Hi everyone,
Before we get into, I want to invite you to our exclusive fintech innovation panel and mixer this Tuesday in downtown Vancouver. Join us as we spotlight the founders and leaders shaping this movement right here in Vancouver.
Now, from mining’s subsurface to fintech’s frontier, this week’s stories trace how B.C. companies are stretching their reach—underground, online, and across oceans.
Ideon’s partnership with Rio Tinto shows how deep tech born in Vancouver can transform a global industry right here at home. Meanwhile, Clio is moving further into fintech, Launch Academy is bottling founder wisdom with Ray AI, and new funds from Pawsible Ventures and Spring Impact Capital are giving local founders fresh fuel.
Add in global arrivals like Heidi choosing Metro Vancouver, a robotics veteran joining 4AG, and FloatVR’s milestone download count, and it’s clear B.C.’s ecosystem isn’t just growing—it’s compounding.
Let’s get into it.
From The Journal
Funding, Deals & More
Pawsible Ventures launches $10M pet health fund & studio: The new vehicle backs startups building the next generation of animal wellness companies.
Read more →Spring Impact Capital closes $14M fund: Vancouver’s Spring Impact Capital wrapped a $14M fund to invest in early-stage climate and healthtech ventures across Canada.
Read more →#Traction: FloatVR crosses 100,000 downloads: Entrepreneur Doron Meir shared that FloatVR has surpassed the six-figure download mark—a milestone for the local VR title.
Read more →Clio moves deeper into fintech: The legaltech unicorn introduced Pay Later and Clio Capital, expanding its embedded financial services for law firms.
Read more →
🏠 Canada’s housing crisis is measured in millions of missing homes, but the sharpest pain is felt in the smallest communities.
A powerful new podcast, Can I Stay? Rural, Remote, and Ready to Build, shifts the lens from national housing stats to community-led innovation—highlighting how rural, remote, and Indigenous leaders, and the organizations working alongside them, are building affordable, sustainable housing futures.
Produced with support from Foresight Canada and funding from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, the podcast is hosted by Lindsay Blair (Rural Impact Canada) and Candace Larsen (One Bowl Housing Corporation).
From system-wide barriers to grassroots solutions, each episode features first-hand accounts from those on the front lines of the housing crisis alongside expert perspectives.
🎙️ The first two episodes are now available:
Episode 1: Can I Stay, or Do I Need to Go?
Episode 2: Zooming Out: System-Level Challenges
*Sponsored by Foresight Canada
In Other News
UK exec Nick Pattinson joins B.C.-based 4AG as Managing Director: Pattinson, whose background spans robotics and agtech, says labour shortages and food security challenges make “Agbots” the clear next step.
Read more →Launch Academy debuts Ray AI: “Ray AI” is a living knowledge profile trained on 2.25M+ words from Ray Walia’s talks, articles, and startup lessons—packaged for searchable guidance.
Read more →
Plus…
Funding to Hiring: How IRAP and SR&ED Help You Scale 🚀 (October 23)
60-Minute Playbook for Founders on Securing Grants, Avoiding Common Costly HR Pitfalls, and Providing Tax-Efficient Health Benefits
You will learn from Experts on how to:
💰 Unlock Non-Dilutive Funding
✍️ Build an Essential HR Foundation
🏆 Attract and Retain Top Talent
🗺️ Master the Full Cycle
🎟️ Register
*Sponsored Eugenie HR and Healthwise Benefits
👀 Can't-Miss
This week: October 21: #VTJLive: The Fintech Frontier – Disruption, Trust & Transformation
👋 Your Community
🗣 VTJ Community Slack – reply back if you need access.
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