Morning everyone,
In this week’s news, William sat in on a Vancouver event about the creator economy — and came away with a clear picture of how far the industry has moved beyond its influencer-marketing roots.
We also spoke with two companies from the pilot cohort of UBC Sauder's new Scale Up Program: Wafr Technologies, which is building cooling infrastructure for AI data centres, and EMTAR Technologies, a Canadian semiconductor startup designing chips for satellite communications.
Lastly, a fintech product manager based in Metro Vancouver makes the case for why Canada's mortgage industry needs to stop waiting and start building.
Now here’s what else has been happening in Vancouver tech this week.
-Emily
Events
From The Journal
SPONSORED BY FASKEN MARTINEAU
Legal advice from startup, to scale-up, to exit
Is your idea set to redefine an industry? For over 30 years, Fasken has helped thousands of startups transform their vision into tangible impact. Our fixed-fee startup program includes formation, IP strategy and venture capital fundraising services. Learn more.
Funding, Deals, and More
Clio has surpassed US$500 million in annual recurring revenue, placing the Burnaby-founded legal AI platform among a rare class of profitable, category-defining AI companies at scale. Read more →
NorthX Climate Tech has committed $1 million in follow-on funding to Anodyne Chemistries, a B.C. company developing technology to convert captured CO₂ into industrial-grade formates at commercial scale. Read more →
Salmon Arm-based 4AG Robotics has appointed Nick Pattinson as CEO, succeeding co-founder Sean O'Connor who built the company from an early idea into an autonomous mushroom-harvesting operation spanning three continents. Read more →
A new BIV feature looks at how Vancouver's venture capital market is heating up, with recent exits creating a new wave of angel investors and hot sectors like AI and life sciences driving oversubscribed rounds. Read more →
SPONSORED BY PHS COMMUNITY SERVICES SOCIETY
Help the PHS Run Team Sept 27th! Turn steps into Meals
PHS Community Services Society (PHS) invites Vancouver’s tech community to run or give back.
Join the PHS Run Team at the 2026 Under Armour Eastside 10K.
Or, Donate to the PHS Run Team to help raise $30,000 for PHS’s Vancouver Food Program—delivering 3,900 meals daily to people facing food insecurity.
In Other News
Hiive, the Vancouver-based private stock marketplace, is being sued by Nasdaq Private Market for alleged patent infringement related to its secondary sale settlement and clearance program. Read more →
Canada's national AI strategy is coming next week, Prime Minister Mark Carney confirmed, after several months of delays — with the strategy expected to outline Ottawa's plans across six pillars including sovereign AI, privacy and Canadian champion-scaling. Read more →
Frontier Collective CEO Dan Burgar argues in a Vancouver Sun op-ed that Canada continues to produce world-class tech companies, only to watch Silicon Valley harvest them — and outlines three things that could start to change that. Read more →
Althra partner Sanket Mittal has shared a post outlining four subtle red flags that can weaken a pre-seed fundraise — from a careless website to financial projections that outpace the underlying plan. Read more →
👋 Your Community
🗣 VTJ Community Slack – reply back if you need access.
💪 Become a VTJ Corporate Member and get your brand in front of thousands of tech professionals, investors, decision makers, and leaders. Get in touch today.