The Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce's digital time machine

Plus, take a deep dive into Women's Equity Lab.

Author

James Matthews
February 12, 2023

TOGETHER WITH

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Welcome to this week’s Sunday Briefing, brought to you by Tiny. In this issue, take a deep dive into Women's Equity Lab, discover VIATEC's community catchup, and plenty more. But first, let's take a trip back in time. - James, @jimmermatthews

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160 years of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce

landing page for the Chamber's 1863 project

Photo courtesy of The Chamber 1863: Web Project

The Great Victoria Chamber of Commerce is celebrating its birthday. If the organization were to grab a cake for the occasion, the amount of candles required might draw the ire of the Victoria Fire Department. So, to mark a nice, round 160 years of the Chamber, it celebrated by taking a trip back in time. The flux capacitor was set to — you guessed it — 1863 for the occasion.The Chamber 1863 web project is a digital exhibit that takes a deep dive into the history of the Chamber and the many communities that contributed to the growth of trade and commerce in southern Vancouver Island. “It's a fascinating look at people who left a legacy, and a chance to better understand the struggles of those who overcame discriminatory social and political practices of the times,” the Chamber says of the project.

The site is live now, and is a living project that the Chamber anticipates will continue to grow as more information and content becomes available. For now, the project winds through the region’s history of commerce, starting with First Nations that have lived in the area since time immemorial. Other stops on the online tour include the Chamber’s founding, DEI initiatives, and moments of both boom and bust.

“When you're used to looking to the future, it can be a little awe-inspiring to look back and see how far we've come,” the Chamber says. It’s a sentiment that would even make a Back to the Future superfan smile.

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🏙️ Community catchup, powered by VIATEC

Break out your freshest threads for women in tech. Ditch your COVID sweatpants and dust off your cocktail attire – on March 9, StemStruck is inviting you to celebrate, support, and advance women in our community as part of International Women’s Week.

The event will be a unique night of fashion and inspiration, which will feature a one-of-a-kind fashion show with 10 trendsetting women leaders in science and technology from our community. The CEOs of Flytographer, Origen Air, VoxCell, and more will modelling the latest spring fashions, spotlighting not just what to wear this year, but shining a light on the amazing work these women are doing and their lasting, transformative impact.

In addition to the fashion show, attendees will also enjoy makeup demos, a prosecco balloon wall for a fun cocktail hour with hors d'oeuvres, a photo booth, and more. The money raised will go towards establishing a scholarship through iWIST (Island Women in Science and Technology), which will provide women with more opportunities in STEM by removing financial barriers. Get your ticket.

New tenants at the Fort: SureSwift Capital and Valence Water Inc.

📰 More Victoria innovation news

👩‍💻 Sky’s the limit: The Victoria-born venture capital outfit Women’s Equity Lab is helping women founders gain economic security through women-led investments. Dive in.

🤝 On the horizon: The province forecasts that more than one million jobs will need to be filled within the next decade, with tech being a key area. The Canadian Press.

✅ Watching the clouds: Checkfront, a cloud-based booking software company and a finalist for Anchor Company of the Year in the Victoria Tech Community Awards, wrote its insights on the difference between booking pages and booking widgets. Learn more.

🕴️ Tech jobs of the week

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📅 Upcoming events

February 22: Intro to VIATEC 101

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