VICTORIA, BC (September 28, 2026) - VIATEC held its Annual General Meeting on September 24th at Fort Tectoria, drawing a strong turnout from across Greater Victoria's tech community and capping a year the association describes as one of its most active in its 35-year history.

Members elected two new directors: Julien Francois of SureSwift Capital and Steve Pearce of leftBrain Performance.

The meeting landed in the middle of Victoria Tech Week, which VIATEC played a key role in creating and running. The week featured 50 events (3x as many as last year) with more than 100 speakers across 27 venues and an estimated 2,772 registrants. Every event except the AGM itself was organized by the community.

Fort Tectoria hosted more than a quarter of those events, fitting for a building that marked its 12th anniversary on September 9th. Since opening in 2014, the building has been home to 155 companies, saving local firms more than $3 million against market rent, and it has paid more than $600,000 in property taxes to the city. It has hosted over 130 CEO Club meetings and, in the last 18 months alone, 47 live music nights, with VIATEC donating $42,300 in floor space so performers pay nothing to use the venue.

BOOST, VIATEC's newest program and supported by PacifiCan, has worked with 39 high growth potential companies on roughly $8 million in projects.

BOOST is the most recent in twelve years of VIATEC programming run out of Fort Tectoria. Over that period, VIATEC programs have advised 429 companies, delivered 22,402 mentorship hours, and helped participating companies grow revenue by $324.8 million, attract $141.6 million in investment, and create and maintain 1,257 new jobs, which are estimated to generate roughly $26.8 million in income tax every year.

That impact comes as public support has thinned. Provincial funding for VIATEC programs, once $400,000 a year, now stands at zero, and municipal support has also declined. At its peak, that provincial investment returned roughly $40.4 million a year in revenue growth and private investment raised by participants.

In August, VIATEC and VIMEA, the Vancouver Island Manufacturing Excellence Alliance, signed a partnership making VIATEC VIMEA's home.

QUOTE FROM DAN GUNN, CEO OF VIATEC:

"This was a big year for us. We had a great turnout at the AGM, and Victoria Tech Week brought the whole community out in a way that reinforces how strong this community is. We're only five people here and we played a key role in making that week happen, but it doesn't happen at all unless the community puts the events forward and shows up for each other, and that kind of gathering is what keeps this sector growing together."

Readers can go here to view the full annual summary presented at the AGM.

VIATEC thanks everyone who submitted a nomination and we congratulate those who were newly elected and re-elected. A special thank you to Justine Bryant (Delta-X Research) and Chris Carvalho (Ross Bay Medical) who have completed their service in helping shape the future of this community.

The 2026-27 VIATEC Board of Directors are:

1. Mike Anderson, Associate Individual (Re-Elected)
2. Armon Arani, Cognito Health (Re-Elected)
3. John Austin, Cindicates (Re-Elected)
4. Jim Balcom, Associate Individual (Returning)
5. David Climie, Associate Individual (Returning)
6. Robert Cooper, PlusROI Online Marketing (Returning)
7. Maria Davidson, Udutu (Returning)
8. Jacques Du Plessis, Osler, Hoskin, & Harcourt LLP (Returning)
9. Julien Francois, SureSwift Capital (Newly Elected)
10. Darin Herle (Returning)
11. Meghan Nichol, Redlen Technologies (Re-Elected)
12. Steve Pearce, leftBrain Performance (Newly elected)
13. Corey Scholefield, Workday (Returning)
14. Christine Tatham, Redbrick (Re-Elected)

MEDIA CONTACT:
Dan Gunn, CEO, VIATEC
dgunn@viatec.ca / 250-882-2820