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> My weekend with Firebase Studio and SR&ED implications

> The CanExport program: Yes, you can export!
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Read time: 3 mins

My weekend with Firebase Studio and SR&ED implications

The What?

AI dev tools like Cursor and Google's Firebase AI Dev Studio can be huge time savers, but they serve two different purposes. Cursor is an AI-powered code editor that boosts coding speed and quality with features like code completion, debugging assistance, and natural language commands. There are others like it (Code Whisperer, Github Copilot), but Cursor is widely loved.

​Firebase Studio (open source by Google) is a brand new web-based IDE to build and deploy apps using prompts e.g., “build me a document management portal for a supplier of factory robotic arms in JavaScript”. I tried it this weekend and let’s just say - that I’m not coming back to it for at least a quarter. It made simplistic errors like a missing JS router setup and misconfigured auth. And, this was not an error, but a miss on usability - I had to manually enter my gemini api key even though my login is already linked to an existing api key.

The so what?

It’s still early days and while these tools help tremendously in very specific situations for tech-savvy founders - in others ways they fall short. Regardless, they can help save routine development time and resources, enable rapid prototyping and allow you and your teams to focus on innovation. For founders aiming to stay competitive in the fast-paced tech industry, adopting these tools can enhance efficiency and product quality.

For SR&ED-focused teams: The obvious upside here is the potential to automate away routine engineering tasks, basic infrastructure and scaffolding setup - you cannot claim this for SR&ED anyway. This is a win-win. That leaves you with high-leverage tasks tackling innovation - all the stuff that you typically can claim for SR&ED. In other words - another win-win. For example - creating an app on Firebase’ smarter descendant and adding on experimental AI features. This means you can innovate smarter while maximizing your SR&ED tax credits.

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Yes, You Can Export!

The what?

The CanExport program is a grant from the Canadian government that helps SMBs sell their products or services in new countries. If your company wants to find customers outside Canada, CanExport can pay for ½ of your costs—up to $50,000—for things like travel, trade shows, market research, and getting expert advice. This is a great way to lower the risk and cost of going global, especially if you’re looking to diversify your revenue and reach new markets.

Can you apply?

A few key eligibility criteria include:

• Be based in Canada, for-profit and incorporated
• Employ 1 to 500 people
• Make between $100,000 and $100 million in annual revenue

The so what?

If you’re thinking about growing your tech business internationally, this is a smart way to get support and stretch your budget further.

Applications are open till 31st May 2025 - and you can get started here.

PS - We don't currently help with grant applications, but will always share updates to help you grow!

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