E62: How is AXL Venture Studio Flipping the Script on AI Startups?
- Chris McLellan
- Jan 26
- 3 min read
Daniel Wigdor, Co-founder and CEO of AXL Venture Studio, joins the Ask AI podcast to discuss how their approach is reshaping the way AI companies are built in Canada, why chat interfaces are selling AI short, how human-centric computing gives Canada a real edge in the global race for applied AI, and how a scientific approach to product-market-fit is opening the door for a new generation of non-technical AI founders.
Episode Overview
In this episode of the Ask AI Podcast, host Chris McLellan speaks with Daniel Wigdor, Co-founder and CEO of AXL Venture Studio, and a leading researcher in human-computer interaction and applied AI.
This conversation somehow jumps from "infinite canvas" to "infinite monkey" and still makes perfect sense, which says a lot about the strange and exciting moment we are living through with AI. 🐒🐒🐒
Topics explored in this conversation:
How venture studios identify real-world AI opportunities before a founder is even selected
Why Canada’s strengths in human-centric computing can shape the next wave of AI innovation
How to validate startup ideas using rapid experimentation and scientific method
New ways AI can support education, learning, and student engagement
What the infinite canvas reveals about the future of human AI collaboration
Why today’s chat interfaces limit how we work with AI
How corporate partnerships help de-risk early AI concepts
Where non-technical founders fit into the next generation of AI companies
This interview provides a deep look at the systems, research traditions, and design philosophies driving the next era of AI company creation in Canada.
Click below to download or stream this Ask AI interview:
About Daniel Wigdor
Daniel Wigdor is the co-founder and CEO of AXL, a venture studio focused on building a future where people are empowered by AI rather than replaced by it.
He is an entrepreneur, investor, and University of Toronto computer science professor whose work centers on inventing technologies that genuinely improve human capability. His research and startup experience span sensing systems, operating system design, applied AI, manufacturing methods, haptics, and large-scale software interfaces.
His teams draw on disciplines such as psychophysics, sociology, and anthropology to design technologies grounded in real human needs.
About AXL Venture Studio
AXL is a Canadian venture studio turning cutting-edge research into high-growth companies that push applied AI forward.
Built by experienced tech founders and applied AI experts, AXL aims to keep Canada’s breakthroughs at home by connecting academic research with real market demand and full-stack venture creation.
The studio’s model helps Canada move from invention to impact, anchoring talent, intellectual property, and long-term economic value within the country.
Episode Links
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