Who is Forbes' third best Canadian startup employer for 2024?

Last week’s snowpocalypse may have halted the city’s transit services, but it didn’t slow down its tech news. In this week’s Sunday Briefing, discover how your startup could get financial and matchmaking support to go to this year’s SXSW conference in Austin, learn how to nominate your company as a changemaker for a set of prestigious B.C. awards, and read which outfit has been voted number three in Forbes’ Best Canadian Startup Employers list for 2024.

Oh — and congratulations to the winner of our contest last week! Dr Alexandra T. Greenhill, CEO and chief medical officer of Careteam, took home the prize of two adult and four kids’ tickets to Science World. Enjoy, Alexandra!

Now onto today’s briefing. It’s 990 words: a four-minute read.

-Kate Wilson, managing editor (@KateWilsonSays)

🗞️ VTJ Stories

🤝 Funding and deals:

• Vancouver VC firm Vistara Growth invested $20 million into U.S. company Algo, an AI supply chain SaaS provider that uses technology to transform information.

• Aquanow, a digital assets infrastructure provider, announced a partnership with Gate.io — a global crypto exchange with over $6 billion in daily volume — to build global liquidity for the next wave of blockchain projects.

• The Merchant Opportunities Fund, a Vancouver-based private debt fund focused on investing in specialty finance portfolios, has increased its revolving debt facility with the Bank of Montreal to a $100 million funding commitment.

• For all the local funding and deals stories, become a member now »

🗞️ In other news:

• Life Sciences BC, a non-profit that supports the sector in the province, announced its fifth annual career connect day to help candidates find jobs.

• Operto Guest Technologies has been voted number three in Forbes’ Best Canadian Startup Employers list for 2024, from a field of 1500+ companies.

• Crown corporation Innovate BC is hosting a free virtual demo of its software Capital Compass BC, which offers a snapshot of companies in the province and potential capital sources.

• East Side Games, an indie developer, launched its latest free-to-play mobile game, developed in collaboration with All Elite Wrestling (AEW).

• Abbotsford Tech District — which aims to combine industry, education and community in one location — announced the contestants in its Farmers’ Den pitch contest.

• Digital — formerly known as the Digital Supercluster — has launched an event about the importance of being proactive and responsible in the development and deployment of  AI technologies.

• For eight more stories, become a member now »

💡 Ideas and insights:

• Bob Kronbauer, editor-in-chief of Vancouver is Awesome, writing on LinkedIn about why he’s stepping away from running the organization after 16 years.

• Aman Mann, CEO of Procurify, writing on LinkedIn about the right time to step out of your comfort zone.

• Sarah Huggins, co-founder of Hiive, wrote in LinkedIn about using her training as a lawyer in her role as an entrepreneur.

• Charlie Grinnell, co-CEO of RightMetric, was featured on the Hard Part podcast, discussing AI and marketing.

• Michelle Sklar, head of venture growth strategy at entrepreneurship@UBC, wrote an article about B.C.’s startup ecosystem and how it’s navigating economic headwinds with optimism.

💼 Take your career to the next level

• There are hundreds of Vancouver tech businesses searching for talent, including BC Public Service, MyFO (My Family Office), Brainstation, the City of Vancouver, and TTT Studios.

• Check out who else is hiring on our Vancouver Tech Job Board »

• Growing your team? Post a job with us »

🙋 Join your online community

Did you know you can connect with your tech community using our dedicated VTJ Slack? We know not all of you can get to our events in person, so this is your chance to network and chat with your friendly neighbourhood tech professionals from the comfort of your home. Join your VTJ Community Slack now.

👋 Before you go