With a keen eye for gaps in the market, natural health expert Dr. Julie Durnan leveraged her 15 years of industry experience to found Ginger Desk after observing how practitioners grappled with admin tasks, especially when clinics closed due to the pandemic in 2020. Ginger Desk sprouted from the understanding that practitioners’ job satisfaction was closely tied […]
B.C. Marine-Tech Innovators Join Forces to Enhance Canada’s Blue Economy
Canada’s Ocean Supercluster this week announced the Canadian Electric Propulsion Acceleration Coalition Project to expedite the development and commercialization of electric propulsion systems through collaboration among marine industry stakeholders. Since its creation in 2018, Canada’s Ocean Supercluster aims to accelerate made-in-Canada ocean solutions in energy, food security, and transportation, while also growing companies, creating jobs, […]
Simon Fraser University Upgrades Capacity for Tech and Science Learning
Simon Fraser University to set to train more students for a technology-sector career, the B.C.-based institution revealed this week. Powered by provincial funding, 500 new student spaces will open up at SFU, according to the school. The government committed $75 million over three years through its “StrongerBC: Future Ready Action Plan,” which accelerates talent development […]
Government Orders Burnaby Tech Firms to ‘Cease All Operations in Canada’
Multiple technology-oriented businesses based in British Columbia were recently ordered to cease operations by the Canadian government. The two companies, Bluevec Technologies and Pegauni Technology, were ordered to cease operations on grounds of national security concerns, according to a statement from the Government of Canada. “In accordance with the Investment Canada Act, foreign investments are […]
DIGITAL Reveals $26 Million Targeting Healthcare Tech, Innovation in Canada
Canada’s Global Innovation Cluster for Digital Technologies recently unveiled more than $20 million worth of investment toward projects leveraging artificial intelligence in healthcare. Since launching in Vancouver in 2018, DIGITAL aims to help grow local businesses through the development and adoption of Canadian-made technologies and by working with industry to develop a digitally skilled workforce. […]
Wishpond Reports Rise in Revenue, Profit as Firm Launches AI Sales Tech
A publicly traded provider of marketing-focused online business solutions this week reported quarterly earnings following the launch of a major product. Serving more than 4,000 small-to-medium businesses, Vancouver’s Wishpond Technologies offers companies marketing, promotion, lead generation, ad management, referral marketing, sales conversion, and outbound sales automation capabilities in one integrated platform. Wishpond’s first quarter of […]
This Vancouver Startup Has Raised Seed Capital for Its Data-Cleaning AI Agents
A local technology startup leveraging AI to help others leverage AI has secured seed funding. Vancouver-based Artemis recently raised $1.5 million in a round led by Raven Indigenous Capital Partners with participation from Telegraph Hill Capital, Ripple Ventures, and angel investors. Artemis was founded in 2022 by Josh Gray and William Shi with the vision […]
Crowdfunded Blossom Aims to Bring Social Investing App to US Markets
This spring, Blossom is rethinking growth. The Vancouver startup was conceived in 2021 with the idea to combine day-trading technology with social elements. However, sliding markets and intense capital demands spurred Blossom to pivot away from establishing its own trading platform, and instead to focus on the synergy the app can add to existing platforms. […]
Bench Accounting Cofounders Rejoin Forces to Launch New Fintech, Teal
A company launched out of Vancouver last year with an idea to help smaller businesses build accounting products for their customers. With Teal, users can build a financial hub that drives attachment and engagement across all financial services products, according to the founders. And they can do it in a matter of weeks, not months. […]
B.C. Maintains Healthy Investment Levels as VC Deals Dip in Canada
Venture capital dealings in Canada within the first quarter of 2024 rendered a “mixed landscape,” a new report finds. Investments totalled $1.3 billion across 128 deals, according to the latest “VC & PE Canadian Market Overviews” from the Canadian Venture Capital Association. Investment levels matched the year-ago quarter, but the report noted a 28% decline […]