Welcome to this week’s Midweek Memo. In this issue, learn about a heartwarming use case for one of MarineLabs’ top products, discover a new shoreline debris detection system to clean up our beaches, and see who won a University of Victoria competition.

Now onto today’s briefing. It’s 665 words: a three-minute read.

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Island spotlight: Cognito

According to Cognito, a Victoria-based company focused on improving access to mental health services, a whopping 17 percent of Canadians struggle with their mental health. By our count, that’s almost 7 million people.

Cognito paints a dark picture of the state of the nation:

• By age 40, half of Canadians will have or have had a mental illness

• Only around 50 percent of Canadians “experiencing a major depressive episode receive potentially adequate care.”

• Canadians could wait between six months to one year for therapy or counselling.

What’s the company doing about it? Cognito offers online mental health care services for mild to moderate anxiety, depression, insomnia, and ADHD. Through a monthly subscription, the outfit provides cognitive behavioural therapy and support with access to medication and an integrated care team.

Earlier this year, the company announced $2 million in seed financing from investors including StandUp Ventures, Garage Capital, Graphite Ventures, Spring Impact Capital, and Simplex Ventures. The funding went towards Cognito’s launch in Ontario in April 2024.

Cognito is available to residents of B.C. and Ontario who are over the age of 17.

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📰 More Victoria innovation news

👀 I’ve got my eye on you: Ocean AID introduced Eagle ATR, a new system of detecting debris along the shoreline using drone video, that promises to help clean up plastics on our beaches.

🏊‍♀️ But now I’m swimmin’: MarineLabs' CoastAware will provide forecasts and real-time weather insights for ultramarathon swimmer Jill Yoneda as she swims 109km down the Georgia Strait — a route that’s never been swum before.

😍 Always judge the one you love: Redlen Technologies took part in the University of Victoria Engineering and Computer Science, acting as judges for its Capstone Project Showcase.

🕴️Tech jobs of the week

Find your next career:

• Senior Hardware Engineer at Quester Tangent

• IT Senior Systems Analyst, Infrastructure at Royal Roads University

• Full Stack Developer at MarineLabs

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

📅 Upcoming events

August 23 | VIATEC Summer Tech Together

Picture this: Crowd surfing the CEO of your team to the raddest live band under the sun, and savagely beating your tech rivals in the potato sack race, all while showing off those summer gains in the tug-o-war.

• Chill and connect: Soak up those summer rays with top tech teams in our city.

• Demolish your tech rivals: Prove to the Tectorian community why your company is the best by sprinting to the finish line in the three-legged race and flaunting your superior senses in the blindfolded obstacle course.

• Bring your conductor hat: Take a relaxing cruise through the heritage grounds on the trains with your kiddos.

• Wave your glow sticks: Mosh-pit with your boss and embarrass your kids in front of the main stage.

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 by hitting reply on this email.