- Vancouver Tech Journal
- Posts
- Subsidize your tech hire with $10k | The Morning Report
Subsidize your tech hire with $10k | The Morning Report
Plus 10 other headlines from the past 24 hours.
The Morning Report, a clear and concise digest of daily Vancouver tech news, will soon be coming out of beta. If you want to share feedback with us on your experience receiving it, please email [email protected].
Good Morning,
Here’s what you need to know today.
With $14 million from partners, the BC government is expanding the Innovator Skills Initiative (IS), a program that provides funding for businesses to hire students or youth for tech-related roles.
The expansion sees the province partner with Innovate BC, Mitacs, and the Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC). The province has previously announced a $15 million investment into the ISI, so with the matching funds, the total program investment is $29 million. » Get the details.
Vancouver Economic Commission has launched Angels for Climate Solutions, a program aiming to increase the flow of capital investment into BC-based, early-stage climate technology startups.
The program is funded by Innovate BC and delivered in partnership with Spring Activator, Volition and Foresight Canada. » Get the details.
We buy wonderful businesses.
For over a decade, Tiny has been partnering with founders to give them quick, straightforward exits that protect their team and culture and keep their businesses operating for the long term.
Funding and deals:
Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers signed a deal to buy US company SmartEquip for US$175-million.Via Globe and Mail: SmartEquip helps customers with spare parts purchasing and real-time service and diagnostic support for equipment. Ritchie Bros. says the deal helps further its strategy to move beyond being a traditional auctioneer of used heavy equipment.
Virogin Biotech, a developer of oncolytic virus (OV) therapeutics, has raised over $120 million with plans to build its global R&D centre in China’s Shanghai city.Established in 2015 by Chris Huang and William Jia, Virogin is engaged in the fundamental research and clinical development of OV therapies, which use a virus that preferentially infects and kills cancer cells.
Vancouver’s Copperleaf Technologies Inc. has set a price range of $11 to $13 a share for its impending IPO. The company said in a securities filing it planned to raise $125-million in the deal, which is being co-led by underwriters Merrill Lynch, Bank of Montreal and William Blair & Co.
Quotable/Debatable: “In many respects, it’s easier to bring people into Victoria than it is to Vancouver because there is a little bit of an advantage in terms of cost of living.” - Glenn Bindley, CEO, Redlen Technologies Inc.
Ideas and insights:
Shafin Diamond, CEO of Victory Square Technologies, writing in Worth: What Entrepreneurship Can Learn From Sports’ Push For Gender Equality
Zac Cohen, COO of Trulioo, writing in Forbes: What Consumers Think About Online Security And How Brands Can Respond
More BC tech headlines from around the web:
That’s it for today’s Morning Report.
Have a productive and fulfilling day. See you tomorrow.
- William (@notionport)
Premium Content
Become a paying subscriber of Vancouver Tech Journal Membership (premium) to get access to this page and other subscriber-only content.
- 🔑 Exclusive content: In-depth stories that you won't find anywhere else
- 🎟️ First access to events we put on
- 🔒 The Morning Report, an email digest of need-to-know stories and deals
- 🗓️ Discounted and invitation-only events