Reflecting on 2019 Success Stories
A new decade has arrived with many individuals setting new business goals and intentions for 2020. With this in mind, and before glancing into the future, Trade and Invest BC is reflecting on some of the top success stories of 2019.
One of many standouts in British Columbia’s business sector last year was technology and innovation. B.C. is home to world class clean technology companies and is home to a progressive and dynamic ICT industry. Innovation is on the rise with companies across sectors implementing new technologies to make their businesses more efficient and competitive.
International companies established in B.C. attracted by the province’s competitive, flexible and supportive business climate, while domestic companies such as Eventbase and Nano-Lit Technologies expanded into new foreign markets. Highlighting these companies and looking at why they were so successful in 2019 gives us a glimpse of what’s to come in 2020.
Eventbase is a B.C. event company that has received global recognition for its use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Augmented Reality (AR) and beacons (Bluetooth radio transmitters found in 90% of mobile devices). The use of these technologies to create unique, tailored event experiences differentiates Eventbase from other event apps. Eventbase has received wide acclaim, earning five awards for Best Event App at the annual Event Tech Live conference in London. At the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Eventbase won a high profile contract with the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSMA) to create a new app for its events.
Nano-Lit Technologies is a B.C. company that has studied the correlation between lighting and human health. The company has developed a light technology, called quantum dot LED lighting, that mirrors the changing daytime colours in sunlight and dynamically transfers those colours to indoor lighting. British Columbia’s Trade and Investment representatives in the United Kingdom and staff in B.C. helped Nano-Lit form a subsidiary in British Columbia in 2019 and since then, Nano-Lit’s lighting has been introduced to clients and events in BC . Here at home, their fixtures have been installed at the Vancouver City Hall and in March 2019, Nano-Lit started working with Simon Fraser University and BC Hydro to monitor sleep cycles using their Nano-Lit Smart Diffuser. These diffusers are preprogrammed lights that can be fitted to existing light fixtures and are changing human productivity by harnessing circadian rhythms.
The tech sector has developed significantly in the past year with significant investment from the Government of British Columbia to support tech startup companies, infrastructure growth, new jobs and the growth of the innovation economy.
AI plays an important role increasing business efficiency, and AInBC is an organization supporting over 150 AI companies in British Columbia with the goal of the province becoming a global AI hub by 2022. In B.C. there are more than 5,500 Information and Communications Technology (ICT) companies supporting jobs in software, cloud computing, information technology, Internet of Things, telecommunications and electronics manufacturing.
Nano-Lit Technologies and Eventbase are just two of more than 10,000 tech companies across British Columbia that are growing at a rapid rate. In 2020, we will likely see more growth in the tech sector, which will provide more jobs, investments and innovation in British Columbia. Trade and Invest BC will continue to support these businesses and others like them to establish and grow in British Columbia.
Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn for industry updates throughout the year. To learn more about tech in British Columbia, visit our website.
