Welcome to this week’s Thursday Feature. In this issue, meet the Victoria company being recognized by the global design community, and the woman-led startups taking home business awards. Have a great day. We'll see you again Sunday.

Sustainability-focused Origen Air nominated for leading design magazine award

Back in March, James Matthews profiled Susan Blanchet and her clean-air-as-a-service startup Origen Air. He wrote that Origen's hardware provides “clean air for any size commercial space at a monthly fee. The devices also report back real-time air quality data, as if your favourite house plant became proficient in data analytics and learned how to present its findings with you.” Ultimately, the goal was to cleverly and sustainably bring fresh air inside.

This past August, on the heels of early success, Origen Air announced that it closed a $1.5 million seed round, which included a strategic investment from First Inflection Business Advisors. George Yan, the organization's co-founder and COO, is a big fan of Origen Air. "I personally have been involved in indoor air quality projects for many years,” he told us. "What sets Origen Air apart from other devices on the marketplace — ones that use UV light for example — is that it pairs a biological system with a mechanical system.”

That innovative approach has recently garnered the company a nomination for an environmental impact award by the prestigious Interior Design Magazine. The publication's Best of Year program is a leading design awards initiative, honouring the most significant work of the year as well as recognizing designers, architects, and manufacturers from around the globe. The winners are chosen according to audience votes. If you want to show your support for Origen Air, you can vote online until October 14.

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📰 More Victoria innovation news

👩🏻 Winning women: Last week, the B.C. tech community descended on UBC Robson Square in Vancouver for the culmination of the 2022 New Ventures BC Competition. Among the award recipients, two woman-led Victoria-based startups took home top prizes. Nyoka, a company creating non-toxic, biodegradable glow sticks, won the $10,000 Innovate BC Regional Startup Prize. Taking home the third place prize of $35,000 was VoxCell Bioinnovation, which produces 3D-printed human tissues to improve the drug testing industry. Get the full story.

📈 Trending: Last week, the B.C. government announced investments of $30 million into 120 post-secondary research projects through the BC Knowledge Development Fund (BCKDF). Among the eight institutions getting funding, Vancouver Island University and the University of Victoria are receiving a combined $1.9 million. We spoke to Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation, about the funding and its role in driving innovation in B.C. Read what he had to say.

🕴️ Tech jobs of the week

Find your next career:

• Business Development Representative at VINN Automotive Technologies

• Manager, IT Infrastructure at North Island College

• Senior Scrum Master at BC Public Service

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

📅 Upcoming events

October 12: Acetech Mix + Mingle

October 14: The Evolution of Freshworks

Have an upcoming event? Reply to let us know.