Three Technology Impact Awards finalists hail from Vancouver Island

Sam Mod, co-founder of FreshWorks; George Philip, co-founder of AOT technologies; and Glenn Bindley, CEO of Redlen.

A trio of Vancouver Island-based companies have made the finals of the BC Tech Association’s Technology Impact Awards.

FreshWorks, Excellence in Company Culture

FreshWorks Studio is a Victoria-based custom software development company that drives innovation, transformation, and growth at forward-thinking organizations. While that “what” is impressive, it is the company’s “who” that made them stand out for this award. Co-founders Sam Mod and Rohit Boolchandani outline that a growth mindset is present from the top down at FreshWorks. “As you join our team, know that we are committed to helping you grow a little every day. We’ll make that happen through challenging work and embracing the uncomfortable. We will strive to inspire you, be inspired by you, and always be learning,” reads a section titled “a message from our founders” on the company website.

You can learn first-hand why FreshWorks’ culture is so award-worthy, as it is currently hiring for ten roles across two departments.

AOT Technologies, Company of the Year – Growth

AOT technologies is a Victoria-based IT Consulting company that specializes in application integration and analytics. Speaking of growth, AOT has offices in Vancouver; Portland, Oregon; St. Petersburg, Florida; and Kerala, India, in addition to that Victoria HQ.

This whole awards thing is nothing new to AOT, either. The company recently landed on Clutch’s Global List of Top 100 Companies. Plus, it has been certified as a Great Place to Work for three years running.

Redlen, Company of the Year – Scale

Redlen is a Saanichton-based company that crafts innovative materials for devices like X-ray machines and CT scanners. The company had many peaks and valleys before a CAD $424M deal with imaging giant Canon in September 2021. En route, Redlin became the inaugural Greg Smith Award winner in 2020. Irene Dorsman, CEO of the organization behind the award in Angel Forum, detailed to Victoria Tech Journal that amidst the pandemic and a failed exit, the “jury was still out on the company” before the cash injection from Canon roughly 12 months later.

“It is evident that the proactive approach of the Redlen investors plus the support of VCs, seed funds, and angels through many rounds of funding helped build this success on Vancouver Island,” she told Victoria Tech Journal in an email. Glenn Bindley, Redlen’s CEO, further explained the state of the company after receiving the 2020 award.  

“The reality for most companies in the 21st century (social media, digital currency companies, and a few other areas excluded) is that one must create real value,” he said. “In a science and manufacturing company like Redlen, that is a hard path to travel. We were at death's door in 2013 and were resuscitated by new shareholders such as Pangaea Ventures and Ralph Turfus. [They were] able to see the potential for Redlen, and not just the missed milestones and unexpected challenges we had experienced the 10 years prior.”

There may be another award in a trophy cabinet in Saanichton come October.

Amongst a ‘thrilling’ cast of companies

“What is thrilling about this year’s 48 finalists is that they represent exceptional ambition in so many ways, from climate leadership, to diversity and inclusion, to using technology to solve challenges in traditional industries,” Jill Tipping, CEO of the BC Tech Association, said. “It is inspiring to see how technology is transforming BC’s economy and creating new opportunities in every community in BC.”