Solaires is lighting up with new investment

Plus, could these electric ferries get you to the mainland faster?

Author

Emily Edwards
February 23, 2025

Welcome to this week’s Sunday Briefing. In this issue, find out how proposed tariffs could impact the Island’s construction and development industry, hear from the innovators working to connect Metro Vancouver with quick electric ferries, and meet Eupraxia Pharmaceutical’s incoming chief financial officer, Alex Rothwell.

Now on to today’s briefing. It’s 790 words: a three-minute read.

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Photo: Solaires Enterprises

Solaires is lighting up with new investment

Solaires Enterprises, a Victoria-based cleantech company, announced that it had received $1,550,000 in non-dilutive funding from Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC).

Solaires is developing perovskite modules (also known as PVModules), a next-generation solar technology, which the company says are ideal power sources for indoor devices like smart door locks, electronic shelf labels, wireless keyboards, and more.

“At Solaires, we are committed to advancing photovoltaic technology to power a more sustainable future. With SDTC’s support, we can accelerate the development of our next-generation photovoltaic modules — designed for indoor and outdoor applications,” said Sahar Sam, co-founder and CEO of Solaires. “This support enables us to expand our impact into the transportation industry, bringing us closer to a world where photovoltaics are seamlessly integrated into everyday life.”

The funding will be used to support the advancement and commercialization of Solaires’ perovskite photovoltaic technology.

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📰 More Victoria innovation news

⛵️ I am sailing: The Centre for Ocean Applied Sustainable Technologies (COAST) launched COAST Spotlight, a limited series intended to highlight the blue economy companies working on Vancouver Island. The first episode features coastal transportation company Greenline Marine. Greenline is dedicated to providing options for fast, all-electric, passenger-only ferries to connect Metro Vancouver.

💥 Like a wrecking ball: In the latest episode of Chamber Chats, the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce podcast, CEO and host Bruce Williams sat down with Kathy Whitcher of the Urban Development Institute and Rory Kulmala with the Vancouver Island Construction Association. The trio discussed the potential impact of U.S. tariffs and lingering COVID-19 challenges.

👋 Baby, come back: Victoria’s Eupraxia Pharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage biotechnology company, said goodbye to its outgoing (and retiring) chief financial officer Bruce Cousins and welcomed returning CFO Alex Rothwell to the company. Rothwell previously served as CFO from 2018 to 2021.

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