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Get the lowdown on local climatetech
From B.C.'s new energy policy to a $400 million fund for cleantech investment. This is your Sunday Briefing.
Kate Wilson
November 06, 2022
It’s a running joke that every tech company claims it will “make the world a better place”. (Don’t believe me? Check out this iconic scene from the show Silicon Valley.) As much as I appreciate the importance of a good digital asset management software or task management aggregator — they’re important in their own realm — it’s hard to argue that they’re solving the world’s existential problems.
Climatetech and cleantech, however, are. And they’re booming in Vancouver. Not just the “Silicon Valley of hydrogen” (no, we didn’t make that title up), local companies are working on all aspects of green solutions. This week in our eco-tech issue, read about the new B.C. legislation for clean energy, the UBC grads saving farmers millions of litres of water, the success of a local carbon-capture outfit, and how engineering and mining execs are using VR.
Now onto today’s briefing. It’s 1,145 words: a four-minute read.
- P.S. This Tuesday’s morning coffee is full. But you can still register for our evening event: #vtjtalks: Ecommerce Business Growth & Vancouver’s D2C Ecosystem with Outway, Blume and Casca. See you there?
-Kate, @KateWilsonSays
Arthur Chen is climate-proofing agriculture
The co-founder of Verdi is saving farmers millions of litres of water, and has his eyes set on holistically adapting farms to climate change. Start reading »
British Columbia commits to a climate-friendly future through hydrogen energy
The provincial government has established new legislation to fast-track production, compliance, and consultations for hydrogen development. Start reading »
Clirio is the “metaverse for the real world”
Although its platform creates 3D visualizations for the engineering and mining industries, Clirio’s impact is changing the lives of everyday communities. Start reading »
Squamish’s Carbon Engineering begins work on a second carbon-capture facility in Texas
The company has been taking CO2 out of the air since 2015, and now creates facilities capable of withdrawing one million tons of carbon annually from the atmosphere. Start reading »
Hootsuite lays off another five percent of employees
The company reduced its headcount by an estimated 50 workers. Start reading »
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🤝 Funding and deals
BDC has doubled down on its cleantech investment, and has launched a new $400M Climate Tech Fund II for Canadian companies. Learn more »
Audette secured USD $9.5 million to create a net-zero plan for every building in North America. Continue »
Later.com co-founder and CTO Ian Mackinnon donated $100,000 to his alma mater to help launch a Math Entrepreneurship Fund. Learn more »
GenXys, which develops precision prescribing software, has partnered with Manchester University for a global pharmacogenomics education initiative. Continue »
TELUS International has agreed to acquire WillowTree, a U.S. full-service digital product provider. Continue »
Blossom Social, a fintech startup building a social stock brokerage, closed a CAD $750,000 funding round, bringing the company’s total funding to over $1 million. Ryan Holmes, the founder of Hootsuite, and Manny Padda participated in the round with their new fund LOI Venture alongside prominent finance YouTubers Brandon Beavis and Shay Huang. Read more »
Broadband TV acquired Outloud Media, a Detroit-based creator economy business with expertise in distributing and monetizing creator content across multiple social media platforms like Facebook. Continue »
🗞️ In other news
Innovate BC, in partnership with Global Village Publishing, is producing volume two of the Innovate Vancouver series: a 300 page AR-enabled book that gives an insider’s look at Vancouver tech. Start reading »
SHARC Energy, a company that uses wastewater to generate heat, will soon be supplying heating for two high-rises in the Bronx. Learn more »
How B.C. is charting its own course in EV and online auto sales. Business in Vancouver »
entrepreneurship@UBC announced its upcoming Venture Showcase will take place on November 23. Register »
Apex Labs, a pharmaceutical company focused on mental health care for Veterans, gained approval for the first North American take-home multi-dose psilocybin clinical trial. Continue »
For the first time, BCIT students took part in the annual ‘Capture the Flag’ challenge organized by financial firm Raymond James, where they defended against potential hacking threats. Read more »
Durable’s AI technology makes starting a business easy. BNN Bloomberg »
ThoughtExchange COO Jessica Nordlander and MintList COO Mehrsa Raeiszadeh were among multiple B.C. women named to Bay Street Bull’s women of the year. Bay Street Bull »
💼 Take your career to the next level
Everyone’s talking about hiring. And while Dapper Labs and Hootsuite have laid off team members this week, there are hundreds of other Vancouver tech businesses searching for talent, including AbCellera, Tsunami Solutions, Seaspan ULC, LandSure, Inetco Systems, Tantalus Systems, Withe, and PayPal.
Check out who else is hiring on our Vancouver Tech Journal Job Board »
Growing your team? Post a job with us »
💡 Ideas and insights
Allen Pike, CEO of Steamclock, writing on his blog about how to scale quick decision-making: You should propose more things
Christina Hsu, a UX/UI designer at TTT Studios, writing on her firm’s blog: How immersive technologies like AR/VR can enhance empathy in healthcare
Karn Manhas, founder and CEO of Terramera, writing in his newsletter The Core Question: How computational chemistry can help farms grow better food — a conversation with Dr. Sadegh Shokatian
Ryan Wong, CEO of Visier, writing in Fast Company: If your employees are working on vacation, your company might be in trouble
Ayelen Osorio, a content and community manager with Netcoins, launched a podcast about bitcoin: The Misfit
👋 Before you go…
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