Welcome to this week’s Sunday Briefing! In this issue, read about an award-winning CEO, three new UberEats cities on the Island, a medical imaging device, and UVic’s policy on the use of AI in school.

Now onto today’s briefing. It’s 703 words: a three-minute read.

-Emily, [email protected]

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Victoria CEO named Women in Business Thought Leader of the Year

Origen Air founder and CEO Susan Rae Blanchet took home gold in the Women in Business Thought Leader of the Year – Business Products category at the Stevie Awards last week.

Launched in 2002, the Stevies honor and promote the achievements and public contributions of organizations and professionals around the world. The awards program is divided into six categories, including that for Women in Business, which recognizes the achievements of female executives, entrepreneurs, and the organizations they run. The Victoria-based innovator is in good company; this year’s awards attracted over 1,600 nominations.

Founded in 2019, Origen Air was partially inspired by the health challenges of Blanchet’s father, whose work as a civil engineer may have exposed him to toxins.

Origen Air develops air purification systems that combine filtration, sensors, and a nature-inspired design with bioengineered plant technology. Origen Air’s bio-boosted plants have proven to reduce up to 40 percent of total volatile organic compounds, the company says. These super-plants, an improved version of a golden pothos ivy, are developed at the University of Washington.

Origen Air has also been nominated as Startup of the Year at the VIATEC Community Awards.

🏙️ Community catchup, powered by VIATEC

VIATEC’s Venture Acceleration Program is now accepting applications!

The Venture Acceleration Program helps technology companies define a proven business model for profitability, and helps them grow their business effectively. The program is a low-cost, structured venture development service designed to guide, coach, and grow ambitious early-stage technology entrepreneurs.

If you’re an entrepreneur building a tech company in Victoria, have just started or recently established your business, and you’re coachable, check out the Venture Acceleration Program.

📰 More Victoria innovation news

🍔 Grab your grub: Uber Eats added three new Vancouver Island locations to its service — Duncan, Campbell River, and Courtenay.

🔎 Take a look: West Coast Medical Imaging announced the addition of an automated breast-imaging ultrasound machine to its practice. The machine is one of the first in the province.

🤖 Think twice: The University of Victoria promised to share guidelines for students and professors on the use of AI tools such as ChatGPT. The institution said more information will be given ahead of the start of the new semester in January.

🕴️ Tech jobs of the week

Find your next career:

• Solutions Architect at VertiGIS

• Accounting Clerk at Redbrick

• Sales Development Representative at Waterworth

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

📅 Upcoming events

⭐ Nov 30 | Victoria Tech Morning Coffee, presented by VicTJ and Ink LLP

You’re invited to join Ink LLP and Victoria Tech Journal at Fort Tectoria to connect with the Victoria tech community in an informal atmosphere. ​Check out the space, discover a new career, find your next co-founder, or learn something new — you can do it all at our upcoming coffee meetup.

Dec 11 | iWIST Holiday Party and Annual General Meeting:

Save the date with some of the most spirited and festive women in science and technology. Toast to the communities' accomplishments over the past year and provide input on official iWIST business.

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.