Yesterday in the Lower Mainland, we got a surprise treat: sunshine and blue skies. It made for a fun afternoon outside—and on Twitter. Some people were warning me not to jinx it with my tweets, while others were calling for beach barbeques. Funny what a little bit of light can do; how it can represent optimism and opportunity. Today is a great day. We can do anything. But that mood—that energy—stands in stark contrast to the general feeling in Vancouver’s tech community. As we wrote in this week’s top story, there has been a "brooding sense of uncertainty in the air.” And that was before the January 10 announcement that edtech platform Thinkific was laying off 76 employees, the second round (or third, depending on who you talk to) of layoffs for the company, which first cut 100 employees in April 2022.
The news last week was not all bad, however. Vancouver agtech firms like Terramera are raising capital to expand, and local entrepreneurs like Alexander Dungate are building products to support sustainable fishing. These stories should encourage the community to be positive and proud, and VTJ dives into both in today’s briefing—which, by the way, is 1,023 words: a 3 & 1/2-minute read. Enjoy.
-William, @notionport
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Vancouver tech’s uncertain future
Despite recent accolades, questions remain surrounding the strength and resilience of Vancouver’s innovation economy. Start reading »
Alexander Dungate is changing the way we fish
The co-founder of Vancouver-based OnDeck Fisheries AI aims to support the commercial fishing industry with its tools to automate monitoring of catch. Start reading »
Terramera raises USD $6M in seed funding and grows executive team
The capital will support the launch of and CEO hire for enrichAg, Terramera’s majority-owned subsidiary to commercialize soil analysis. Start reading »
Thinkific lays off 76 workers in latest round of cuts for the company
“Profitability is in sight,” says Greg Smith, CEO and co-founder of Thinkific. Start reading »
Why traditional enterprises need to watch Vancouver Web3
Read our No. 1 member briefing from last week. Get started »
New year, new view
The holidays are over, the resolutions have been made, and there’s no better place than Victoria to embrace the new year. Start the year with the ideal escape you’ve been waiting for. Meet, dine, date, stay, and celebrate at Fairmont Empress. The resident’s offer is available to BC residents and includes up to 15% off luxury accommodations, complimentary self-parking, and 2pm late check out.
🤝 Funding and deals
Tribe Property Technologies, its year starting with $21 million in funding, made a trio of purchases in 2022. Start reading »
Xbox Canada and Paidia Gaming have extended their partnership to accelerate gender equality, diversity, and inclusion in gaming and Esports. Start reading »
Coinsquare and WonderFi are currently engaged in advanced merger talks. Start reading »
Sierra Wireless has been acquired by California-based Semtech Corporation to add IoT cloud services, in an all-cash transaction valued at USD $1.2 billion. Start reading »
No Meat Factory, a plant-based alternative protein manufacturer, closed a USD $42 million Series B. Start reading »
Revolve Renewable Power, a Vancouver-based cleantech company, sold a pair of solar projects to a global energy firm ENGIE. Learn more »
A Trendi linkup with YVR sees the company’s Smoothie Machine land at a few spots in the airport’s terminals. Learn more »
Tech-enabled property management for the modern-day landlord
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🗞️ In other news
TiE Incubation Lab is accepting Demo Day applications from Canadian pre-seed founders looking for mentorship, advisory, and hands-on support until January 31. Apply here »
Covalent launched Bear Market Builders, an initiative to recognize and celebrate the projects and builders in the Web3 ecosystem. Learn more on Twitter »
Arca is the new brand name of Carbin Minerals, the climatetech venture capturing carbon dioxide from the air and transforming it into rock. Start reading »
⛰️ This week in Vancouver: Learn about tech and investment opportunities in Calgary | January 18
-Join us this month for a window into the thriving tech scene in B.C.'s eastern neighbour. Get tickets while they last »
💡 Ideas and insights
Kathleen Reid, founder of Switchboard PR, writing in Vancouver Tech Journal: It’s all about trust: How media reporting on tech differs between Canada and the United States
Local leaders in construction technology Jesse Unke, vice president of COWI Canada; Josef Geluch, president of Naikoon Contracting; Josh Gaglardi, president of Orion Construction; and Barry Hartman, CEO and founder of 505-Junk, foresee the role of new software, solar panels, and the importance of data in projects this year. Site News »
Joel Hansen, head of marketing and community at LOI Venture, writes about how to reach your goals in 2023, presents a few startup ideas, and adds a healthy dose of memes. Kernal »
Catherine Ducharme, founder and Chief Learning Officer of Fluency Leadership, writing on her organization’s blog: How to overcome three roadblocks to make meaningful change in 2023
Chris Neumann, general partner at Panache Ventures, writing on his personal blog: I hate investor updates
Gary Marcus, professor emeritus at NYU and AI expert now based in Vancouver, talks to Ezra Klein of the New York Times about the current and future state of AI and ChatGPT. The Ezra Klein Show »
Karn Manhas, CEO of Terramera, writing for Thrive Global: 5 Resolutions to Enrich our Earth From the Ground Up in 2023
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