The Index: Five companies repping Sea to Sky country

We’ve summarized Strathcona, boasted about Burnaby, and mentioned Mount Pleasant. Now let’s take a drive north. A left off Main Street takes us over the Dunsmuir Viaduct, through downtown Vancouver, and towards the Lions Gate Bridge. It’s one of our region’s most scenic offerings. Coal Harbour’s glass condos give way to centuries-old hemlock and cedar trees that escort you toward a brilliant example of Art Deco engineering.

Over the bridge, it’s three mere turns before we’re on ribbons of tarmac that offer stunning views of Howe Sound to the left, while mountains escort us to the right. It’s a trip to a region where innovation is burgeoning. Let’s meet five companies with their roots in Sea to Sky country.

Bikebac

Co-founded out of a Whistler bedroom in a house that featured 16 (!) roommates, Bikebac is a purpose-built tracker for bikes that makes use of the Apple Find My network. By tapping into the millions of Apple devices worldwide, it provides a tracker that works the world over and without any subscription fees. Bikebac aims to start fulfilling orders in the coming weeks. It’s also partnered with Project 529 Garage, an online bike registry and database, to make it easier for its users to cross-register their bikes during setup.

Quotable: “We've been victims of having our bike go missing, and it's a feeling that sucks, and leaves us feeling violated and vulnerable. There's a few expensive tracking solutions on the market, but there's not really anything affordable.” - Co-founder Brian White.

Carbon Engineering

Squamish-based Carbon Engineering commercializes technology that captures CO₂ directly from the air, and has a second technology that synthesizes it into clean, affordable transportation fuels. The local climatetech leader houses its dedicated technology development and innovation centre in the Sea To Sky city.

Notable: Carbon Engineering was recently acquired for a massive $1.1 billion by U.S. oil and gas producer Occidental Petroleum, to help it develop a string of carbon-capture sites it hopes will profit from tackling climate change.