The 29th annual Technology Impact Awards (TIAs) set a new record, with 48 finalists and 12 winners announced.
Held last week at the Vancouver Convention Centre, the TIA award for the “Company of the Year – Startup” went to VodaSafe, which provides underwater scanning technology used to help find drowning victims. VodaSafe went home with C$10,000 from BC Tech to grow their company and C$4,000 in PR support co-funded by BC Tech and Switchboard PR.
HTEC, a Vancouver-based company, was honoured for their commitment to unlocking the potential of hydrogen to reduce air pollution and the impacts of climate change. They were presented the award for “GameChanger in Climate Leadership”. HTEC designs and builds solutions that support the deployment of zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) across the continent.
The final award of the evening, “Person of the Year”, went to Josh Nilson, originally from Willow River, BC and founder of the East Side Games studio. Nilson received recognition for his leadership in the local tech ecosystem and his commitment to advancing diversity in tech, specifically for Indigenous peoples.
“I think I’m a voice right now in getting the word out that ‘tech is for everyone’ and for what I can do to talk about diversity, equity and inclusion,” Nilson said. “But most importantly, I think my job is just to hold the door open, so other people can come in. And then I’ll step back and let people that really can do it better than me have a huge impact and get the work done. And I’ll help amplify their voices and support them wherever I can.”
Other awards of the night included the “Spirit of BC Tech Ambition” and “Excellence in Company Culture” awards, which were both presented to Dapper Labs. The company offers blockchain based gaming experiences and digital collectibles.
The “Diversity and Inclusion” award went to Hootsuite, and the “Excellence in Technology Innovation” award went to Vancouver Airport Authority.
There were four other “Company of the Year” awards presented, highlighting “Growth”, “Export”, “Scale”, and “Anchor”.
These awards went to AOT Technologies, Advanced Cyclotron Systems, Redlen Technologies, and GeoComply respectively.