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$46M for Indigenous businesses
Raven Fund II highlights a big week in Vancouver's tech community. Welcome to the Sunday Briefing.
James Matthews
September 18, 2022
When I was a co-op student at Innovate BC, you could have told me the Technology Impact Awards were on par with The Emmys. It took me a few years, but when I attended my first TIAs last year, I got what all the fuss was about. Now you can share in that feeling, courtesy of the BC Tech Association, by entering our contest to win a pair of tickets:
Speaking of the TIAs, this week’s briefing includes the finalists for Company of the Year - Startup. Read on too for an anchor company that’s dropping its anchor in Mount Pleasant, and the latest fund for North America’s only Indigenous-led and owned venture capital intermediary.
Let’s get into it. I’ve got 1,197 words for you today, a 4 minute read.
-James, @jimmermatthews
PS: Our Tech Industry Drinks Social in partnership with The High Tech Facility Group at CBRE will be on Friday, September 23 this month. See you there!
Raven Indigenous Capital Partners launches $46M Fund II
The fund aims to drive economic inclusion and prosperity among Indigenous Peoples in Canada, and has a target size of $75M. Start reading »
AbCellera breaks ground on Phase II of Vancouver HQ
The biotech juggernaut is all in on Mount Pleasant. Start reading »
Meet the quartet gunning for Startup of the Year
Carbin Minerals, Daanaa, MintList, and VodaSafe advanced to the Technology Impact Awards Gala after BC Tech’s Dragons' Den style pitch competition. Start reading »
Inside the B.C. agritech link up saving the province’s blueberry crop
A mystery illness is running through one of the province’s key agricultural drivers. Genome BC, the BC Blueberry Council, and SFU are teaming up to get to the bottom of it. Start reading »
Ideon Technologies closes $16M Series A round
The company uses energy from supernova explosions to probe mining deposits on Earth. Start reading »
With a $2.5M seed raise, Cognitive3D plans to double its headcount
It’s one startup among many in Vancouver’s rich cluster of virtual, mixed, and augmented reality firms. Start reading »
Luxury is waiting on Fairmont Gold at Fairmont Empress
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🤝 Funding and deals
Goldsky, a data infrastructure platform for crypto, which has half its team in Vancouver, raised $20 million. BetaKit »
The Government of B.C. is investing $2 million into the third intake of the Mass Timber Demonstration Program (MTDP) with the goal of reducing the province’s carbon footprint and adding value to the forestry sector. Continue »
For more news like this, check out our weekly Money briefing: Doodles, Daily Hive, Ballard Power Systems, and more.
Switchboard Public Relations
As the country’s leading tech PR firm, Switchboard helps innovators create positive change by driving communication strategies that get results. Whether you need brand positioning, media relations, issues management or content creation, see how they’ll get you real results.
🗞️ In other news
The Black Women Business Network is hosting conversations with the community to share its research on how Black women can be better represented across the tech industry. Registration for its storytelling evening is now open. Continue »
Simon Fraser University student Michelle De la O recently launched health tech start-up IUVOX which develops smart air disinfection devices for dental offices. Continue »
BC Hydro emphasizes EV charger accessibility with new designs and retrofits on existing stations. Electric Autonomy Canada »
Foresight is launching the second annual Foresight 50 list — recognizing Canada's most investable cleantech ventures that are moving the needle towards net zero. Nominate a company or your own by September 23 »
The four founders of battery tech startup Moment Energy received the Excellent Alumni Award 2022 from SFU Mechatronics. Continue »
CMPC, the biggest worldwide pulp and paper company with 47 industrial plants across eight countries, is seeking innovative solutions to recover fibers from the wastewater sludges produced during their manufacturing process. Learn more »
‘Pent-up demand’ of pandemic pushes B.C. film sector to expand by $1.4 billion. Business in Vancouver »
East Side Games Group released Star Trek: Lower Decks — The Badgey Directive, a mobile game available on iOS and Android. Continue »
Thinkific tapped current board member Steve Krenzer to be its new president for an 18-month term. Continue »
The tumultuous journey of former Vancouverite and Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao was chronicled. Macleans »
Celebrate International NFT Day with NFT creator Dete Shirley and Vancouver Tech Journal
NFTs are the future of digital ownership, and September 20 is officially recognized as International NFT Day.
Join Vancouver Tech Journal and Dapper Labs to celebrate in person on Tuesday, September 20 from 6:00-9:00 p.m. This free meetup will feature complimentary refreshments and a fireside chat with Shirley, Dapper’s CTO, who published the protocol and name for NFTs back in 2017. Register to attend »
To learn more about International NFT Day, visit InternationalNFTDay.org.
💡 Ideas and insights
Michael Gilbert, CEO of Semios, writing on LinkedIn about the top reasons #agtech companies need to provide "boots on the ground" when it comes to service/support
Roger Patterson, president of Later, shares three ways to exercise your leadership skills during a downtown when budgets righten, regardless of your position at work
Ryan Wong, CEO of Visier, writing in Entrepreneur: A downturn can actually be a good time to cultivate talent. Here's why.
Chris Neumann, general partner at Panache Ventures, writing on his personal blog about 5 things that make VCs go hmmm…
Vladimir Estoup, a marketing content consultant with Ethos NFT, writing on LinkedIn: 5 Ways NFTs Benefit Retail Brands.
Karn Manhas, CEO of Terramera, writing in his newsletter The Core Question: Meet the man who’s helping lead the soil health effort: An interview with Dr. Wayne Honeycutt
Will we see you at these upcoming events?
👋 Before you go…
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