Welcome to this week’s Sunday Briefing. In this issue, tour local YouTube influencer Justin Tse’s apartment, have Jason Morehouse walk you through HiBoop’s launch, and meet Eric Wilson: a Victoria-based engineer advocating for Indigenous viewpoints.

Now onto today’s briefing. Its 976 words: a four-minute read.

-James, @jimmermatthews

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Techstars Seattle selects Hansi Singh’s extreme weather startup

Local entrepreneur Hansi Singh is going back to her roots. After picking up both masters and doctoral degrees from the University of Washington, her startup, Planette, has been selected by Techstars Seattle to participate in its accelerator program. Singh is also currently a professor at UVic, providing yet another example of the university’s prowess within Victoria’s tech community.

Planette is a climatetech outfit. Its pitch — according to Seattle-based tech publication, Geekwire — is to empower enterprises to adapt to climate change by providing year-ahead extreme weather risk forecasts. The startup's patent-pending algorithms integrate state-of-the-art advances in Earth System Modeling and AI to produce actionable, near-term forecasts of critical environmental variables. It anticipates being a solution provider to the industries of construction, real estate, fintech, insurance, and energy.

“The importance of climate intelligence has never been more paramount,” Planette co-founder Kalai Ramea wrote on LinkedIn. “As we embark on this journey to make a meaningful impact on our planet, I want to take a moment to express my deepest gratitude.”

Techstars Seattle is an accelerator program that offers access to funding, office space, a supportive community, and experienced mentors to help founders find product-market fit quickly and overcome challenges. Planette is part of a doubled cohort of 24 companies. The larger cohort will also foster collaboration and idea-sharing among participants, creating a more diverse community of innovators, according to Techstars.

“I’m incredibly impressed by the calibre of the founders in this cohort,” wrote Managing Director of Techstars Seattle, Marius Ciocirlan. “Many are industry experts in fields such as cybersecurity, AI, robotics, healthcare, climate, and e-commerce, and have built products at companies like Google, Meta, SpaceX, Microsoft, Fortinet, and StockX.”

🏙️ Community catchup, powered by VIATEC

The VIATEC Community Awards will take place on November 30 in Carson Hall at the Victoria Conference Centre (720 Douglas Street.)

The ceremony brings the tech community together to connect, spotlight, and celebrate some of the year’s most notable companies and individuals within Victoria’s $4 billion tech sector. This year the coalition is aiming to increase inclusivity and ensure that the broader tech community knows that they belong, even if they are not members of a specific organization.

Nominations are now open for any Victoria tech company, as are opportunities for sponsorships slots. Early bird tickets are on sale now.

Also, did you know that there are rich intersections between Victoria’s arts and tech communities? Some examples include Jimbo, who just won RuPaul’s Drag Race Hall of Fame and who built two of the sets and a costume for previous VIATEC Awards; regular attendee Atomic Vaudeville; and VIATEC’s history of sponsoring many local festivals.

📰 More Victoria innovation news

🏘️ MTV Cribs: Justin Tse, the founder and CEO of Feature Media, had his apartment featured in New Kid + The Block.

🎙️ Behind the Music: Jason Morehouse shared the backstory of his mental health startup, HiBoop.

👷 60 Minutes: SiteNews featured the work of Eric Wilson, the Indigenous projects liaison with RJC Engineers and IPCA infrastructure and systems lead with IISAKK OLAM Foundation.

SPONSORED

Meet an Exceptional Founder: Julie Angus

Ink LLP (law firm for high-growth companies) wants to introduce you to an exceptional founder:

👋 Who: Julie Angus

👀 Why: Open Ocean Robotics is revolutionizing ocean monitoring with solar-powered autonomous boats and AI software.

🎉 Latest announcement: Won three multi-year contracts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

🕴️ Tech jobs of the week

Find your next career:

• Front Desk Volunteer Coordinator (Mat Leave Cover) at Together Against Poverty Society

• Administrative Services Coordinator at Camosun College Faculty Association

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

📅 Upcoming events

Oct 20 | Toast x Checkfront: Pathways To Tech: Toast co-founder April Hicke will lead the conversation with a panel of experts who have navigated unique pathways to success in the tech industry. Whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting your tech journey, this event promises valuable insights, inspiration, and actionable advice.

Oct 25 | Diversity Equity and Inclusion in STEM: How Migrant Women Can Leverage the Power of Networking: Whether you're a migrant woman already thriving in STEM or aspiring to make your mark, join to gain valuable insights and connections that will help you excel in your STEM journey.

Oct 25 | ProductTank Victoria & ProductBC Fall Mingler: Join for an evening of networking, learning, and exchanging ideas about product design, development, management, business modelling, metrics, user experience, and more. This session will have live music, networking, and 20-to-30 minutes to present your product or side project.

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.