Collision Conference, known as the “Olympics of tech” with more than 40,000 attendees, wrapped on Thursday in Toronto. And what a week. Vancouverites turned up in force for the event — more than 700 West Coasters made it out to the B.C. Future of Innovation Party — and a big roster of locals (including yours truly) spoke across a slate of packed out stages. A fistful of Vancouverites held it down on the main stage, including VTJ’s William Johnson, the Cofounders Hub’s Tanis Jorge, Frontier Collective’s Kassandra Linklater, and conference MC Casey Lau, each representing the city’s importance in an international arena.

Honestly, I haven’t quite recovered yet (did anyone else get manage to get to bed before 2:00 a.m. every night?) But watch this space for our official thoughts on the event when our writers have finally slept.

Now onto today’s briefing. It’s 1,156 words: a four-minute read.

-Kate, @KateWilsonSays

P.S. Beat those post-Collision blues by meeting us and your tech community for our weekly Vancouver Tech Morning Coffee on Tuesday, 8:00 a.m. ‘til 10:00 a.m. at the Coffee Bar (10 Water Street, Gastown).

Meet the top 25 for New Ventures BC 2023

From wastewater treatment and period care to aircraft bookings and smart strollers, it’s a stunning selection of startups.

Provincial innovation builders launch the BC Technology Ecosystems Network

Organizations including Vancouver’s entrepreneurship@UBC, SFU VentureLab, and New Ventures BC have formed an alliance to scale up local companies.

The biggest stories of 2023 — so far

We’re officially halfway through the year. Here are the 10 headlines you've missed that you need to know.

Zafin winner of Microsoft partner award

The company, which is now the 2023 Microsoft Financial Services Global Partner of the Year, is the first Canadian outfit to be given the accolade.

Google goes gaga for OneCup AI

One Vancouver-based outfit made the squad in Google’s new class of cloud-native startups in the U.S. and Canada. Read our top members’ briefing now. Members only.

🤝 Funding and deals

• ImagineAR entered into a binding letter of intent with New York’s 4Front Development that sees 4Front acquire a minority share of its subsidiary, FameDays, to support 4Front’s new immersive technology centre.

• Infinitii AI, an environmental monitoring firm, announced a $1.472 million record sales contract for five years with an unnamed large Canadian municipality.

• British Columbia Road Builders and Heavy Construction Association received a $3.9 million grant to attract talent through the use of virtual reality and simulator technologies that place jobseekers in snow plows and heavy equipment.

• For all the local funding news, become a Vancouver Tech Journal member »

🗞️ In other news

• Loba was featured on the New York Times’ list of the year’s best pill boxes.

• BTQ Technologies received approval by the US Patent and Trademark Office related to quantum-safe encryption technology, which is a win for Vancouver’s global startup ecosystem ranking.

• Trulioo, an identity verification company, has experienced 586 percent growth adoption of its Know Your Business verification services since 2020 in the United States.

• Loop Energy, a cleantech outfit, had its fuel cell system for a hydrogen electric bus platform selected by Polish electric bus manufacturer ARP E-Vehicles.

• The British Columbia Securities Commission asks the public for information about Shop Your Own Mortgage/My Mortgage Auction.

• For all local news and our daily coverage, become a Vancouver Tech Journal member »

💼 Take your career to the next level

• There are hundreds of other Vancouver tech businesses searching for talent, including SunTracker Technology, Montra Interactive, The BC Public Service, UrbanLogiq, The Coaches Site, and Ari.

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

• Growing your team? Post a job with us »

💡 Ideas and insights

• Traction podcast featured Matt Oppenheimer, co-founder and CEO at Remitly, in a discussion about how he took the company from zero to 4.2 million customers and a multi-billion dollar IPO.

• Geordie Rose, founder and CEO of Sanctuary AI, was interviewed by BNN Bloomberg: This robot is an example of Canadian innovation leading the world

• Dan Gamble, founder and CEO of DGPR, writes in Forbes: Pride should be year-round.

• Njoki Mbũrũ — Web3 facilitator, writer, and consultant — shares what she’s reading and watching to learn about decentralization in Web3.

• Ali Adab, chief content officer at SoleSavy, writes in Rolling Stone: Creators could rule the Fortune 500 in the next decade

🙋 I need a…

We at Vancouver Tech Journal know you, our community, pretty well. Are you searching for someone in your field to have coffee with, a hiring hookup, a lead on local investors, or a suggestion for a great Vancouver tech tool? Whatever you’re hunting for, let us know. We’ll post it in this section and make it happen.

Email your requests to [email protected].

👋 Before you go…

Today’s one little ask: Vancouver Tech Journal relies on you to fund local journalism and to keep building your community. If you can spare $8.25 — or $7.23, using the “friends of” code for Kate, James, or Allison — please consider becoming a member. (And you’ll also get access to a whole load of exclusive perks!)