👋 Good morning, and welcome to (or welcome back to) VTJ’s Sunday Briefing: your weekly digest of the city’s innovation news, deals, insights, and more.
Want to learn how to start a venture without a background in tech? This week, Cocoflo’s Bernie Florido shares his journey from police officer to founder. Plus, find out about legal allegations against Lululemon, your upcoming Vancouver Tech Week, and how Alberta is ahead of B.C. in venture funding this year.
Oh — and don’t miss our Vancouver Tech Journal members-only social on Thursday! Not already a member? Fix that here.
Now onto today’s briefing. It’s 1,429 words: a four-minute read.
-Lisa
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🗞️ FROM VTJ
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SPONSORED BY FORESIGHT CANADA
Foresight 50 tickets now available
For Canada to reduce emissions at the pace our current climate challenges demand, innovators need access to capital to scale, deploy, and reach new markets. And so far, most of them are struggling.
The Foresight 50 list, an initiative organized by Foresight Canada, is changing that. Now in its fourth year, the list recognizes Canada’s most investible startups, connecting them with a vast network of international investors.
Find out who made the 2024 list.
For a limited time, Foresight is offering a 25% off early bird discount for the following tickets:
Foresight 50 Celebration only (November 6)
Foresight 50 Celebrations & Investor Forum (November 6 and 7)
Register now and enter the code F50EARLYBIRD to secure your spot.
🤝 FUNDING & DEALS
Canada Growth Fund, the federal government’s new green tech fund, is investing $100 million in Svante, a cleantech startup backed by Chevron, to help commercialize its carbon capture and removal projects.
UBC received $8.8 million from PacifiCan to establish the Biodevice Foundry, which will provide life sciences and food companies with lab space, specialized equipment, and training programs to develop and test products.
Minru, a smart window startup, raised $24.7 million in a Series A round to expedite the process of commercializing its electronically tintable windows.
InBC, the strategic investment fund created by B.C.’s government, announced it’s investing in Arca, a CO2 removal tech startup, for an undisclosed amount to support the province’s climate and clean energy goals.
The Canadian Food Innovation Network, which supports Canadian food and beverage businesses, put a call out for SMEs to apply for its Innovation Booster program, where eligible project costs can be covered up to $100K.
Startup TNT, which connects local startups and entrepreneurs with angels, supporters, and other investors, put a call out for startups to apply for its Summit X, where they’ll have the chance to pitch to investors, receive feedback, and join a community of entrepreneurs and supporters.
OpenRep, an AI-powered digital marketing platform, put a call out for startups to apply for a Canadian Digital Adoption Program grant, where they can receive a $2,400 reimbursable grant toward marketing and e-commerce efforts.
Get the latest funding and deals announcements and stories curated in our Members-only Morning Report.
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🗞 IN OTHER NEWS
Canadian Venture Capital & Private Equity Association, a non-profit that promotes the development of the VC and private equity industry in Canada, published a new report that revealed Alberta is ahead of B.C. when it comes to VC investment.
RESAAS Services, a social business platform for the real estate services industry, launched a new software called Commercial Data Exchange to enable brokerages to securely provide and share their data.
Consensus Core, an AI cloud service provider, is collaborating with Cologix, which provides network and cloud neutral interconnection and colocation services, to launch a NVIDIA-powered GPU service and turn a data centre into a hub for high-performance AI workloads.
The B.C. Securities Commission found that ezBtc, a crypto trading platform, committed fraud by lying to customers and diverting about $13 million of their assets to gambling.
iQmetrix, which provides interconnected commerce software for telecom retail, is partnering with Samsung Galaxy to offer Samsung Care+ device protection for new devices at its stores.
SPONSORED BY TOAST
Toast Summit tickets on sale now
Join the Toast Summit For More Women in Tech on September 19 in Calgary. We're bringing together a growing community of women who are ready to dive deep, get real, and reignite their passion for what tech can truly be 💖
💡 IDEAS & INSIGHTS
Tara Bosch, founder of SmartSweets — the first brand to innovate candy without sugar — was interviewed by NPR’s How I Built This with Guy Raz about dropping out of college to revolutionizing the candy industry and selling her company for $360 million.
Convergence, which creates digital products for the public and private sector, celebrated 10 years in business and shared its journey of pivots — from an all-in bet on AI/ML to becoming a client-focused service firm.
Form, the first swim goggle with AR display and advanced ML algorithms, was featured on BBC’s TechXplore, which covers the latest innovations across the world.
SPONSORED BY UNIVERSITY CANADA WEST
University Canada West’s micro-credential programs are focused on technology, business, and innovation. These courses can help you gain valuable and specific skills in a short amount of time. Current course offerings include Blockchain Project Management, Data and Web Analytics, Digital and Social Selling, Digital Strategy and many more.
👀 CAN’T MISS
August 20 | WTF: How VCs and Startups Can Navigate Global Uncertainty: In a year marked by geopolitical, economic, and social volatility, the landscape of private investing and capital allocation is undergoing significant transformation. Moderated by VTJ’s very own William Johnson, this event brings together industry leaders, seasoned investors, and innovative startup founders to explore the multifaceted impacts of global uncertainty on private capital markets.
➡️ Get tickets
August 22 | VTJ Members Only Social: Meet fellow VTJ members and various founders, tech leaders, and enthusiasts at a local pub. There’s limited capacity so register as soon as you can. We’ll be hosting socials on a regular basis and hopping around the city to try out different spots within Vancouver's restaurant scene.
➡️ Register
August 22 | AI for Impact: Connect with industry leaders and enthusiasts to learn about the latest AI advancements. This summit aims to foster knowledge sharing, inspire collaboration, and showcase how AI is transforming various sectors. Whether you're a seasoned professional or new to the field, this event will provide valuable insights into the future of AI.
➡️ Get tickets
August 29 | End of Summer Soiree: Kick off the end of the summer with RBC Dominion Securities and its community of of investors, entrepreneurs, startups, founders, and funders. Attendees can expect to network over appetizers, canapés, and drinks.
➡️ Get tickets
VTJ Members get early access and discounts to all our events. Don’t miss out.
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🗓 In real life
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