Since its inception in 2013, entrepreneurship@UBC has supported several hundred ventures that have gone on to raise financing, generate revenue, and create jobs across BC and Canada. Among the successes of University of British Columbia’s esteemed incubator program is Verdi, which joined the HATCH Accelerator in 2021. After graduating later that year, they were ready-to-raise. Verdi helps […]
BarrelWise
Two Vancouver Startups Selected for Agtech Accelerator
Cultivator’s Agtech Accelerator has announced the 16 startups selected to participate in their second cohort and two Vancouver startups made the cut. Vancouver’s Verdi and Barrelwise are two of the 16 companies from across Canada and the U.K. to be selected. Verdi is building the platform to help the global agriculture industry to adapt to […]
6 Early-Stage BC Tech Startups Ready to Grow
Seed rounds can prove pivotal milestones for startups. Until that first rush of capital, startups are typically bootstrapped, often operating lean on shoestring budgets with a short runway leading to a steep cliff. Lack of financial and related support—such as the wisdom and expertise good investors can supply—marks a big reason why the vast majority […]
Connecting The Dots: August 2022
Each month, the team at Switchboard Public Relations connects the dots between the trends, headlines and narratives informing the B.C. tech sector. For August’s Connecting The Dots, the team highlights resources for those impacted by layoffs, breaks down recent funding announcements and multi-million M&A action, and reflects on the Traction Conference. Resources for those impacted […]
BarrelWise Secures Seed Capital to Innovate Traditional Winemaking Industry
Winemaking innovator BarrelWise has raised a seed round of capital. The wine-tech startup believes that the ancient traditions of winemaking are ripe for merging with cutting-edge technology—a “union of art and science” which creates fertile ground for innovating in the market space. Based in Vancouver, BarrelWise secured its $3 million seed funding from Conexus Venture […]
Award-winning Californian Winemaker Joins BarrelWise Board
Vancouver’s BarrelWise announced today that Linda Trotta, Director of North Coast Winemaking at WX Brands, has joined its Board of Directors. A graduate of entrepreneurship@UBC’s Hatch Accelerator program, BarrelWise develops solutions that help winemakers practice their art and is used by some of the top Canadian wine producers including Mission Hill and Sandhill Wines. The company’s […]
Rocket Builders Announces 2021 Ready to Rocket Lists
Rocket Builders has released its 19th annual “Ready to Rocket” lists. The “Ready to Rocket” lists are the only predictive lists of its kind in North America, requiring many months of sector and company analysis. These lists profile the B.C. technology companies that are best positioned to capitalize on the technology sector trends that will […]
BarrelWise Launches Wine Barrel Management In Napa Valley
BarrelWise has launched its novel wine barrel management system in California, starting with the Napa and Sonoma winemaking regions. The first of a kind BarrelWise Barrel Management System enables wine barrel sampling, topping, and the sulfite additions to be done without removing the bung, which can save over 50% of time currently spent on routine […]
From Winemaking To Life Saving, BarrelWise To Produce Mask Decontamination Oven
Vancouver’s BarrelWise develops and manufactures a barrel management system that helps winemakers protect and enhance the quality of their wines by mitigating the risks of contamination in the barrel-aging process. Today they announced that they have received funding from Genome BC’s Rapid Response Funding for COVID-19 research and innovation projects. But not because winemaking is an […]
Agritech Innovation Challenge Winners Tackle Wine, Mushrooms, and Bees
Earlier this year the Ministry of Agriculture and Innovate BC started looking for B.C.-based technology solutions to serve the needs of the Province’s agriculture industry through the Agritech Innovation Challenge. Last week the Ministry announced the three winning projects that will share a total of $150,000 in funding. These projects will see winemakers produce their […]