Basra say there is a lot of interest in dealmaking, with the latest numbers on M&A activity beating those from before the pandemic. M&A activity has slowed in the first nine months of 2022.

M A Activity YearToDate Is Better Than Before Pandemic

M&A Activity Year-To-Date Is Better Than Before Pandemic

While Canadian M&A activity slowed in Q3, many companies and investors continue to have the appetite and capital to do M&A transactions, including private equity funds who continue to seek accretive opportunities to deploy capital in a number of sectors in the Canadian economy. As was the case throughout the first half of 2022, deals are being done and opportunities are there, but investors are showing restraint and gone are the days of doing a deal at any cost.

Canadas M A Landscape Q3 2022 Its Not If Its When

Canada's M&A Landscape Q3 2022: It's Not If, It's When

Angela Blake

M&A, Securities and Corporate Finance Lawyer at Bennett Jones Toronto

Laura James

Corporate Lawyer at Bennett Jones Vancouver

Associate

M&amp;A activity in Canada rebounded in Q3 2025, with total deal value rising sharply year-over-year. Our update explores shifting deal structures, the rise of earnouts, cross-border dynamics, and the sectors driving growth.

Canadas Q3 2025 MA Landscape

Canada's Q3 2025 M&A Landscape

Lorelei Graham

Food and Agribusiness Lawyer, IP Lawyer, Litigation Lawyer at Bennett Jones Toronto

Dominique Carli

Commercial Transactions Lawyer at Bennett Jones Toronto

Wittington Investments has launched a C$100 million fund to support Canadian food producers with equity or debt financing. Success depends on legal readiness, from IP protection to governance, ensuring businesses are prepared to attract and secure investment.

Legal Readiness for Food Producers Navigating Wittington Investments C100M Fund

Legal Readiness for Food Producers: Navigating Wittington Investments’ C$100M Fund

Sean Zweig

Restructuring, Insolvency and Bankruptcy Lawyer at Bennett Jones Toronto

Andrew Froh

Commercial Litigation Lawyer at Bennett Jones Vancouver

James Atkinson

Articling Student at Bennett Jones 

Articling Student          

A recent decision of the US Bankruptcy Court in Re: Iovate Health Sciences International Inc. provides important insights for Canadian companies involved in cross-border restructurings. The case addresses how debtor companies can rebut the presumption that their &ldquo;center of main interests&rdquo; (COMI) is located at their registered office when seeking Chapter 15 recognition in the United States. Chief Judge Glenn reaffirmed that COMI is determined by a non-exhaustive set of factors, including management, assets, creditors and creditor expectations, and may also be influenced by pre-filing restructuring activities.

Trend Watch Determining COMI in US Chapter 15 Proceedings

Trend Watch: Determining COMI in US Chapter 15 Proceedings

Benjamin K. Reingold

Intellectual Property Litigation Lawyer at Bennett Jones Calgary

Stephen D. Burns

Technology Lawyer, Intellectual Property Lawyer at Bennett Jones Calgary

Partner, Trademark Agent

AI is transforming performance marketing through hyper-personalization, automated content creation, and data-driven insights&mdash;enhancing efficiency while raising new legal and ethical considerations for brands.

The Implications of AI on Performance Marketing

Dom Sorbara

Banking & Financial Services Lawyer at Bennett Jones Toronto

Elizabeth K. Dylke

Corporate and Private Funds Lawyer

James G. Morand

Tax Lawyer at Bennett Jones Toronto

This edition of the PE Briefing examines private equity developments in the third quarter of 2025, including trends in Canadian and global deal activity, the continued growth and complexity of private credit, Ontario&rsquo;s advantages as a jurisdiction for non-US flow-through vehicles, and practical considerations in the drafting of earnouts.

The PE Briefing Q3 2025

The Q3 2025 PE Briefing

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Bauer Thomas

Gauthier Christian

Oil Gas

Energy