Today, the Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada (PacifiCan), announced over $17 million in PacifiCan funding for 10 organizations to help businesses in key sectors, such as life sciences, clean technology, and construction, scale up their operations.  

The projects announced today are:

Accelerate Okanagan
$1,980,500

Accelerate Okanagan will deliver the Ascend BC project to help high-growth-potential businesses in B.C.’s North and Southern Interior address scale-up challenges. PacifiCan’s investment will support entrepreneurs in urban, rural and Indigenous communities by providing access to mentorship, executive leadership services and capital.

Circle Innovation Solutions
$2,500,000

Circle Innovation, an organization that provides innovative solutions for B.C. technology companies, will expand its business acceleration programming. Through its network of over 250 experts, mentors and advisors, Circle Innovation helps businesses identify investment opportunities and provides customized guidance and training. PacifiCan support will enable B.C. companies, including many digital health innovators, to scale up their businesses and life-changing technologies.

Discovery Foundation
$599,618

Discovery Foundation will launch the Scale Ready program to accelerate high-growth-potential, impact-driven businesses led by underrepresented founders in B.C. The initiative will connect companies and investors, provide business leaders with the education and mentorship needed to raise capital, and will offer financial consulting and market research services for growth. 

Foresight Canada
$1,700,000

Foresight, an organization that accelerates clean technology innovation in B.C., will expand its BC Grow Program. The program is designed to support clean technology businesses with high-growth potential by providing mentorship, networking, custom market intelligence and educational workshops. PacifiCan’s investment will help these companies access the resources they need to bridge the gap between early commercialization and scaling up. This funding will also help clean technology businesses attract investors in B.C. and beyond.

Hubspace
$633,500

Hubspace will deliver an angel investment program to scale up high-growth-potential businesses in Northern B.C. Hubspace will develop: a series of workshops to educate founders on the investment process; a mentorship program featuring investment readiness training; and pitching events including the first Northern Angel Summit. This will boost the economy in Northern B.C by helping businesses scale up through access to capital and growth opportunities.

Life Sciences BC
$1,125,000

Life Sciences BC, an organization that supports and represents British Columbia’s life sciences community, will deliver the Global Business Development Program and the Life Sciences Showcase. This initiative will equip businesses with the skills and knowledge to attract private capital, build global networks, and empower expansion in Canada and beyond. PacifiCan’s investment will help bolster B.C.’s leadership in the life sciences sector.

Light House Sustainability Society
$1,083,672

Light House, an organization that supports sustainability in the construction sector, will deliver its Circular Innovation in the Built Environment Accelerator Program. This will accelerate the growth of green building companies in B.C., including those that create low-carbon building materials, by providing mentors, networking, custom market insights and workshops. PacifiCan’s investment will help B.C. businesses grow and support a greener economy.

Simon Fraser University
$2,500,000

Simon Fraser University’s VentureLabs will expand its business acceleration programming for B.C. technology companies. VentureLabs offers mentorship, investor networking and market intelligence to help companies scale up their innovative tech solutions. PacifiCan’s investment will help fast track businesses that are creating breakthrough tech to address global challenges.

University of British Columbia
$2,500,000

Funding will expand the Creative Destruction Lab – Vancouver’s (CDL-V) acceleration program for B.C. science and technology companies, which is hosted at the University of British Columbia. The program will include a dedicated stream for hardware and software technology companies driving innovation in the mining sector and will introduce events focused on generating investment opportunities. PacifiCan support will enable CDL-V to target specific sectors and leverage the B.C.’s network of innovators to help local companies scale up.

Victoria Innovation, Advanced Technology and Entrepreneurship Council (VIATEC)
$2,500,000

VIATEC will deliver a business acceleration program for high-growth-potential companies in the South Island. VIATEC will offer mentorship from industry experts and advisors on strategic planning, leadership and operations, and will help companies with private capital attraction through pitch days, workshops and networking events. PacifiCan support will help businesses in the South Island’s flourishing tech sector leverage new market research and customer acquisition strategies to capitalize on domestic and international growth opportunities.