The BC Tech Association has unveiled the 11 winners of the 2020 Technology Impact Awards (TIAs), an annual event that recognizes the innovative startups and notable members of the province’s tech sector.
“Our ecosystem is tackling the biggest challenges of our time.”
– Jill Tipping, BC Tech Association
Now in its 27th year, the theme of this year’s TIA’s was “purpose,” which the BC Tech Association called fitting given the work being done by the BC tech community to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
The award show was hosted by BC Tech Association president and CEO Jill Tipping and Riaz Meghji, founder of Every Conversation Counts.
“Grounded in purpose, our ecosystem is tackling the biggest challenges of our time,” Tipping said in closing at the virtual event. “As we work to make BC the best place to grow and scale a tech company and advance tech adoption in every industry, the community’s grit and passion have given new meaning to our annual celebration of the change-makers, the up-and-comers, the innovators, and the bold.”
The TIAs divided the award categories into three distinct parts: origin, growth and legacy. The winners of the 2020 TIAs are:
SkyHive, Spirit of BC Tech – Purpose
This award celebrates companies that demonstrate how purpose-inspired them to start their business. SkyHive aims to transform the workforce by delivering real-time, skill-level insights into internal workforces through artificial intelligence.
Terramera, Excellence in Technology Innovation
This award acknowledges a company whose technology demonstrates next-level innovation and a breakthrough solution with significant market impact. Terramera is an Agtech startup that aims to reduce the use of synthetic pesticides.
NZ Technologies, Company of the Year – Startup Success
This award acknowledges an early-stage technology company that has brought something novel and impactful to the market. NZ Technologies specializes in the design and manufacture of advanced human-machine interaction products with applications in minimally invasive surgeries.
Finning, Excellence in Technology Adoption
This award acknowledges the impact technology adoption can have to significantly improve performance, competitiveness, productivity and employee engagement. Finning provides selling, renting and providing parts and services for the industrial industry, that has shifted its focus to creating digital-first solutions during the pandemic.
Klue, Company of the Year – Growth Success
This award acknowledges a high growth company demonstrating outstanding performance and potential to grow further. Klue has developed software aimed to give enterprises a better view of their competitors.
Trulioo, Company of the Year – Scale Success
This award acknowledges a scaleup success tech company that is an emerging leader and role model in the BC technology industry. Trulioo offers global identity verification for over five billion consumers in a wide range of industries including technology, banking, and retail.
Copperleaf, Tech Culture of the Year
This award acknowledges a company whose culture is fundamental to the success of their business. Copperleaf works with asset-intensive companies to redefine asset management planning and provide decision analytics for critical infrastructure.
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AbCellera, Excellence in Global Export
This award acknowledges a technology company that is succeeding on the world stage through the export of technology developed in BC. AbCellera is a biotech company that searches and analyzes immune systems to find antibodies that can be used to prevent and treat disease.
Unbounce, GameChanger: Diversity and Inclusion
Presented in partnership with PwC, this award recognizes those who go above and beyond to move the needle on diversity and inclusion. Unbounce offers a landing page and conversion optimization software, aiming to help marketers build landing pages without a developer.
Jack Newton, Person of the Year
This award celebrates a leader who has demonstrated business success in multiple settings. Newton is the CEO and co-founder of legaltech startup Clio, which raised a massive $330 million Series C round of financing in 2019.
Telus, Company of the Year Anchor Success
This award acknowledges a company that is an established leader in the BC technology industry and is widely recognized as an anchor of BC’s tech ecosystem.