Hey everyone,
This week’s briefing reads like a snapshot of a province in motion—one where culture, capital, and compute are all being pulled forward at once. On one end, Fixated is snapping up Vancouver’s Ellify to deepen its grip on gaming and youth culture; on the other, General Fusion is preparing to take a generational bet public via a billion-dollar SPAC. In between, B.C.’s AI minister is making the case that this province is uniquely positioned to turn artificial intelligence into broad-based economic growth, while Mangrove Lithium and Jetson remind us that the energy transition isn’t theoretical—it’s being built, financed, and scaled right now.
There’s also a quieter but equally important thread running through this week’s stories: infrastructure, credibility, and control. From data centres and clean tech testbeds at YVR, to new questions about Canada’s ability to attract top founders, to SiteMedia’s bet on owning more of the “built world” narrative, the throughline is about who gets to build the next chapter—and where. Add in fresh momentum from Aspect Biosystems, a new Arctic-focused defence startup backed by a former cabinet minister, and a creator economy consolidation play, and you get a week that feels less like incremental progress and more like strategic repositioning.
In short: this is one of those weeks where the connective tissue between tech, policy, capital, and culture is impossible to ignore.
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January 28: CPA Next: Accounting x Technology
February 19-20: 7th Western Angel Investment Summit in Victoria
From The Journal
SPONSORED BY VRIFY
From Critical Minerals to Critical Decisions: How AI is Changing Mineral Exploration
As the demand for critical minerals continues to rise, the pressure on mineral exploration teams does too. There’s a growing desire — like in many industries — to move faster and smarter, but this shift isn’t as simple as it sounds. While technology promises to change how discoveries are made, adoption across the mining industry remains uneven and often cautious.
VRIFY’s recently released Mineral Exploration Tech Report takes an objective look at how exploration technology is being used today, where it’s delivering measurable value, and what’s holding broader adoption back. Grounded in real-world perspectives from across the mining ecosystem, the report examines changing attitudes toward AI and digital tools, offering practical insight into what the next phase of mineral exploration will require to move forward.
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Funding, Deals, and More
Canada Growth Fund leads up to $85M investment in Mangrove Lithium: Vancouver-based Mangrove Lithium secured a structured financing of up to US$85M, led by Canada Growth Fund, to commercialize its lithium refining technology and advance commissioning and scale-up plans.
SiteMedia acquires STOREYS to expand coverage of Canada’s built world: SiteMedia has acquired STOREYS, aiming to connect construction and real estate coverage under one roof—spanning the full lifecycle from infrastructure through to transactions and development.
Vancouver’s Jetson raises $50M to scale heat pump installs: Jetson, a Vancouver-based heat pump startup, raised $50M to expand its service footprint and offerings, pitching faster installs and lower costs as it scales home electrification across North America.
General Fusion to go public via $1B SPAC deal: Richmond-based General Fusion plans to go public on Nasdaq via a roughly US$1B merger with Spring Valley Acquisition Corp. III, with proceeds aimed at advancing its magnetized target fusion development.
Aspect Biosystems expands Novo Nordisk partnership: Vancouver-based Aspect Biosystems and Novo Nordisk are entering a new phase of collaboration on cell-based diabetes therapies, building on their 2023 relationship and signalling broader pharma interest in Aspect’s bioprinting platform.
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In Other News
B.C. expands real-world clean tech demos at YVR: The Province says more companies will be supported to test “dual-use” clean technologies at Vancouver International Airport, including projects tied to EV charging, battery storage, and greener ground-handling equipment.
Build Canada memo argues Canada can still win top founders: A new memo from Boris Wertz and Build Canada makes the case that entrepreneurs are globally mobile—and that Canada can attract the world’s best if it fixes friction and credibility issues in its startup visa pipeline.
B.C. risks falling behind without more local data centres: Industry leaders told BIV that constraints on local data centre development could weaken B.C.’s digital sovereignty and economic competitiveness—especially as AI compute demand accelerates.
Former defence minister backs startup focused on Arctic autonomy: Former defence minister Harjit Sajjan has co-founded Vancouver-based Juno Industries, focused on dual-use autonomous systems for high-consequence environments, with an early emphasis on Arctic use cases.
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