Morning everyone,
A couple of themes stand out in this week's briefing. On the funding side, William Johnson dug into the numbers behind Canada's tightening early-stage market — 40% fewer founders raised capital in Q1 2026, and the venture market is becoming more concentrated around a smaller number of funds. VTJ Insiders can read the full analysis if they missed it on Thursday.
There are also a few funding opportunities worth flagging for B.C. organizations and women entrepreneurs this week.
On the people side, two significant leadership transitions in the Vancouver ecosystem: Sue Paish is stepping down after eight years building DIGITAL into one of Canada's leading innovation organizations, and TAP Network has a new CEO in Sachi Kittur.
-Emily
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Funding, Deals, and More
The federal government is investing $173.7 million over five years to renew the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy, supporting microloans, mentorship and training for women-owned businesses across Canada. Read more →
Althra, Vancouver's community-focused incubator, has opened applications for its third cohort, offering six to ten early-stage founders a four-month program, downtown workspace, and up to $62,500 in funding. Read more →
PacifiCan has opened applications for its Regional Innovation Ecosystems program, with funding available for B.C. organizations that help businesses commercialize technology, expand markets and adopt new tools. Deadline is September 11. Read more →
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In Other News
New data from RBCx shows Canada's early-stage startup funding fell 40% year-over-year in Q1 2026, continuing a sustained decline that has hit emerging managers and seed-stage companies hardest. Read more →
TAP Network has appointed Sachi Kittur as its new CEO, succeeding Stephanie Hollingshead who is retiring after eight years leading the HR and People community for Canada's tech sector. Read more →
Sue Paish is retiring as CEO of DIGITAL, the Vancouver-based innovation supercluster she led since its founding in 2018, leaving behind a record that includes $4 billion in GDP growth and more than 34,000 jobs created. Read more →
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