👋 Good morning, and welcome to VTJ’s Sunday Briefing: your weekly digest of the city’s innovation news, deals, insights, and more.
This week’s Sunday Briefing has a whole lot about tech jobs — and new pathways to break into the market.
First up, the B.C. government announced its expanded tech talent accelerator with a $4 million investment, to help workers upskill in cybersecurity and generative AI. Plus, are you hosting an illegal Airbnb unit? A growing tech community is helping helping locals find jobs while contributing to the common good — including rooting out Vancouver Airbnb cheats.
And, for our members only, find what all those empty storefronts on Granville Street mean for Downtown Vancouver’s economy. (Not a member? Fix that here.)
Now onto today’s briefing. It’s 1,378 words: a three-minute read.
-Lisa
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🗞️ FROM VTJ
Read more at vantechjournal.com
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Attention payment service providers
The Retail Payment Activities Act is coming into force and PSPs must apply to register with the Bank of Canada to continue providing services in Canada.
Join experts from the Bank of Canada on September 19 to learn how to prepare, ask questions, and network with industry peers.
🤝 FUNDING & DEALS
British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) and U.K. partner Future Anthem announced the opening of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Data Innovation Hub in BCLC’s Vancouver office.
Spare, a transit software startup, raised a $42M Series B to meet growing demand and accelerate the development of its AI-driven platform.
BriaCell Therapeutics, a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company, announced the closing of its $8.5M offering.
Teal, a startup that offers accounting products, was acquired by Mercury, a SF-based fintech company, for an undisclosed amount.
Catalera BioSolutions announced the initial close of its Series A funding round. Catalera is a spinout from Vancouver-based agtech company Terramera.
Get the latest funding and deals announcements and stories curated in our Members-only Morning Report.
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🗞 IN OTHER NEWS
The Toronto Stock Exchange announced the 2024 TSX30: its annual ranking of top performing stocks. Vancouver-based companies listed include International Petroleum Corporation, China Gold International, Filo, and Teck.
CBRE’s latest Tech Talent report dropped Vancouver from its list of top 10 tech hubs — moving the city from number 8 last year to 11 this year.
Spring — an incubator, accelerator, and advisory firm for entrepreneurs and investors — announced the top 15 innovators for its national climate program.
Rob Goehring, founder of AI platform Wisr AI, was appointed executive director of AInBC, following founder Steve Lowry’s departure from the role.
COAST, Pacific Canada's hub for the sustainable blue economy, is reminding Vancouver innovators to apply for its ocean startup challenge, for a chance to win $25K for prototyping and business development.
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💡 IDEAS & INSIGHTS
Active Impact Investments, Canada’s largest climate tech seed fund, shared how the firm now measures its portfolio progress using a metric of emissions reductions per dollar of revenue.
Fox Fold, a startup disrupting the $60 billion tissue market, was featured in Forbes about its founders’ journey of quitting their lucrative careers to start the company, and how they’re helping hotels be more sustainable.
Stephen Nairne, co-founder and chief investment officer at Raven Indigenous Capital Partners, shared the firm’s investment approach and why commercial metrics aren’t everything.
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Just Released: TAP Network’s 2024 Tech Sector Salary Survey
Focused entirely on the Canadian tech sector, the survey reports on local and national salaries, total compensation, detailed policy data and more.
👀 CAN’T MISS
September 18 | #VTJTalks: BC Women Leading in Climatetech: Gain insights into what it takes to combat a warming world and learn from the experiences of experts who are leading the charge in climatetech. Their stories of resilience, innovation, and leadership are not just inspiring — they are essential to understanding how we can collectively rise to the challenge of climate change.
➡️ Get tickets
September 19 | RPAA Readiness for Payment Service Providers: Essential Steps to Compliance: This November, payment service providers (PSPs) offering services to the Canadian market must register with the Bank of Canada under the Retail Payment Activities Act. If you’re a PSP, join VTJ, experts, and industry peers to learn and ask questions about what you need to know to prepare.
➡️ Request
September 26 | Tech Professionals Meetup: Join the Google Developer Community for a casual evening of networking, sharing, and inspiration! Attendees will have the opportunity to connect with like-minded professionals and potential collaborators, discover new ideas and trends in the tech industry, and share their projects and receive feedback.
➡️ Request
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🗓 In real life
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