Tech & Science

Jun 3, 2009
Purifying the Gas
as told to Peter Severinson

QuestAir Technologies Inc. ’s big score was snatched away in the mid-2000s when it became clear that no one would be building fleets of hydrogen-fuelled cars in the near future. What’s a maker of sophisticated gas-purification equipment to do next?

Jun 3, 2009
The Return of Vancouver Venture Capital?
Brent Holliday

We need venture capitalists (and the Maple Leafs) to have a good season. The venture capital industry in Canada is looking a bit like the Toronto Maple Leafs these days. Like the Leafs, the venture capitalists (VCs) are vital to a lot of passionate Canadians. And as with hockey rivalries, VCs and entrepreneurs coexist with a mix of admiration and hatred – sort of like Maple Leafs fans and Montreal Canadiens fans.

Jun 3, 2009
Working Smart: Smartcool
Tony Wanless

Innovation doesn’t always mean reinventing the wheel. CLEAN TECHNOLOGY has been touted as B.C.’s great industrial hope, but most B.C. companies involved in it are focused on developing alternatives to existing energy systems. This demands a long vision, much capital for scientific experimentation, long leaps over regulatory hurdles and extensive education of the market.

May 26, 2009
Aye, Prepare To Be Boarded. By Lawyers
Tony Wanless

Not like those Somalis with their swift boats and rockets who like to terrorize the world’s shipping lanes. Apparently we’re worse because we usually law-abiding Canucks are terrorizing the world’s largest movie, music and software makers. This is supposed to be true because the “authoritative” Conference Board of Canada says...

May 19, 2009
The Idea Economy Arrives
Tony Wanless

Most reporting and commentary, including this blog, concentrates on problems, complaints, arguments, and just plain bitching. But I’m going against the grain for a change and concentrating on some of the good. In particularly, I want to highlight how the Vancouver region appears to be reinventing itself to become a...

May 6, 2009
Looking for the Exits
Brent Holliday

All entrepreneurs are fuelled by dreams of success and wealth, and in the technology industry employees have bought into the dream. Especially in startups, tech staff typically have a significant ownership stake in the company. Sure, they get salaries, but unlike most of us, they receive their bonuses in more stock...

Apr 21, 2009
Cellular On The Move
Peter Severinson

Every once in a while, a company throws in all its chips for one big hand. Such was Sierra Wireless Inc.’s purchase of French rival Wavecom SA in March. Before the deal, Sierra employed roughly 500 people to build and sell its wireless computing products. The addition of Wavecom brings the head count to about 900, creating a large-scale, multinational wireless conglomerate.

Mar 20, 2009
Where's Government 2.0?
Garth Buchholz

Anyone remember the Campbell government’s e-B.C. Strategy? Not too surprising if you don’t, because it’s been more than four years since the B.C. government formally announced it, with the vision of “transforming the way people every­where engage the British Columbia government and receive services they need, at the time and...

Mar 20, 2009
The Tech Pendulum: Fear and Greed
Brent Holliday

In January you may have missed the 200th birthday of Edgar Allan Poe, celebrated American writer. One of his more famous stories was “The Pit and the Pendulum,” a gruesome tale about a dungeon made of a deep pit and...

Mar 19, 2009
Big Bodyguards for Isohunt's Gary Fung
Tony Wanless

When confronted by a huge and aggressive competitor, most small business operators simply fold up and go away. But not Gary Fung, 25, of Richmond. He turns the aggression into a marketing moment. Fung runs a small company called IsoHunt...

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