Glossary

Canadian tech terms, explained.

Clear definitions of the technical, financial, and policy terms used in Canadian tech.

Entries

Cap table

A snapshot of who owns what in a company.

Definition: A cap table is a record of ownership that shows founders, investors, option holders, and other stakeholders alongside their equity stakes.
Why it matters: Ownership structure shapes who controls the company, how future financing rounds work, and how exit value gets shared.

Aliases

capitalization tableownership table

Annual recurring revenue from subscription-style contracts.

Definition: ARR stands for annual recurring revenue. It is a common metric for software and services businesses that sell repeatable contracts and want to show the expected revenue run-rate over a year.
Why it matters: ARR is a shorthand for scale and retention, but it only matters if the underlying revenue is durable and collectible.

Aliases

annual recurring revenue

How quickly a company is spending cash relative to its inflows.

Definition: Burn rate measures how much cash a company uses over a given period, usually a month. It helps readers understand how long the company can operate before needing new funding or positive cash flow.
Why it matters: A fast burn rate can change the meaning of a growth story if the runway is short or the capital plan is fragile.

Aliases

cash burnrunway