The Technology Impact Awards held its 23rd event at the Vancouver Convention Centre this Tuesday, honouring the top names and companies in BC’s burgeoning tech sector. The long list included Company of the Year winner Global Relay, Bill Thompson Lifetime Achievement Award winner Keith Spencer, a Partner at Fasken Martineau and Team of the Year, Traction on Demand.
“We congratulate all finalists on mastering the art of the possible.”
– Bill Tam
“It has been yet another break-through year for the tech industry in BC,” said BC Tech President and CEO, Bill Tam. “The 2016 TIAs finalists and winners all demonstrate the vast potential for BC Tech and our opportunity to be among the leading tech ecosystems on a global scale.” Today, they published their complete list of winners at the TIA.
The Lifetime Achievement Award winner had a heartfelt response to the win, after providing legal support to local technology companies since back in the days when B.C. was known for forestry and mining, with technology not even a speck on the horizon (today, the tech industry here is bigger than all traditional resource sectors, combined). “A lifetime achievement award is not usually a good thing – I’m about to become old news,” Spencer joked. “This is the most meaningful acknowledgment since my wife said yes.”
He also shared advice for support firms considering helping early-stage startups “Sometimes opportunity doesn’t knock,” he cautioned. “It just taps softly… If you get the opportunity to work with a new entrepreneur you’ve never heard of, do it. You never know: your son or daughter may end up working for them.”
“We are humbled to have won this award given the caliber of the other nominees,” said Manu Varma, VP of Human Resources at Traction on Demand, which creates cloud-based solutions and applications. “The CORE team is the sweet spot were people, process and technology meet to provide ‘five diamond service’ to its internal and external clients. This unique and diverse team does more than just keep the lights on; it’s constantly looking for ways to innovate and make the lives of Tractionites not only stress-free but fun too!”
Throughout the awards, speakers noted that BC’s tech companies such as Global Relay and Copperleaf (Emerging Company of the Year) have become leaders in the data analytics and cloud computing areas, and are also getting involved in other trending areas of innovation. The TIA’s celebrate “the stories that inspire and encourage us to always strive for more,” Tam said. “We congratulate all finalists on mastering the art of the possible.”