🏙️ Why business leaders should be more like cockroaches

People think they know what will make them happier — chasing more money and prestige. In reality, those things make very little difference, said our VTJ Live guest Sahil Bloom on Friday night.

In front of a sell-out crowd at the Vancouver Playhouse, Bloom and Tiny CEO Andrew Wilkinson drilled down into what’s important in entrepreneurship — “taking off the mask”, as they put it, to reveal the reality of what it means to sacrifice for success. And why we should be more like cockroaches.

Amid pitches from Vancouver tech leaders and a lively Q&A from the audience — plus an afterparty that packed out the Ventura room next door — VTJ Live delivered advice, tools, and tips from two business leaders with a combined worth of over $100 million, who have started, acquired, or invested in more than 80 companies.

Did you miss out? Make sure you’re there for our next VTJ event!

Now onto today’s briefing. It’s 955 words: a four-minute read.

-Kate (@KateWilsonSays)

🗞️ VTJ Stories

🤝 Funding and deals:

• Univerus, a Port Moody-based provider of software solutions, acquired Varasset, a Vancouver-based software solution provider for communications industries. 

• BDC announced an additional $50-million injection into its Seed Venture Fund, dedicated to supporting emerging Canadian startups with funding.

• Avivo Biomedical announced a collaboration with Mayo Clinic intended to improve the use of donor organs for transplantation.

• WELL Health's Cybersecurity Business Unit, Cycura, has acquired Seekintoo, a provider of Cybersecurity Operations Center services.

• Cycura has also acquired Proack, a provider of offensive security assessments, including high quality penetration testing, red teaming, social engineering, and infrastructure testing.

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

🗞️ In other news:

• The Greater Vancouver Board of Trade announced its winners for the Business Distinction Awards.

• The Greater Vancouver Board of Trade also announced how it is enhancing economic ties between Canada and Korea.

• Baby brand Quark appeared on Dragons’ Den, airing Nov 23, 2023.

• Spring — the incubator, accelerator, and advisory firm — has unveiled the top five ventures from the Women Led Impact Investor Challenge, presented by TELUS Pollinator Fund for Good.

• Sens.ai has launched the world’s first personalized at-home brain training system.

• Form, a fitness technology company, has launched real-time visual coaching with its HeadCoach swimming product.

• Helijet has announced plans to become the first Canadian air carrier to provide passenger and cargo services using electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

• Animation workers at studio WildBrain have voted to unionize.

• For 10 more stories, become a member now »

💡 Ideas and insights:

• William Johnson, founder of Vancouver Tech Journal, writing on LinkedIn: The next B.C. budget is a chance for real change.

• Kaylee Astle, founder of Blanka, discusses how to launch a beauty brand in five minutes on Ethan Song’s podcast The Pop Up Report.

• Keith Ippel, co-founder of Spring, wrote on LinkedIn about the opportunity of femtech innovation.

💼 Take your career to the next level

• There are hundreds of Vancouver tech businesses searching for talent, including LexSelect, New Ventures BC, BC Public Service, Lululemon, and Amazon.

• 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…

If you’ve made it all the way to the end of this newsletter, you must be really into tech news. Us too! In fact, we love it so much that we’re growing the Tech Journal family. We’re launching a new publication, Canadian Tech Journal, which will uncover and amplify the most compelling tech stories and insights from across the country. Want to be the first to get in on the action? Join the waitlist to subscribe now.