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2023 Wrap-up: A Look Back at T-Net's Top 10 'Most Read' BC Tech News Stories of 2023
Friday, December 29, 2023
Credit: Vancouver Waterfront Photo by Kyle Ryan on Unsplash
Vancouver, BC, December 29, 2023--(T-Net)--As we wind down another recovery year in the BC tech industry, and look forward with excitement to what the upcoming new year has in store for us in 2024 with potential falling interest rates and stronger capital raising conditions, we thought we'd leave you with a few of the news highlights we covered over the past year.
These are not necessarily the biggest deals or most important breaking stories of the year (largest financings or biggest M&A announcements, etc), but these were the stories on T-Net that received the highest news views and that most resonated with you our valued readers over the past 12 months.
Out of the 1,470 news stories T-Net published over the past year, here are the top 10 'most viewed' by our website readers and email newsletter subscribers in 2023. Enjoy!
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Vancouver, BC, December 29, 2023--(T-Net)--The Government of BC and the Canadian Government announced a joint investment of $32.7 million to support three decarbonization projects in British Columbia. In Vancouver, this investment will support the decarbonization of the Creative Energy district energy steam plant.
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WonderFi Technologies Inc. (TSX: WNDR), Coinsquare Ltd. and CoinSmart Financial Inc. announced today that they have closed their business combination transaction, positioning the resulting entity, WonderFi Technologies Inc., and its registered operating subsidiaries, to offer one of the largest registered crypto asset trading ecosystems in Canada.
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3. Nine CleanTech Companies in British Columbia Secure $5.2 Million in Funding From CICE
The B.C. Centre for Innovation and Clean Energy (CICE) has announced its allocation of $5.2 million in non-dilutive funding to nine BC cleantech companies to expedite the commercial development and global scaling of clean energy innovations originating in British Columbia. Funding was granted through CICE's 2023 Open Call for Innovation, which attracted over 100 applications from across the province.
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4. Sage Launches Canadian Grow Program Incubator to Empower Non-Profits Leaders in British Coumbia
Richmond, BC, December 29, 2023--(T-Net)--Sage, a leader in accounting, financial, HR, and payroll technology for small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs), today announces the launch of its Canadian Grow Program incubator to empower non-profit leaders in British Columbia. The incubator is hosted by Sage Foundation, bringing together non-profit CEO's and Executive Directors for a series of in-person business development sessions across the year.
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Vancouver, BC, December 29, 2023--(T-Net)--ElectraMeccanica Vehicles Corp. (NASDAQ: SOLO), a designer and manufacturer of electric vehicles revolutionizing the urban driving experience, today issued a letter to its shareholders from Susan E. Docherty, ElectraMeccanica's CEO and Interim COO, providing an update on the business.
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Victoria, BC, December 29, 2023--(T-Net)--WeCommerce (TSXV: WE) announced that it has entered into a definitive amalgamation agreement with Tiny and 1396773 B.C. Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of WeCommerce. WeCommerce and Tiny will combine their businesses in an all-share transaction by way of a three-cornered amalgamation under the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia). Tiny is a technology holding company founded by Andrew Wilkinson and Chris Sparling with a track record of organic growth and a long-term strategy of acquiring majority ownership interests in businesses.
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7. Absolute Software to be Acquired by Crosspoint Capital Partners for $1.18 Billion
Vancouver, BC, December 29, 2023--(T-Net)--Absolute Software (NASDAQ: ABST) (TSX: ABST), a provider of self-healing, intelligent security solutions, announced it has entered into an Arrangement Agreement with funds affiliated with Crosspoint Capital Partners, L.P., whereby Crosspoint has agreed to acquire all of the issued and outstanding common shares of the Company. Absolute shareholders will receive US$11.50 per Common Share in cash on completion of the Acquisition, corresponding to an enterprise value of approximately $1.18 Billion (US$870 million), inclusive of the debt.
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8. Simon Fraser University Opens New State-of-the-Art 'Smart Manufacturing' Hub in Surrey
Burnaby, BC, December 29, 2023--(T-Net)--Simon Fraser University announced that it is now home to new Smart Manufacturing Hub that will help revolutionize traditional manufacturing processes, providing a space for innovation and collaboration with industry and training for the next generation of its workforce.
Housed at the Surrey Campus, the space is the first-of-its-kind in Western Canada, comes equipped with a state-of-the-art Industry 4.0 training system that simulates a highly automated smart factory, and is embedded with artificial vision, collaborative robots, smart devices and more.
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Vancouver, BC, December 29, 2023--(T-Net)--BDC, Canada's bank for entrepreneurs, today announced the details around the Thrive Lab's first phase, which will be built around a co-investment model with like-minded partners focused on supporting women-led businesses at the earliest stages of development.
BDC is actively seeking partners with a proven history of supporting women entrepreneurs and those committed to providing additional capital, or "sweat equity" in the form of time, training, or resources. They could include accelerators, incubators, or accredited angel groups, and will be announced in the fall. BDC says it has earmarked $35M for this first phase.
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10. LayerZero Labs Closes $120 Million Series B Funding Round, Raising Its Valuation to $3 Billion
LayerZero Labs, the team behind the leading messaging protocol LayerZero, today announced the closing of a $120 million Series B funding round, valuing the company at $3 billion.
The round saw participation from 33 investors, including a16z crypto, BOND, Christie's, Circle Ventures, OKX Ventures, OpenSea Ventures, Samsung Next, and Sequoia Capital, amongst others.
LayerZero is a messaging protocol that allows for interoperability and facilitates seamless cross-chain messaging across countless blockchains.
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Company Snapshots |
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Richmond, BC (InfoTech)
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Vancouver, BC (InfoTech)
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Burnaby, BC (Education)
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Vancouver, BC (Government)
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Vancouver (Non-Tech Sectors)
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Victoria (Non-Tech Sectors)
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ElectraMeccanica Vehicles Corp.
Vancouver (CleanTech & Energy)
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Vancouver (Other Tech Sectors)
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Vancouver (Other Tech Sectors)
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B.C. Centre for Innovation and Clean Energy (CICE)
Vancouver (Non-Profit Org)
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Other Recent Company News |
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