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Welcome to this week’s Sunday Briefing, brought to you by Easly. In this issue learn how a local climatetech startup is putting over a million dollars of non-dilutive financing to use, and celebrate recent wins from Victoria’s innovation community.

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Cascadia Seaweed receives $1.5 million to commercialize agricultural products

The B.C. Centre for Innovation and Clean Energy (CICE), a not-for-profit supporting made-in-B.C. green technologies, will provide $1.5 million in non-dilutive funding to Cascadia Seaweed, the largest ocean cultivator of seaweed in Canada.

“We are thrilled to receive support from CICE, which will accelerate our plans to scale up the cultivation and bioprocessing of seaweeds into agricultural products,” said Rob Napoli, CFO of Cascadia Seaweed, in a press release. “This builds on the support we’ve received from Sustainable Development Technology Canada and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, and enables us to deliver nature-based and climate-positive solutions in a timely manner.”

Sidney-based Cascadia Seaweed develops sea-grown products for land-based farmers. Through its kelp farms, the company aims to provide ocean ecosystem services such as shelter for marine life, carbon sequestration, and oxygen production. Once harvested, Cascadia processes the kelp into agricultural products, including biostimulants for crops and cattle supplements.

The climatetech startup will direct the funds towards the development of a 100-hectare seaweed farm and bioprocessing facility in Prince Rupert. The expansion is a partnership between the company and the Metlakatla Development Corporation, the business arm of the Metlakatla First Nation.

“This commendable joint initiative reduces methane emissions from cattle and improves soil carbon retention,” said Ged McLean, executive director of CICE. “Recognizing the vital role of kelp in future carbon management solutions, CICE is excited to support Cascadia in becoming a global leader in seaweed cultivation, pioneering first-of-its-kind advancements on the west coast.”

In a previous project to extend the shelf life of fresh seaweed, Cascadia Seaweed won $37,000 from the Canadian Food Innovation Network.

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🏙️ Community catchup, powered by VIATEC

Fight Hunger in Victoria! The recent fire at the Mustard Seed Food Bank has left the organization in urgent need of support. In response, VIATEC has launched its Food Bank Challenge. They're calling on companies like yours to join them in making a difference in the lives of those in need.

Whether you donate online or get creative with fundraising events, every dollar counts. Plus, they're encouraging companies to challenge each other to see who can raise the most.

Join VIATEC in this time of need and show Victoria how tech companies can work together to create positive change. Register your team now, or email [email protected] to learn more.

📰 More Victoria innovation news

🏎️ Engineering wins: UVic’s Formula Motorsport team recently participated in SAE International’s Internal Combustion competition held at the Michigan International Speedway, and placed as the top Canadian team.

💧 Water wins: Pani received the distinction prize in the Breakthrough Technology Company of the Year category at the 2023 Global Water Awards, held during the Global Water Summit in Berlin.

🌱 Plant-based wins: Aki Kaltenbach, founder and CEO of Save Da Sea Foods, celebrated her product being made available at all Save-On-Foods.

Next Friday, June 2, Victoria Tech Journal is headed to Discover Tectoria: an expo of over 75 Greater Victoria tech companies, research projects, interactive displays, and community partners.

We’re presenting two all-star panels at the Crystal Garden Theatre, moderated by Victoria Tech Journal writer, Allison Gacad. Join us for both:

✔️ Dive into Victoria’s Blue Economy (10:00 to 10:45 a.m.)
✔️ Victoria’s Women in Tech (11:15 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.)

👀 Will we see you there?

🕴️ Tech jobs of the week

Find your next career:

• Senior DevOps Engineer at Intlabs

• Client Support Technician at ISM

• Investment Administrator at Meritage Financial

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

📅 Upcoming events

May 29: PeopleOps Social

May 29 to June 2: Scale YYJ

May 31: Understanding the simplicity of SR&ED

June 1: ProductTank Victoria: Fireside Chat with Tobyn Sowden, CEO of Redbrick

June 2: Discover Tectoria

June 7: iWIST STEM Crawl 2023

Have an upcoming event? Reply to let us know.