🚗 From $50k to $5 million, real quick
The story of how an online auto sales marketplace grew 100x over 5 months. Welcome to the Sunday Briefing.
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Good morning everyone. Last week, we sent you our top 21 stories from 2021. It was a subtle reminder that we’re almost at the end of the year. We’re so close that this very email is actually the second last one you’ll get from us until January. Our next and final 2021 dispatch will land in your inboxes this coming Wednesday morning, and it’ll spotlight a number of the biggest funding and deal stories of the last 12 months. Then it’s a short two-week break as we gear up for what will no doubt be another exciting period for BC’s tech ecosystem. See you this Wednesday — and then in 2022.
Cover story: How Autozen, an online auto sales marketplace, 100x’d GMV in less than 5 months
For CEO Olivier Vincent, his company’s mission — and growth — starts and ends with putting power back into the hands of people. » Start reading.
Set to IPO, here’s how Article navigated the biggest months in its history
Plus, after a million orders, Duncan Blair, the company’s SVP of marketing, shares what comes next for the furniture e-commerce juggernaut. » Start reading.
Ryan Holmes and Manny Padda launch new $20M fund for young founders, LOI Venture
The fund’s cheque sizes will range from $100,000 to $300,000 with the potential for special purpose vehicles to extend investment cheques into the $1 million range. » Get the full story.
"Vancouver is a goldmine” for engineering talent — SceneBox exits stealth and enters software 2.0
SceneBox founder and CEO Yaser Khalighi on the high quality of his local team and the backstory of the venture. » Start reading.
Insider stories from Codex’s NFX-led $5.5M seed round
Codex, a developer tool that allows engineers to share context on the 'why' of code directly in their integrated development environment (IDE), revealed that it’s raised $5.5 million CAD in seed funding and is now in private beta. Read our feature to hear from CEO Brandon Waselnuk on the company's origin story, "wild" dealings with investors, and impactful journey through Y Combinator. » Start reading.
Karl Pringle's plan to disrupt the centuries-old approach to drug therapy — and save thousands of lives in the process
The CEO of GenXys on how his startup — through science and software — will put an end to one-size-fits-all treatments and bring prescriptions into the future. » Start reading.
🤝 Funding and deals.
Variational AI, which recently raised $4.3 million in seed funding, is partnering with UBC and adMare BioInnovations to develop a COVID-19 therapeutic. » Continue.
Traction Guest, a BC-founded provider of cloud-based visitor management and workforce security software, was acquired by PSG, a growth equity firm. » Continue.
Tiggy, a 15-minute grocery delivery startup raised $6.35 million in seed funding, from Heartland, Global Founders Capital, FJ Labs and Redbox Ventures. » Continue.
Streamline Athletes, a sports recruitment platform, acquired The Stride Report. » Start reading.
Daanaa Resolution, Inc. announced a Series A investment of $7 million USD led by VoLo Earth Ventures. » Continue.
Mogo, a fintech business, announced the closing of a US$27.5 million registered direct offering. » Continue.
GenXys inked a deal with Precision Genetics, which will now use the company’s software to enhance patient care. » Continue.
The BC Government announced a third round CleanBC Building Innovation Fund support, with as much as $5 million available for energy-efficient and low-carbon building projects. » Continue.
3x Hiring in 2021, What’s the Secret?
Hiring is back in full throttle. At VanHack they’ve seen 3x hiring volumes in the past year alone.
In 2022, tech companies will continue to look beyond their borders for their next great tech hire. Get instant access to VanHack’s 250K global tech community, and start filling senior developer roles and building engineering teams. Start Hiring Now.
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🗞️ In other news…
Amazon will occupy Canada’s first multi-storey industrial development located in Burnaby’s Riverbend business park. (our friends at Burnaby Beacon) » Continue.
Ten First Nations across BC will receive funding for alternative energy projects in their communities through the British Columbia Indigenous Clean Energy Initiative. » Continue.
Alpha Esports Tech announced the resignation of interim CEO Matthew Schmidt and the appointment of current COO Brian Wilneff to CEO. Schmidt will remain on Alpha’s board of directors. » Continue.
Tracesafe Inc. will once again be the exclusive provider of wearable safety technology and data analytics for the 2022 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Junior Hockey Championship in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta. » Continue.
BBTV appointed John Kim to its BoD, and approved promotions of Lewis Ball to Chief Strategy Officer, Doug Johnson to Chief of Ad Sales and Branded Entertainment, and Blake Corbet to Chief Corporate Development Officer. » Continue.
Dan Burgar, the co-founder of Shape, was named to LinkedIn Top Voices in Technology & Innovation to follow. » Continue.
Dapper Labs helps give Dr. Seuss characters the NFT treatment in ‘Seussibles’ app. » Continue.
REITIUM Technologies LTD., a proptech start-up, has joined UCLA’s Anderson Venture Accelerator program. » Continue.
Māk Interiors shared a behind-the-scenes look into the recently improved Hootsuite Vancouver HQ, with some key insights on their return to work strategy. (TechOffice.io) » Continue.
Silicon Valley Bank released its fourth-quarter State of the Markets report, which indicates that Canada will finish the year with a new record for venture capital deals. (BetaKit) » Continue.
AbCellera wants the government to “implement a patent-box regime,” giving IP-heavy firms like itself a break on taxes from portions of revenue. (The Logic) » Continue.
Mojio, a connected mobility platform, announced a collaboration with Audi of America, Inc., to provide a dealer-installed connected vehicle solution for Audi customers. » Continue.
Trulioo has secured six cryptocurrency customers for its GlobalGateway global identity verification platform, including Centbee, GMO Trust, Omni Matrix, Skilling, Strike Protocols and Vintech Capital. (BioMetric Update) » Continue.
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Uber’s Social Impact in Canada
As Canada continues on its road to recovery, Uber has worked to keep communities safe, support food security for vulnerable Canadians and help local businesses prosper. To learn more, read the 2021 Social Impact Report.
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💡 Ideas and insights.
Kathleen Reid, founder and chief communications officer, shares predictions for the coming year: BC tech sector will roar even louder in 2022
Roger Patterson, CEO of Later, writing in Bay Street Bull: How One CEO is Combatting Digital Distractions
Kari LaMotte, managing director at entrepreneurship@UBC, shared her 2021 Year in Review
Kathleen Reid, founder and chief communications officer, shares predictions for the coming year: BC tech sector will roar even louder in 2022
Tessa Seager, BC’s director of government affairs at the Council of Canadian Innovators, writing on her organization’s blog: Businesses need I.P. strategies — so do governments: A how-to guide
Catherine Ducharme, co-founder of Fluency Leadership, writing on her firm’s blog: Eight leadership lessons we can learn from Ted Lasso
🧑🌾 Jobs at CubicFarms
CubicFarms is currently hiring for nearly 20 roles in Canada, including positions in software, engineering, plant science and quality specialists.
» Explore more roles at CubicFarms.
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