📜 Did you make BC Tech's shortlist of top companies?
Juneuary’s downpours might be in full swing, but that hasn’t dampened the amount of tech news we have for you this week — including a deep-dive on the Technology Impact Awards shortlist. Luckily, we’ve heard that the sun is on the horizon, so here’s a selection of upcoming get-togethers from our events calendar that’ll have you topping up your vitamin D.
☀️ Tuesday, June 21: Vancouver Tech Morning Coffee special edition: not a Collision networking event
☀️ Thursday, June 23: Life Sciences BC Summer Social
☀️ Friday, June 24: Tech Industry Drinks Social, compliments of CBRE
Now onto today’s briefing. It’s 1,109 words; a 4-minute read.
-Kate Wilson, @KateWilsonSays
48 finalists unveiled for Technology Impact Awards
Meet the most impactful companies in the local tech ecosystem, as chosen by the BC Tech Association. » Get the list.
Regional innovation agency Invest Vancouver taps Jacquie Griffiths as new president
Current boss David Flaks to stay involved as a board member and informal counsel. » Start reading.
Boris Wertz’ Version One Ventures turns 10.
» Hear from the founder. Plus, our recent stories on the firm:
Actenum wins 2022 Greg Smith Award, honouring investor who ‘helped keep the lights on’ during company’s dark days
The award is presented by Angel Forum to recognize grit and resilience in the tech community. » Start reading.
New consortium aims to spark B.C.’s low-carbon hydrogen economy
Group will support provincial efforts to establish Metro Vancouver as hydrogen hub. » Start reading.
How to change the world
Victoria’s Capital Daily is pleased to welcome The New York Times columnist, and Pulitzer Prize and humanitarian award winner, Nicholas Kristof. Learn from his decades of experience covering war, genocide, and poverty, translated into five ways to change the world.
This Capital Daily Live lecture is on Monday, June 27 at 1pm, live at the University of Victoria’s Farquhar Auditorium, and will be followed by an audience Q&A and book signing.
Grab your tickets here and get ready for an unforgettable experience with Nicholas Kristof.
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🤝 Funding and deals
Mining giant Rio Tinto made a USD $10 million strategic equity investment and announced a strategic partnership with Nano One, a Vancouver-based cleantech company specializing in innovative batteries. » Continue.
The Government of British Columbia invested $25 million into the construction of a new building for the School of Biomedical Engineering at UBC. » Continue.
Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, minister of international development and minister responsible for PacifiCan, announced a trio of updates that were highlighted by $25,000 for the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade to deliver a conference focused on DEI. » Continue.
Metaspectral was given $150,000 from Canadian Space Agency to build a method to systematically and methodically quantify the carbon dioxide levels present at ground elevation using hyperspectral data. » Canadian Manufacturing.
Telus Corp. has signed a deal to buy LifeWorks Inc. — a firm that helps companies with employee and family assistance plans, absence management, pension and benefits administration and retirement planning — valued at $2.9 billion including debt. » CBC News.
Earls Restaurant Group is partnering with Reusables.com for a zero-waste takeout program. » Continue.
Squamish-based Carbon Engineering is partnering with Occidental Petroleum to mass-produce its direct-air CO2 capture plants. » Chemical & Engineering News.
WonderFi is working with payments company Banxa to build flexible and secure payment tools for Web3 users. » Continue.
NFT Tech, a company specializing in decentralized ownership, NFTs, and the metaverse for public markets, announced a partnership with the open-source fashion design platform Faith Tribe to launch “Fashion DAO” — a fashion-focused launchpad for brands and creators looking to break into Web3. » Continue.
🚀 Just in: 2022 Ultimate Global Mobility Guide
View VanHack’s latest guide to discover everything you need to know to start hiring and relocating the world’s best tech talent to Canada.
Access your free guide here.
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🗞️ In other news
Lululemon plans to take nine floors of shiny new office space in Burrard Place. » BC Business.
Cleantech company Svante broke ground on a new manufacturing and R&D centre for its carbon capture technology. » Continue.
A Q&A with Lesley Esford, new VentureLabs executive director. » Continue.
Finhaven Private Markets claims to have launched Canada’s first securitized NFT, Stardust Music Video NFT (Stardust NFT), an asset owned by bKREATIV Productions Ltd. » Continue.
UBCO doctoral student Ahmadreza Ghaffarkhah is using a 3D printer to create small and highly-accurate sensors that can be integrated into clothing and equipment. » Continue.
Fort Capital Partners announced the launch of Relay Transition Partners, a new advisory firm dedicated to the sale of small and medium-sized businesses. » Continue.
The Tech & People Network, previously known as the HR Tech Group, celebrated 30 years in business. » Continue.
WonderFi to become the first Canadian-regulated crypto exchange listed on Toronto Stock Exchange, despite ‘crypto winter’. » Financial Post.
Partner message: Float makes business spending easier to manage
OnDeck Fisheries AI, a startup developing software to automatically scan how many fish are brought onto a ship, has recently won $30,000 in prize money at the University of Washington’s Dempsey Startup Competition. » Geekwire.
Some experts are predicting that a “bloodbath” and a wave of layoffs are in store for the Canadian tech sector. » The Globe and Mail.
💡 Ideas and insights
Erin Gee, writing in d3crypto: Is it time for a serious discussion about Web3 in Canada?
Mike Stephenson, CEO of addy, writing in Inman: Everything you need to know about purchasing virtual land (but were afraid to ask)
Edoardo de Martin, president and CTO of CubicFarms, writing on Fast Company: My job is to unite an incredibly diverse team. Data is our common language
Chris Neumann, partner at Panache Ventures, writing on his blog about 5 of the of the most common phrases that founders and investors interpret differently
Tom Keiser, CEO of Hootsuite, writing on Fast Company: What it’s like building a board of directors for a successful tech company
Mike Walkinshaw, CEO of Montfort Capital Group, writing on the TIMIA Capital blog: The New Normal for Tech Financing
Jenna Bayuk, founder of Vancouver-based Kinship Kollective, shares tips in BCBusiness on how to navigate a tough negotiation