When entrepreneurs explore new concepts that could have the potential to be successful startups, one of the key factors revolves around the question – will this solve an important problem for consumers?
Products and services that help to alleviate frustration and make life easier for users have strong growth potential because they provide a solution that is attached to emotion. Digital users encounter frustrations on a daily basis and finding solutions to override these problems can be the key to a successful startup business strategy.
To identify these types of solutions, analysis of the current tech trends and emerging user frustrations can lead to discovery of products that will be in high demand across the short-term and long-term.
If we look at the current tech landscape in Canada, recent studies show that while AI technology has delivered important enhancements for users, there are major concerns around trust. One survey revealed that 90% of Canadian respondents believed that AI should be regulated and 73% called for better explanations of how companies use AI.
Canada’s government has been working on a digital transformation strategy that focuses on building trust in Canada’s digital economy. Many Canadians have significant concerns around how AI affects their privacy rights and they also worry about misinformation.
There has been an increasing number of sophisticated AI-generated scams and AI is being used to create fake videos with realistic impersonations of genuine people. The more content that is being produced without legal restrictions, the more that consumers doubt the authenticity of the content that they see on social media and other channels.
A Prime Opportunity for Trust-Tech?
With all of these digital risks becoming a point of frustration for digital users, trust-tech is growing in importance. Trust-tech can drive trust by incorporating a range of systems that include work around verification and ensuring that privacy is preserved. High-growth trust-tech sectors in Canada include deepfake detection software, financial verification systems and cybersecurity solutions that help to prevent fraudulent activity.
For entrepreneurs looking for optimal opportunities in the tech industry, trust-tech is becoming a major area of focus. As AI continues to develop and becomes a dominant element of digital activity, developing tech that allays fears around its usage could be a prime opportunity for start-ups.
Trust-Tech in the Casino Industry
A good point of reference for how trust-tech has been successfully applied is the online casino industry. The Canadian government introduced a new regulatory framework for online casinos a few years ago, allowing provinces to legalize online gambling and Ontario has seen huge success since launching an open casino market.
To obtain licenses, casino operators must meet a strict set of criteria, including the implementation of software solutions that are based on securing user trust. For example, casinos must have independent testing of random number generators to show users that the games they play have fair outcomes and games are not rigged.
The casinos are also required to undertake ID verification for users and use anti-money laundering processes to monitor suspicious activity. Trust-tech solutions such as ID document scanning are pivotal in these license requirements.
You can see at Canada’s Impressario Casino, responsible gambling tools are also provided to users. This is another form of trust-tech that helps to improve the industry’s reputation and show that users are being given tools to help prevent problem gambling.
Canada’s casino industry has been growing at pace, with Ontario alone generating over C$3.1 billion in 2025. Other provinces are now looking to follow Ontario’s lead and are working on similar casino regulations that will also require trust-tech solutions.
With online gambling in Canada expected to deliver strong revenue growth over the coming years, this could provide optimal opportunities for trust-tech start-up concepts. However, it is not just online casinos where there will be a high demand for trust-tech, as the Canadian population has wider tech concerns relating to financial systems and government services.
As systems continue to incorporate more AI technology, the trust infrastructure will be increasingly important and trust-tech companies will have a huge part to play in building digital user trust. Users want to use systems that are safe and if they doubt the authenticity of a system or are worried about their privacy rights, they will choose not to use these systems.
While other countries are racing to introduce the latest AI solutions, in Canada, there is a golden opportunity to deliver the safest and most trusted systems. The demand expands outside of Canada, so innovations in this field could drive high levels of global success for tech-trust firms.
