January roundup: Already missed these 25 key Vancouver tech stories?

Last week, I had the privilege of speaking with Web Summit executives, including their head of partners, the VP responsible for Asia-Pacific, and their startups and investor relationships lead. My assignment? Highlight what’s hot in Vancouver tech. Barely a month into 2025, I worried there might not be enough to talk about. But after digging through newsletters, revisiting event notes, and checking in with my network, it became clear the bigger challenge would be condensing everything into a 10-minute presentation.

If you feel like you’ve fallen behind on this year’s biggest tech stories so far, don’t worry — Vancouver Tech Journal has you covered. Here’s a summary of the top 25 stories I shared last week, grouped by category for easy reading.

Quantum computing and advanced technology

D-Wave’s $23M in bookings: D-Wave announced fiscal year 2024 bookings exceeding $23 million, a 120 percent increase over 2023.

Digital’s quantum grant: A $1.9 million grant was awarded to a consortium including D-Wave and the University of Northern British Columbia.

BTQ Technologies’ IP acquisition: BTQ, another quantum computing firm, acquired advanced computing-in-memory intellectual property from Cimtech.

Venture capital and funding

Aspect Biosystems’ $115M Series B: Vancouver-based biotech Aspect Biosystems closed a USD $115 million Series B round led by Dimension.

Moment Energy’s $15M backing by Amazon: The funding will help expand Moment Energy’s Vancouver HQ and build the world’s first EV battery repurposing gigafactory.

Exit North Ventures Fund I launch: After a year of fundraising, Exit North Ventures declared it’s ready to invest aggressively in Canadian fintech startups.

Proton Intelligence raises $6.95M seed round: The company develops potassium monitoring platforms for health applications.

Mergers, acquisitions, and leadership updates

Lighthouse Labs sold to Uvaro: Vancouver’s tech education pioneer Lighthouse Labs was acquired by Uvaro for an undisclosed amount.

Broadsight appoints new CEO: Steve Lowry, former founding executive director of AInBC, takes the reins at Broadsight, a workflow platform for comms teams.

Procurify appoints new CEO: The purchasing software company welcomed Chad Gaydos as its new leader.

Vancouver-founded Later acquires Mavely: Social media company Later expanded its footprint by acquiring Mavely, a U.S.-based creator monetization platform.

Biotech and life sciences

AbCellera’s expanded cancer collaboration: The company deepened its partnership with AbbVie to create new cancer treatments using AbCellera's technology to develop antibodies that target tumors.

Biovaxys’ private placement: Biovaxys closed a $537,500 tranche of its ongoing private placement to fund biotech developments.

Cleantech and sustainability

Svante and Tenaska partnership: The carbon capture innovator teamed up with Tenaska to offer cost-effective solutions for industrial carbon capture.

Ionomr Innovations expands to the U.S.: The hydrogen economy leader opened a development facility in Massachusetts.

Global Cleantech 100: Five B.C. companies made the 2025 Global Cleantech 100 list, including Ionomr Innovations, Mangrove Lithium, and Svante.

Startups and ecosystem growth

Gumloop’s $17M raise and move to Silicon Valley: Vancouver-founded Gumloop raised $17 million and sparked debates by relocating to SF.

Fox Fold expands in hospitality: The innovative tissue company raised $3 million and expanded across North America, serving major hotel chains and aiming to disrupt the $60 billion tissue market.

Vancouver Startup Week returns: VSW 2025 promises to elevate B.C.’s startup ecosystem with a renewed focus from May 20-23.

Community and inclusion initiatives

Women of Novus launch: This women-only event series is creating a safe, inclusive space for female founders in Vancouver’s tech and innovation scene.

Misfit Ventures launches: Canada’s first 2SLGBTQ+ VC fund was co-founded by Douglas Lui, cultivating inclusivity in venture capital, and received funding from Realize Capital Partners.

Major partnerships and infrastructure

SFU secures part of $22.9M for STEM training: SFU’s new funding will expand the National Invention to Innovation Network, fostering entrepreneurship in STEM and healthcare.

Vancouver to Seattle cables for AI workloads: New underground cables are being installed to meet data demands between Vancouver and Seattle.

Policy and economic impacts

Fraser Institute study on capital gains taxes: The report warns that Canada may become one of the least competitive nations in the industrialized world for capital gains tax rates.

Priorities for Diana Gibson B.C.’s Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation were laid out in a recently released mandate letter, which include encouraging AI adoption.

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