BC’s Centre for Innovation and Clean Energy makes $3 million available for women-led cleantech companies
British Columbia’s Centre for Innovation and Clean Energy (CICE) has made $3 million available to climate tech and clean energy ventures led by women. CICE, which provides non-dilutive funding to BC-based companies, put out a “call for innovation” this week targeted to founders who identify as women and are developing decarbonization solutions in the province. […]
George Damian named new executive director of the Venture Capital Association of Alberta
Alberta’s venture capital advocacy group has a new leader. The Venture Capital Association of Alberta (VCAA) has announced that George Damian has stepped into the role of executive director. The transition, which took place on Oct. 25, saw Damian take over from Omi Velasco, who has served as executive director of VCAA since 2022. Velasco, […]
Procurify launches new accounts payable product following growth capital from CIBC
Vancouver-based spend management and procurement software startup Procurify has secured $20 million USD (27.8 million CAD) in growth capital from CIBC Innovation Banking. New offering follows a “major upgrade” that expanded startup’s bill payment capabilities. The capital supported Procurify’s AI-powered product development as part of the launch of its new accounts payable (AP) automation solution, […]
Vantage Points: Alison Taylor thinks tech is actually kind of weird
Alison Taylor came to startups from the realm of small business, managing medical clinics in BC before co-founding her “side hustle” in 2014. “We’ve never seen any detriment to building in Canada, if anything, we’ve actually seen a lot of benefits.” Alison TaylorJane App That side hustle was clinic management software Jane App, now generating […]
Mave reveals $2 million CAD in pre-seed funding following beta launch of real estate AI assistant
Toronto-based proptech startup Mave has announced $2 million CAD in pre-seed funding as it looks to help automate the back-end work for real estate agents with artificial intelligence (AI). The all-equity, all-primary round was co-led by Relay Ventures and N49P, with participation from Alate Partners, Clarim Ventures, and Gambit Partners, along with angel and strategic […]
Mastercard helps fight the “never ending arms race” of cybersecurity
It’s never felt harder to keep your money and your identity safe. Every day, it seems as though there are new ways that you can get hacked, compromised, or scammed. October is Cybersecurity Awareness month but 2024 might be the year that digital fraud took on a dangerous new year-round urgency, in Canada and around […]
Momentum Ventures’ CEO Henri Chelhot on the evolving needs of global travellers
As we book winter escapes and work trips, it’s easy to forget that not long ago, a global pandemic had grounded travel worldwide. Few industries were hit harder than travel, facing a range of challenges from changing regulations to a surge in customer inquiries and cancellations. Montreal-based Momentum Ventures, the parent company of FlightHub, justfly.com, […]
Balance becomes Canada’s second qualified digital asset custodian
Last week, Calgary-based digital asset custodian Balance registered its subsidiary, Balance Trust Company, as a special purpose trust with Alberta’s Treasury Board and Finance (ATBF). Balance co-founder and CEO George Bordianu claimed to BetaKit that this makes Balance the “second-ever registered trust and qualified custodian for crypto assets in Canada,” alongside competitor and fellow Calgary […]
Vantage Points: Anne Stevens explains how Canada almost lost AbCellera to the US
AbCellera might be one of the most recognizable life sciences companies in British Columbia, but according to vice-president of business development Anne Stevens, it once considered leaving Canada. As the creator of a drug discovery platform whose antibodies have treated over 2.5 million patients, AbCellera has repeatedly questioned whether BC—and Canada—provide it the right environment […]
Québec launches $4.5-billion CAD Grand V funding initiative for sustainable innovation projects
The Québec government’s investment arm, Investissement Québec, announced a new program that will disburse an estimated $4.5 billion CAD through 2027 to Québec companies looking to boost innovation and ecological sustainability. Grand V, which falls under the purview of the Ministry of Economy, Innovation and Energy (MEIE), is a new program seeking to supply financial […]