The high-tech thread

Yah know Victoria business Owners and managers are pretty darned lucky from what I can see. (I visit about 300 businesses a month, so I do see)

I see plenty of folks working their butts off, paid and not paid.
Sure you get the odd lazy-ass, every town, city, province will however I don't agree anyone can brush Victoria or Vancouver Island with a 'style' that depicts lower production than elsewhere.

Just like a disgruntled business owner to come to VV and dust it up bit eh.

And then there are the times you work your ass off and it gets you nowhere. At my previous job (which I am still searching for a suitable replacement for) there was a bit of the "west coast lifestyle" attitude towards, breaks, etc... but we worked hard, took excellent care of the customers (many who kept coming back year after year) and did work of quality I have yet to see our competitors perform.

I did many things to benifit the company, improve professionalism, organization, implement time-saving automation, etc... and what did it get me? A layoff notice stating that there wasn't enough work. Funny, they have since hired THREE new people with far less experience.

Moral of the story? Enjoy the west coast attitude at work.

Victoria's high-tech revenue hits $1.95 billion
Contribution to Victoria economy more than $2.6 billion, says study
By Andrew A. Duffy, Times Colonist
November 13, 2009 6:37 AM

Total annual revenues for Victoria's high-tech community are at $1.95 billion and the total economic impact of the sector is in excess of $2.6 billion, according to a new economic-impact study to be released today.

The study, to be unveiled at Island Tech 2009, a showcase for the sector at the Victoria Conference Centre's Crystal Gardens, was undertaken over the last two years and its findings are considered very conservative, according to Dan Gunn, executive director of the Victoria Advanced Technology Council.

"We wanted to make sure it was a strongly defendable number," he said. "But in no way do we want, nor do we need to exaggerate the size or impact of the sector."

Two years ago, VIATeC made a splash at its annual awards dinner when it revealed the industry boasted $1.7 billion in revenues, catching many in the $1.2-billion tourism industry by surprise as that had long been considered the city's largest private industry.

The new findings are also likely to raise an eyebrow or two, which Gunn admits is part of the idea.

http://www.timescolo...8172/story.html

I wonder what is considered "high tech" to be included in those figures.

And then there are the times you work your ass off and it gets you nowhere. At my previous job (which I am still searching for a suitable replacement for) there was a bit of the "west coast lifestyle" attitude towards, breaks, etc... but we worked hard, took excellent care of the customers (many who kept coming back year after year) and did work of quality I have yet to see our competitors perform.

I did many things to benifit the company, improve professionalism, organization, implement time-saving automation, etc... and what did it get me? A layoff notice stating that there wasn't enough work. Funny, they have since hired THREE new people with far less experience.

Moral of the story? Enjoy the west coast attitude at work.

No sour grapes there eh!

NEPTUNE goes online:

NEPTUNE Canada Ocean Observatory Goes Live
A new era of ocean exploration has begun.

Today, the NEPTUNE Canada cabled ocean observatory—the largest and most advanced facility of its kind in the world—officially turned on the data flow from hundreds of scientific instruments and sensors installed on the seafloor of the Pacific Ocean.

Led by the University of Victoria, NEPTUNE Canada pioneers a new generation of ocean observation systems that use innovative engineering and the Internet to provide continuous, long-term monitoring of ocean processes and events, as they happen.

http://communication...release&id=1094

Had to go back to 2009 to find this one. Anyways Victoria is about to start a Free Downtown WIFI zone.

Clicky Clicky

I hope this is the right thread for a general discussion of the victoria tech industry, because I'd like to have one. Does anyone else feel that the tech industry is not very visible, even though it's apparently a huge part of the economy? Maybe it's because a lot of the offices are satellite locations of companies based somewhere else, but it seems that there's not a strong community of fellow tech workers.

I hope this is the right thread for a general discussion of the victoria tech industry, because I'd like to have one. Does anyone else feel that the tech industry is not very visible, even though it's apparently a huge part of the economy? Maybe it's because a lot of the offices are satellite locations of companies based somewhere else, but it seems that there's not a strong community of fellow tech workers.

I'd agree with that. I have a feeling that much of the high-tech development that goes on here is part of a larger collaborative effort spanning multiple offices in multiple cities.

I have a friend who works at a local office of a large tech/power company. Sure they have a big office with lots of employees, but I don't think they do the development and manufacturing here. My friend just tests software developed in India and installed onto devices in the US somewhere.

I think that is the idea behind the Tectoria campaign.

Actually there are some local, innovative, high tech companies at the VI Technology Park. That isn't to say they may not get swallowed up by larger corporations.

But the premise is right that they don't have much of a presence in Victoria. Why not have a high tech centre in the city, so tourists and visitors can see some of what's coming out of Victoria?

I know there's been some discussion of a Rock Bay high tech hood, but I sure don't see any evidence that is moving forward.

Expect fewer companies to locate and operate here due to the high value of the dollar. Tech companies are fueled by investment capital and most tech investors are located in California (many others in New York and large urban centres throughout the US). Some are in Vancouver and Toronto, but not many and certainly not enough to have knowledge of various technologies to make the necessary decisions on whether or not to invest and how much to invest. That being said, when a California-based investor threw $100,000 at Victoria startup two years ago their money translated into $125,000 of actual capital. Now that $100,000 is worth closer to $95,000. Add the high cost of living in Victoria and all of a sudden investors want small tech startups to move out or lose out.

On top of this, Ontario's vicious (or lucrative, depending on how you look at it) attempts to draw tech companies out of BC and into Ontario through tax reductions and tech-friendly initiatives are working and further compounding the erosion.

Besides all of that, tech parks are ridiculously expensive. Any company opening its doors at a tech park has either money to burn thanks to investors throwing cash their way or they're operating with a lot of public money and don't feel the pain of monthly expenses. Private tech companies look for the most affordable digs in which to setup shop and have no need nor the desire to spend incredible amounts of money on lavish tech park office space. And some startups that do make the mistake of overspending on office space find out very quickly why throwing away money on rent month after month on a beautiful space is a complete waste of resources and a common cause for business failure.

Besides all of that, tech parks are ridiculously expensive. Any company opening its doors at a tech park has either money to burn thanks to investors throwing cash their way or they're operating with a lot of public money and don't feel the pain of monthly expenses. .

Why would tech parks be ridiculously expensive? It is just a box on a piece of land, it should be no more expensive than any other building.

All boxes on land are not created equal.

I think that is the idea behind the Tectoria campaign.

The tectoria campaign feels like it's more about advertising victoria to outside businesses & workers, and not focused on people in-town already. Plus, and I hope nobody here worked on them, but the ads are pretty cheesy and come off too cheerleading. They're just kind of embarrassing.

As Mike said, the cost of offices will drive a lot of smaller companies out of downtown and most of the big companies will have a national or global focus, not local.

It doesn't help that Vancouver is right nearby and is way more attractive as a tech city.

High-tech helps to drive down jobless rate in capital region
By Carla Wilson, Victoria Times Colonist and Postmedia News
January 7, 2012 7:51 AM



Last year, VIATeC’s top 25 firms founded locally or with headquarters here reported revenues of $820 million, up from about $760 million in 2010, he said. Companies say their top challenge is recruiting technical staff.

Overall employment in the capital region rose by 1,000 in December over November, said Vincent Ferrao, spokesman for Statistics Canada.

Over the 12 months to December 2011, the accommodation and food sector grew by 2,100, followed by transportation and warehousing at 1,300, he said.

In December 2010, the jobless rate was 5.8 per cent, rising to 6.2 in January and staying in that range for the remainder of 2011 until last month, Ferrao said.

B.C.’s unemployment rate stood at seven per cent last month, holding steady from November, even though 11,000 new jobs were created, Statistics Canada said.

http://www.timescolo...9930/story.html

A new gamer hits town

Online game builder Kixeye plans new studio

By Andrew A. Duffy, Times Colonist October 19, 2012

Read more: A new gamer hits town

Victoria's growing reputation as a hotbed of online game development is about to get another boost with the opening of Kixeye's first Canadian studio early in the new year.

The San Francisco-based company - known for its Backyard Monsters, Battle Pirates and War Commander games - will open a studio under the guiding hand of Clayton Stark, who has jumped to Kixeye from Zynga Games.

"I can't overstate my excitement. ... This is my lifeblood,' said Stark who agreed to make the move after a crab dinner with Kixeye CEO Will Harbin. "What I'm passionate about is assembling a great team and building something the world hasn't seen before. That's what makes me tick."

Read more: A new gamer hits town

Victoria high-tech firms shine in spotlight
Published: October 18, 2013 4:00 PM

In a city known as much for its visitors as its visionaries, Victoria’s high-tech startups are stepping into the spotlight.

At two years old, BackyardBC is one of those companies, combining co-founder Brian Friesen’s experience in Victoria’s hospitality industry with the blossoming local tech industry.

Friesen’s tourism website targets what other online travel giants do not: promote tourism for British Columbians in British Columbia, and saving them money at the same time.



Wifarer, for one, has quietly grown from three employees in 2010 to 15 in a field Lise Murphy says could exceed $2 billion in revenues by 2017.

“Our technology is quite ground-breaking. We were among the first to figure out how to locate a smartphone inside (a building),” she says. “Our tech team figured out where you are by using the WiFi in the building. WiFi--based mapping is super accurate. More accurate than GPS.”

The smartphone app picks up where GPS leaves off, providing indoor navigation for participating airports, museums, galleries and other destinations. Marrying mapping with location-based content, Murphy, Wifarer’s vice-president of marketing, says the company is improving the visitor experience for facilities like airports – such as the Vancouver International Airport – where travellers can use the app to find their gate and information about their flights, or use it to guide them through an art gallery.

http://www.vicnews.c.../228095201.html

Sounds even more useful for visitors' movements to be closely mapped and logged inside buildings. Prediction: Employers will start logging employees' locations every second of the day for later review during employee assessments.

jbw

victoria's own ces!
 

Tech industry takes over Crystal Garden

Robbie Aylesworth

Date: December 10, 2013
Greater Victoria’s top tech companies descend upon Crystal Garden this Friday (Dec. 13) from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. to show off the latest in gadgets, games and work-class innovation.

Discover Tectoria features more than 70 tech exhibitors, including a “start-up alley” with the newest companies making headlines around the tech world through new ideas developed right here in the Capital Region.

“Tectoria is the nickname we give Canada’s smartest city to remind everyone struck by the beauty of Victoria, that its No. 1 industry is actually technology,” said Dan Gunn, executive director of the Victoria Advanced Technology Council (VIATeC). “We would love for Victorians to join our community and see all that we have to offer.”

http://www.viatec.ca...-crystal-garden