TOGETHER WITH

Welcome to this week’s Sunday Briefing. In this issue:

Now on to today’s briefing.

-Emily, [email protected]

By the way, if you're not already subscribed, you can fix that here.

The Province is opening applications for a new funding stream that offers up to $500,000 per project to help B.C. businesses demonstrate their technologies in real-world settings. Delivered by Innovate BC through the Integrated Marketplace platform, the early-stage demonstration call will cover up to 40 per cent of eligible project costs and aims to help companies attract customers and move closer to commercial adoption.

The funding targets technologies aligned with key sectors in the Look West economic plan, including AI and quantum computing, life sciences, marine technology, aerospace, agriculture, and construction innovation.

Victoria-based companies have already expressed strong support for the initiative. "Innovate BC's early-stage demonstration call gives B.C.-based small and medium-sized enterprises a clear path to demo new technologies with clients at the table," said Scott Beatty, CEO of MarineLabs. "This kind of collaboration de-risks adoption and delivers measurable benefits for industries and communities across the province."

VoxCell CEO Karolina Valente highlighted how the program addresses a critical gap in bringing breakthrough technologies to market. "VoxCell has established a breakthrough vascularized tissue technology, validated core scientific milestones, and secured collaborative interest from leading institutions, such as BC Cancer," she said. "To reach commercial readiness, we now need external support to generate third-party performance data in real workflows. The Innovate BC early-stage demonstration call provides the exact mechanism required to bridge this final gap."

Applications for the 2025-2026 intake close December 21, 2025, with another call anticipated for mid-2026. The Province has invested up to $41.5 million in the Integrated Marketplace to date.

SPONSORED BY PHS COMMUNITY SERVICES SOCIETY

Help PHS Community Services Society by donating to their $100,000 holiday season goal to support extremely vulnerable people struggling with homelessness, mental health and addictions.

As a registered charity, PHS responds to people in crisis by providing low-barrier supportive housing, shelter, harm reduction and ‘wraparound’ supports that includes a 22-bed recovery program. 

PHS are seeing a rise in people of all ages and backgrounds reaching out to them for help.

They need safety, dignity, and a place to call home — and you can make that happen.

Please donate to PHS by Dec. 31 and bring hope to those who need it most. 

🌊 B.C. has opened applications for the COAST Innovation Challenge, offering funding and testing support to help local companies develop renewable-energy technologies for the maritime sector through the Integrated Marketplace platform.

👋 Premier David Eby visited Joni’s Victoria headquarters, where company leaders highlighted their growing mission to advance menstrual justice across B.C. and Canada.

📈 The South Island Prosperity Partnership’s Rising Economy Conference will return March 10–11, 2026, promising two days of actionable insights, bold ideas and high-value networking for leaders shaping regional growth.

Find your next career:

Hiring in Victoria? Reply to this email and let us know!

December 13 | Cafe Cursor Victoria

Join Cafe Cursor, a local cafe-takeover with a relaxed morning of building, learning, and connecting with other Cursor users in Victoria. Whether you want chill place to work on your side projects, or just grab a free coffee and chat about what you're building, this is the place to be.

December 18 | INSPIRE 2025 Annual Conference and Professional Networking Event

This event brings together industry leaders, hiring managers, founders, and engineers who will share firsthand insights into how emerging technologies, especially AI, are reshaping the skills and mindsets needed to thrive in today’s rapidly evolving landscape. You’ll have the chance to learn directly from local companies, hear how teams are adapting to new engineering and product challenges, and build relationships with professionals who are actively looking for student and co-op talent.

Have something or someone we should know about?

Reply or email [email protected] so we can work together to spotlight the lesser-known stories of Victoria's tech ecosystem.