
VENTURES IN THE NEWS
ATTRACTING MEDIA ATTENTION
Our incubator ventures are making headlines! We are tremendously proud of our incubator ventures and their accomplishments! Check out some of the articles below:
January 8, 2023
BC Local News
Spruce Circularity, founded by Devon de Balasi Brown, is a subscription program offering clothing repairs and refurbishment, offloading the need for retailers to build and operate those services in-house. "There's just no way we can keep going the way we are in terms of waste that we're creating as a society."
Spruce Circularity
2022 Cohort
July 25, 2022
CTV Vancouver
The Cumberland, B.C., site, in partnership with the Ocean Legacy Foundation, collects materials from shoreline cleanup efforts and legacy equipment from commercial fishing and the aquaculture industry. This depot is the third of its kind on the BC coast, with two others in Powell River and Ucleulet.
Ocean Legacy
2022 Cohort
January 8, 2022
Techouver
ShareWares is helping the City of Vancouver realize its Single-Use Reduction Strategy by partnering with cafes to offer reusable cups and containers, reducing the 441 million disposable cups and takeout containers that end up in the landfill each year.
ShareWares
2021 Cohort
June 13, 2021
BC Local News
Since initiating the Compost Pilot Program, Tofino Urban Farm Co has been able to divert 67 tonnes of organic waste from the landfill. Participating restaurants have also been able to divert 85% of their waste from the landfill.
Tofino Urban Farm Co.
2019 Cohort
March 10, 2021
Chek News
Founder of Salt Legacy, Meaghan McDonald has collected end-of-life sails and is turning them into weatherproof backpacks. While Salt Legacy is for-profit, they have a greater goal to connect their customers with nature.
Salt Legacy
2020 Cohort
June 30, 2020
Times Colonist
Adam Kreek, a former Olympic rower channels his athletic drive into business and consulting. Kreek found parallels between sport and entrepreneurialism while planning and conducting a row from mainland Africa to North America.
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Ergo Eco Solutions
2019 Cohort
November 28, 2022
Victoria News
Grove Outdoors, downtown Victoria’s only sporting goods consignment store, opened in April 2022 with the goal of collecting and reselling gently used outdoor sporting goods. “We’ve only been in business about seven months but have basically outgrown the shared space we currently use,” said Sydney Munk, the founder.
Grove Outdoors
2022 Cohort
July 5, 2022
CTV Vancouver
The province’s first non-profit "Creative Reuse Centre" launched this past weekend in downtown Victoria with over 1,000 people attending during the opening weekend. The centre is called SUPPLY Victoria and it's a non-profit that redistributes used art, office, and school supplies through its low-cost supply store.
SUPPLY Victoria
2019 Cohort
December 12, 2021
Nanaimo News Now
The Gabriola Island Recycling Organization received $92,000 from the Regional District of Nanaimo for Phase 2 of their C2C Threads project, which involves the purchase of an industrial fabric shredder to support textile upcycling.
C2C Threads
2021 Cohort
May 19, 2021
CTV News
The small start-up has secured $50,000 in funding under the new provincial initiative for an eight-month pilot project to turn used plastics into new products.
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Flipside Plastics
2020 Cohort
December 7, 2020
Chek News
30-year old Taylor McCarten and founder of BinBreeze has been put in the national spotlight after appearing on Dragons Den. Taylor landed himself a deal with the popular and highly successful businesswoman Arlene Dickinson.
BinBreeze
2019 Cohort
May 4, 2020
Community Evolution
The increased awareness around food security since the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged Cow-Op's to overcome the logistical hurdles associated with growth. There is now an increased demand for connecting local farmers with consumers, and Cow-Op is making is working it make it happen.
Cow-Op
2021 Cohort
September 21, 2022
The Squamish Chief
Zero Logistics has teamed up with Sea to Sky Courier to deliver goods by e-bike in the downtown and Industrial Park areas of Squamish. Co-founders Luke Friesen and David Lee were inspired by bike delivery couriers in Europe and thought it would be a great idea for North America. The couriers complete between 20 to 40 deliveries every day.
Zero Logistics
2022 Cohort
March 20, 2022
Saanich News
The municipality of North Saanich approved $75,000 in new funding to the Sandown Centre for Regenerative Agriculture. This organization focuses on fostering and supporting regenerative growers, stewarding biodiversity, and inspiring awareness through community education programs and gardens.
Sandown Centre
2021 Cohort
October 8, 2021
Capital Daily
The Diverters Foundation, which supports the unrecognized and stigmatized work of "binners", is launching a community pickup program that will pay the diverters for their work. Their pilot program with Fort Properties reduced waste for the properties by 40%.
The Diverters
2020 Cohort
May 6, 2021
Times Colonist
Polar Engineering has partnered with West Shore Parks and Recreation to install a new energy recovery system. The system is expected to reduce GHG emissions by 62%, or 284 tonnes per year.
Polar Engineering
2020 Cohort
November 16, 2020
Douglas Magazine
Nyoka Design Lab designs a product that pushes back on the plastic industry but also pushes policy making, innovation, and regeneration. The world's first eco-friendly glowsticks will be waiting for the post pandemic world.
Nyoka Design Labs
2019 Cohort
December 30, 2019
Treehugger
Nancy Prevost and Caroline Thibault, founders of the Nulla Project are sick of disposable coffee cups. Their program allows people to leave a $5 deposit to then take a reusable coffee cup that can be used, cleaned, or swapped at any participating coffee shops.
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The Nulla Project
2019 Cohort