👋 Good morning, and welcome to VTJ’s Sunday Briefing: your weekly digest of the city’s innovation news, deals, insights, and more.
How exactly is Vancouver holding claim to being a growing, world-class tech hub — even outpacing the broader economy? We’ve broken it down in our summary of Invest Vancouver’s latest report. Plus, find out which local innovators hit major milestones this week — from winning the New Ventures BC competition to becoming the only Vancouver company accepted into the 2024 Google for Startups Accelerator.
Now onto today’s briefing. It’s 1,244 words: a four-minute read.
-Lisa
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🗞️ FROM VTJ
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🤝 FUNDING & DEALS
ClimateDoor, a venture growth studio for climate-centric businesses, announced the acquisition of Cleanramp, a climate marketing firm.
Wheaton Precious Metals, a mining company, put a call out for cleantech companies to pitch solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in mining, for a chance to win $1 million.
Spring, a B.C.-based accelerator, announced the top founders for its Together in Climate Innovation program. AetherEV and ShareWares represented Vancouver.
Ballard Power Systems, the hydrogen fuel cell giant, announced a restructuring to lower its total operating expenses.
ICYMI: Loop Energy, which builds hydrogen fuel stacks, became the latest in a string of Vancouver companies to delist from the TSX.
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🗞 IN OTHER NEWS
TAP Network, a community for people and culture professionals, released its annual tech talent survey, showing increased salary raises in cleantech, hardware design, and development and manufacturing roles.
TransLink is switching the West Coast Express train fleet to renewable diesel from fossil fuel diesel to further its zero emission goals.
Spiqe, a new startup that aims to help the sports industry in its marketing efforts, officially launched.
Not-for-profit Genome BC and UBC researchers announced a new initiative that aims to put genetic counsellors into primary care settings.
ExcelSense Technologies, a designer and manufacturer, launched the first maintenance-free, self-cleaning optical shield for LiDARs — which uses laser light to measure distance and make accurate 3D maps and models.
Tech Venue Finder, a platform to find accessible venues in the city, shared product updates that came out of Vancouver Tech Week’s 12-hour mini hackathon.
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💡 IDEAS & INSIGHTS
Irem Ozekes, a UI/UX designer and Vancouver Design Community lead, shared reflections from organizing the first Vancouver Tech Week.
Panache Ventures’ Chris Neumann shared his views on accelerators and the batch system, following an announcement from Y Combinator.
Mark Zacharias, executive director at Clean Energy Canada, reacted to changes to the provincial consumer carbon price.
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👀 CAN’T MISS
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 get feedback on their projects.
➡️ Request
September 28 | Women of Novus: Join the first meetup for Women of Novus, a community created to foster a safe, comfortable environment for female founders, community builders, researchers, or early employees at an impactful company. Attendees will have the opportunity to not only connect with fellow change-makers but share any project challenges for support.
➡️ Request
October 3 | Breaking Barriers: Challenges and Opportunities for Underrepresented Voices in Tech: VTJ and Mastercard will be hosting a thought-provoking panel on how inclusion continues to drive innovation and business success. Industry leaders will share strategies to break down barriers, promote diversity, and create more opportunities for underrepresented voices in tech. Expect to network with executives from diverse backgrounds and receive valuable insights and advice to further your career.
➡️ Get tickets
🚨 Remember: VTJ members get early access and 50% off all our events. Don’t miss out — become a member now.
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