Welcome to this week’s Sunday Briefing. In this issue, read about Victoria’s women in STEM, how students are preparing for the workforce, the cap on international students, and recognition for Victoria’s joni.

Now onto today’s briefing. It’s 903 words: a three-minute read.

-Emily, [email protected]

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Celebrating International Day for Women and Girls in Science

Women and girls quite literally make up half the world’s population — in a 2022 list from the World Bank, we represent 49.7% of people on Earth. And yet, women continue to be underrepresented and undervalued in STEM fields. That’s why, this February 11, we’re celebrating the International Day of Women and Girls in Science.

Now in its ninth year, the UN day of observance serves as a reminder of the important role that women and girls hold in STEM and the essential contributions they make.

To help celebrate, we’re highlighting just a few of the incredible Vancouver Island women in STEM whose innovations are helping lift communities up and build a better future.

Name: Sahar Sam
Role: Co-founder and CSO, Solaires Entreprises
What you need to know: A University of Victoria graduate and former sessional instructor, Sam is an intrapreneur, entrepreneur, and academic. At Solaires Enterprises, she is focused on developing the next generation of solar cells. A true innovator, she holds three patents and has developed a novel technology in the nanofabrication process and assembly. Sam was recognized as Emerging Leader of the Year at the 2023 VIATEC Community Awards.

Name: Georgia Powell
Role: Co-founder and CEO of NURA Medical
What you need to know: Born and raised in North Saanich, the University of Victoria graduate was motivated by her time as a pediatric emergency medicine team member at Montreal Children’s Hospital. Recognizing the challenges of emergency care, Powell and the NURA Medical team developed the NurEx system, which facilitates medication preparation, ensuring children receive the correct dosage every time.

Name: Susan Rae Blanchet
Role: Founder and CEO, Origen Air
What you need to know: Founded in 2019, Blanchet’s air purification technology was partially inspired by the health challenges of her father, whose work as a civil engineer may have exposed him to toxins. Origen Air develops air purification systems that combine filtration, sensors, and a nature-inspired design with bioengineered plant technology. Blanchet was recently named a Business Thought Leader of the Year at the Stevie Awards.

Victoria’s tech community is full of inspiring female leaders and innovators. Stay tuned to learn more about them and join the team at Women on the Rise to celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8.

🏙️ Community catchup, powered by VIATEC

Meet a VIATEC member: Shift

Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to close a few of those Google tabs, switch between work and personal emails more easily, and connect all of your daily web apps in one place?

That’s what Shift promises to deliver. The company set out to build a more efficient, smarter browser that brings it all together – web apps, digital tools, multiple accounts, you name it.

📰 More Victoria innovation news

🏫 It’s been a hard day’s night: In this Chamber Chat, Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce CEO Bruce Williams was joined by Deb Whitten, superintendent of school district 61, and Lindsay Johnson, vice principal of pathways and partnerships, career education for school district 61. The trio discussed how students are preparing to enter the workforce.

🎓 Teacher, leave them kids alone: The Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce shared the concerns of local post-secondary institutions regarding the federal government’s announcement of a temporary two-year cap on international students.

👯‍♀️ Who run the world? Girls (girls): joni announced that it’s co-founder and CEO, Linda Biggs, has been selected as one of 10 Canadian women small businesses owners to receive funding from the Mastercard x Pier Five Small Business fund.

🕴️ Tech jobs of the week

Find your next career:

• Cloud Solutions Specialist at City of Victoria

• Java Developer at Andrew Sheret

• Full Stack Developer at MarineLabs

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

📅 Upcoming events

Feb 22-23 | 5th Western Angel Investment Summit in Victoria

Join days of fun, networking, socializing, company pitches, speakers and panelists. Not sure what to expect? Check out highlights from the 2023 Summit.

March 8 | International Women's Day: Building Bridges to Belonging: Inspiring Inclusion

This International Women’s Day, Women on the Rise is hosting a collaborative event, organized by the chapter leads of Women on the Rise, Women in Leadership, WNORTH, CHIWARACo, Women’s Equity Lab, Girlboss UVic, and iWIST.

Join a day of interactive panel sessions, intentional networking, a standup comedy act, food + drink and more.

Have an upcoming event? Reply to let us know.

🙋 I need a…

We at Victoria Tech Journal know you, our community, pretty well. Are you searching for someone in your field to have coffee with, a hiring hookup, a lead on local investors, or suggestion for a great Victoria tech tool? Whatever you’re hunting for, let us know. We’ll post it in this section and make it happen.

Email your requests to [email protected].

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.