Hey everyone,
This week in BC tech, one standout startup rose to the top: fintech company Binta Financial captured first place in the 2025 New Ventures BC Competition, beating out 216 companies and securing $110,000 to scale its borderless credit platform.
Meanwhile, community and culture took center stage. The Polyglot Unconference soon returns for its 11th year, continuing its radical no-speakers, no-pitches format. Vancouver’s foodtech sector made a national splash at the inaugural Foodtech Frontier Awards. And across the Strait, Victoria’s COAST Hub is offering new ways for innovators to meet and collaborate.
National headlines also rippled through the industry: Electronic Arts is set to be taken private in a record $55B deal, while new partnerships and appointments—from Métis entrepreneurship to Canada’s AI task force—signal deeper shifts in innovation, inclusion, and leadership.
P.S. This Thursday, October 9th, CFIN will honour the Foodtech Frontier 25 – Canada’s most promising foodtech companies of 2025. Think you should be in the room, reply and let me know so I can connect you to the organizers.
P.P.S. Win tickets to watch Shifting Baselines on Oct 6 and 7 at VIFF:
Life in Boca Chica, Texas changed forever when SpaceX landed next door. Shifting Baselines—a haunting new documentary by Julien Elie—captures how the dream of space exploration reshapes the people and places left behind. Filmed in stark black and white, it’s a striking look at ambition, displacement, and the cost of “progress.”
🎟️ We’re giving away five pairs of tickets, first come, first serve—with preference for VTJ Insiders.
From The Journal
Funding, Deals & More
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Read more →EA to be taken private in historic $55B buyout: Electronic Arts is set to be acquired in the largest private equity buyout ever, valued at US$55 billion—another signal of mega-capital flowing into gaming.
Read more →Alacrity Canada and BC Métis Federation sign MOU: The organizations signed an agreement to advance Métis entrepreneurship, innovation, and economic opportunity across British Columbia.
Read more →
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In Other News
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Read more →*Gail Murphy named to federal AI task force: UBC’s VP Research & Innovation and computer science professor Gail Murphy has been appointed to Canada’s national AI task force, joining leaders advising federal strategy.
Read more →Kathryn Hayashi steps down as CEO of TRIUMF Innovations: Hayashi wraps a tenure focused on partnerships and science commercialization, citing projects from actinium-225 medical isotopes to fusion collaborations with General Fusion.
Read more →Semios CEO Amie Thesingh on climate resilience and agtech: In a new Q&A, Thesingh outlines Semios’ strategy for helping growers navigate climate volatility through data, automation, and integrated farm intelligence.
Read more →Bridging the gap in Indigenous representation in BC tech: Business in Vancouver explores the state of Indigenous inclusion in the sector and efforts underway to expand pathways and leadership.
Read more →ICYMI: BC Tech names top three Startup of the Year finalists: Following a live pitch in Vancouver, FireSwarm, Glüxkind, and Insporos advanced to the TIAs gala on October 23, where the winner will be announced.
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