Chamber of Commerce gets a new CEO

TOGETHER WITH

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

Now on to today’s briefing.

-Emily, [email protected]

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Community spotlight: Shift

What inspired you to join this company?

After business school, I started my career as a Student Works Painting franchise owner where I met an extremely influential mentor who later joined Redbrick and convinced me to do the same. Having been with Redbrick, Shift’s parent company, for over a decade I still appreciate how fast-moving and entrepreneurial it is—that’s what inspired me to join the company and grow my career here in the first place.

How would you explain what your company does to someone outside your industry?

Shift is a browser designed for power users who demand control, efficiency, and effortless integration. Forget juggling multiple windows or wrestling with tab chaos; Shift empowers you to organize and streamline everything you do online, with dedicated workspaces, multi-profile management, and streamlined app access. It’s not just a browser—it’s your command center for the modern internet.

What’s been the toughest technical or strategic challenge so far—and how did you overcome it?

One of the biggest strategic challenges that startups face is how to stay lean while growing fast. I can’t stress enough how important it is for companies, especially those that are bootstrapped, to guide their own destiny by being smart about how they spend money until they reach profitability or unlock a hypergrowth stage. And even when profitable, it's important to stay agile so you can be first-to-market with new features that are in the spirit of startup mode innovation.

Read the full story.

SPONSORED BY FUEL IX BY TELUS DIGITAL

AI moves fast — but implementing it effectively is the key to success. Join Fuel iX and guest Forrester for an insightful discussion on how enterprises can harness the power of GenAI copilots to drive innovation and productivity across their organization.

This exclusive session will explore:

• The current landscape of GenAI and why enterprises need to act now 

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Watch on-demand now for expert insights on enterprise AI success.

👋 Hello, it’s me: The new Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce CEO, John Wilson, sat down with his predecessor, Bruce Williams, to talk about what’s next.

✨ Don’t stop believin’: VIATEC reminded Victoria-based tech ventures that the deadline is soon approach for its second intake period of the BOOST initiative. The deadline is July 30.

💥 Everything is awesome: Leadpages, part of the Redbrick portfolio, acquired Glorify, integrating its user‑friendly design platform into Leadpages’ suite for SMBs and enterprise marketers.

SPONSORED BY REED POPE

Reed Pope Business Lawyers is a leading business law firm based in Victoria, offering top-tier service to a wide range of clients involved in local, national, and international transactions. For over 18 years, Reed Pope lawyers have served as trusted counsel to entrepreneurs, start-ups and emerging companies, established businesses, high-net-worth individuals, investment funds, and other investors. The firm has deep expertise in entity formation and structuring, capital raising and investments, acquisitions, exit transactions, and general start-up advisory services.

Reed Pope is proud to support the local and provincial tech sector and is excited to partner with Victoria Tech Journal to help increase visibility for innovative start-ups, scaling technology companies, and the broader ecosystem. Learn more.

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August 7 | Regenerative Thinking for Professionals and Designers

This workshop series has been developed specifically for engineers, designers, planners, consultants, educators, scientists, managers, and leaders seeking to navigate climate complexity, revolutionize the way they approach systems change, and integrate regenerative design principles into the fabric of their work.

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.