Dapper Labs, GeoComply among the dozen Technology Impact Award winners for 2022

B.C.’s innovation ecosystem was celebrated across a range of categories including technology adoption, resilience, and diversity and inclusion.

Last night at the Vancouver Convention Centre, the BC Tech Association (BC Tech) announced the winners for its 2022 Technology Impact Awards (TIAs).

Co-hosted by Jill Tipping, CEO of the BC Tech Association, and author and speaker Riaz Meghji, the event welcomed more than 800 people and celebrated a record number of finalists alongside its 12 winners.

The evening kicked off with the award that was linked to the event’s theme, ambition, which blockchain unicorn Dapper Labs took home. The night ended with East Side Games founder Josh Nilson being recognized as the Person of the Year for his leadership in the local tech ecosystem and commitment to advancing diversity in tech, specifically for Indigenous peoples.

In between, accolades were handed out to ten other deserving companies. Here is the full list of winners.

Spirit of BC Tech — ambition

Finalists: Clio, Dapper Labs, LandSure, Trulioo, VanHack

Winner: Dapper Labs

• Go deeper: Dieter Shirley, NFT pioneer, talks about his creation’s past and future

Gamechanger — climate leadership

Finalists: General Fusion, Global Relay, HTEC, Loop Energy

Winner: HTEC

• Go deeper: Four Burnaby tech firms secure $11.1M investment from federal agency

Gamechanger — diversity and inclusion

Finalists: Hootsuite, Jelly Academy, SAP

Winner: Hootsuite

• Go deeper: Inside Hootsuite’s rebrand and refocus

Excellence in industry innovation

Finalists: Seaspan Shipyards, TechBrew Robotics, Vancouver Airport Authority

Winner: Vancouver Airport Authority

• Go deeper: Cloud-based technology to enhance passenger experience at YVR

Excellence in technology innovation

Finalists: Elevated Signals, ForwardAI, MeetAmi Innovations, Transoft Solutions

Winner: MeetAmi Innovations

• Go deeper: Vancouver-based ‍‍MeetAmi Innovations closes $29M seed round

Excellence in company culture

Finalists: Dapper Labs, FreshWorks Studio, Lumen5

Winner: Dapper Labs

• Go deeper: What is NBA Top Shot, the Dapper Labs built marketplace that did $50 million in sales in 30 days?

Company of the year — startup

Finalists: Carbin Minerals, Daanaa, MintList, VodaSafe

Winner: VodaSafe

• Go deeper: VodaSafe’s AquaEye offers a lifeline against drowning

Company of the year — growth

Finalists: AOT Technologies, FansUnite, Oxygen8, StandardFusion

Winner: AOT Technologies

• Go deeper: Subscribe to Victoria Tech Journal for our upcoming feature on the company.

Company of the year — export

Finalists: Advanced Cyclotron Systems, Canalyst, Launchpad, Weir Motion Metrics

Winner: Advanced Cyclotron Systems

Company of the year — scale

Finalists: Freight Club, Lighthouse Labs, ReadyMode, Redlen Technologies

Winner: Redlen Technologies

• Go deeper: Saanichton’s Redlen Technologies acquired by Canon in $424M deal

Company of the year — anchor

Finalists: GeoComply, Global Relay, LMI Technologies, Seaspan Shipyards

Winner: GeoComply

• Go deeper: BC has produced 9 tech businesses worth $1B+ in 9 months

Person of the year

Finalists: Joy Johnson, Josh Nilson, Pascal Spothelfer

Winner: Josh Nilson

• Go deeper: Vancouver Film School launches $200,000 Indigenous Scholarship in Video Games fund

"We were thrilled to celebrate the innovative tech sector in B.C. and pulled out all of the stops to ensure the TIAs Gala reflected the theme of ambition," said Tipping. “In challenging times, innovation becomes more important than ever and through tonight's awards we were able to shine a light on the strength of B.C.'s tech community."

The TIAs Gala also honours the partners and sponsors that make the awards possible every year. "This is the biggest fundraising event of the year for BC Tech, and it is essential to supporting the programs and activities we deliver to help tech companies grow and scale here in BC," Tipping added.

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