It’s fair to say 2023 was an improvement on 2022. The pandemic recovery dominated tech – like all else – with many of us spending more time than ever in front of screens.
Not surprisingly, Techcouver had a banner year with site traffic growing every month during 2023.
As we look forward to an even better 2024, let’s take a moment to reflect on what the Vancouver tech community read and shared online over the past 12 months.
10 Homegrown B.C. Startups to Watch in 2023
With 2022 in the books, Techcouver kicked off the calendar year by highlighting 10 homegrown startups we’d be watching closely in 2023. The list proved to be our most popular piece of content of the year and companies like Blossom, Durable, and UVX proved us right.
Ten BC Companies Named To Canada’s Best Workplaces In Tech
Great Place to Work, an organization that evaluates companies based on company culture, released its 2023 list of Canada’s Best Workplaces in Technology. Organizations were selected based on Great Place to Work’s Trust Index Survey, which measures the employee experience at each company. Ten companies from BC were acknowledged on the list.
22 B.C. Tech Companies Named Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Winners
Deloitte Canada announced this year’s winners of the Technology Fast 50, Companies-to-Watch, Clean Technology and Enterprise Fast 15 awards. The Technology Fast 50 program recognizes the world-class achievements of Canada’s leading technology companies—highlighting their commitment to innovation, strong leadership, and rapid revenue growth.
Blanka Enables Beauty Brand Launches in Under an Hour & Under $200
Vancouver’s Blanka has raised a $2.7 million seed funding round for its private label beauty and wellness platform. Founded in 2021 by Kaylee Astle, Doug Long, and Adam Chuntz, Blanka allows anyone to launch a new beauty brand in under an hour, for less than $200.
BC Tech Crowns Winners of 2023 Technology Impact Awards
The Technology Impact Awards (TIAs) marked their 30th Anniversary announcing 9 companies as award winners and inducting 8 leaders to the Innovators Hall of Fame at the annual awards show. Hosted live at Parq Vancouver to a sold-out crowd, the awards show presenting partners included Province of British Columbia and Amazon.
Lululemon To Expand Vancouver HQ, Add 2,600 New Jobs Over 5 Years
Lululemon announced that it will create over 2,600 new jobs in Vancouver over the next five years. The expansion of lululemon’s global headquarters in its hometown promises to significantly boost British Columbia’s prosperity. With its British Columbia origins, Lululemon has employed and continues to employ thousands of Canadians, while bringing people with unique skill sets from abroad to the province, fuelling Canada’s innovation engine.
Rivian to Launch Innovative Showroom at The Amazing Brentwood
Rivian opened its first Rivian Space showroom at The Amazing Brentwood in Burnaby. In addition to having an R1 on display and demo drive availability, the Burnaby location will be a first to use augmented reality to provide customers with a look at any configurations they choose digitally.
Debrand Unveils Cutting-Edge Textile Recycling HQ in Surrey
Reverse Logistics and textile recycling provider Debrand is heading east with the opening a new headquarters in Surrey to provide state-of-the-art textile sortation services as demand for the company’s industry-leading innovations continue to grow. The new 21,000-square-foot facility is the first of its kind in Canada, and just one of a few in North America providing advanced sortation technology for textile reuse, recycling, and recovery.
William Johnson To Depart Vancouver Tech Journal
While all of Silicon Valley was talking about Sam Altman’s ouster from OpenAI and subsequent hire by Microsoft, Vancouver’s tech community is undergoing a little drama as well. Techcouver was the first to report that Vancouver Tech Journal (VTJ) founder William Johnson was leaving the Overstory Media Group publication. Johnson began the VTJ newsletter in 2018 and sold it to Victoria’s Overstory in 2020.
LinkedIn Names Makeship, Sanctuary, & Vessi As Top Startup Workplaces
LinkedIn has published its 6th annual Top Startups list and it is a testament to the spirit of innovation, featuring 15 young Canadian companies that are growing fast and gaining attention. Among the 15 companies included on the list are three from Vancouver that were all founded in 2018.
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