About VIATEC

FAQs

VIATEC Crew

Program Staff

Board of Directors

VIATEC Foundation

Who We Are

About VIATEC

VIATEC's mission is to cultivate the most cohesive tech community in the world by providing resources to tackle shared opportunities and challenges while boosting a sense of belonging and shaping our region.

VIATEC started in 1989, when a community of technologists and entrepreneurs joined together to share information on how to build companies and support the tech industry. Since then Victoria’s economy has changed dramatically and its brand has been transformed.

We work closely with our members to offer a variety of events, programs and services. In addition, VIATEC serves as the front door of the local tech sector and as its spokesperson. To better support local innovators, we acquired our own building (Fort Tectoria) where we offer flexible and affordable office space to emerging local companies along with a gathering/event space for local entrepreneurs.

A Message From the CEO

Thanks for your interest in VIATEC. I hope this will help you better understand what and who we are. Even better, I hope it makes it clear how to get involved. I’d like to take a minute to highlight something crucial to the vibrancy and impact of our local tech sector: The community.

Many are surprised to discover that tech is our largest private industry and I often get asked, “How did this happen?” “Why is there a thriving tech sector in Victoria… a tourism and government town on an island… in Canada?”

We have some obvious advantages:

3 post-secondary institutions bringing together over 40,000 students that are eager to learn, innovate and build making us Canada’s Smartest City.
World-class research facilities like the Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics, the Pacific Institute of Sport Excellence and Ocean Networks Canada attracting top researchers and conducting ground-breaking research and analysis.
An economy that includes robust tourism and government sectors which provide stability, predictability and diversity that increase the overall critical mass of the community. This, in turn, increases our infrastructure, culture and provides stable jobs for the partners of risk-taking entrepreneurs
Exceptional Lifestyle. I mean, if you can start a company anywhere, wouldn't you do it in a place that’s postcard beautiful, benefits from the strengths of Canada and has the best weather in the nation?

What is not as easy to see is the sense of community among the people that live here. There’s something that happens when really talented people that can live anywhere all choose the same place. They tend to have a longer term view and a willingness to do what is right for the greater good.

In the tech sector, our members’ willingness to work together, support each other, learn from each other and tackle challenges together gives us a huge leg up. Maybe it’s because most of the revenues for our sector come from off the island and, as such, most of our members are not in competition but, daily we see first hand an ‘esprit du corps’ that is remarkable. That attitude created our organization and our entire tech sector has benefitted from that collaborative spirit.

- Dan Gunn, CEO, VIATEC

Focus Areas

Regional and Sector Promotion

Serve as the primary promoter and trusted source of information on the local technology sector. (Technology is Victoria’s #1 industry with a $4.06 Billion Annual Revenue, a $5.22 Billion Economic Impact and over 16,775 employees across 995 high-tech companies - and growing!)

Networking and Connections

Talent

Education and Mentoring

FAQs

Member Login & Website Accessibility

Q: I have logged into VIATEC's old website before, and I tried logging into the new website, but it no longer recognizes me. I have requested the reset email but still no luck...

A: If you have not created a new user login account on our NEW website as of to date then you will not have access. This step must be performed first for authentication purposes. On the homepage please select “Already a Member and need a login?" button. Tip: Your username will be the email address associated with your membership. Please Note: The website does not fully support Internet Explorer. Please use Chrome or Firefox.

Q: I have never logged into VIATEC's website before. I have tried creating a login, but it's not working.

A: Please email info@viatec.ca in order to be added as a contact first. You can then visit the homepage and select “Already a Member and need a login?" button. Tip: Your username will be the email address associated with your membership. Please Note: The website does not fully support Internet Explorer. Please use Chrome or Firefox.

Q: I need to update my email address and/or password, how do I do this?

A: Log into the website. Once you're in the "Info Hub" go to the top right settings icon and click "Change Username" or "Change Password". Please Note: The website does not fully support Internet Explorer. Please use Chrome or Firefox.

Q: How can I change the size of the font or make a darker contrast for better accessibility?

A: Hit the icon at the bottom left of your screen (the person symbol), to customize your accessibility settings!

Membership

Q. Which membership is right for me?

A. With any VIATEC membership you will support and belong to a technology community that tackles shared opportunities and challenges while boosting a sense of belonging and assisting in shaping our region. Not to mention all the great benefits and services that are attached to each membership type. Please review each membership type here.

Q. How much is a company membership?

A. All company memberships are tier-based and start at $400; the price increments are determined by the number of employees you currently have in the Greater Victoria area. Technology Startup’s do receive a discount if their company is less than three years old. Join Now.

Q. Is my company a Technology Member or Service Member?

A. In order to be classified as a Technology member you must have one of the following in proprietary products or services:

50% of your revenue must come from a technology product, or
50% of your revenue must come from a technology platform, or
25% of your revenue must be for research and development, or
Hold a patent

Company Directories

Q: What is an "Info Hub"?

A: Login to the website and you will find yourself located within your Info Hub. On the Home Tab please watch the Info Hub Tour to provide you with a better understanding of how the Info Hub works and how you can connect with other members.

Q. How do I update my Company Directory? What are the Directory Display options?

A. Each membership type has an assigned Directory level which is a complimentary benefit. The higher the membership type, the higher level of Directory. For your Directory info you may have the following sections below. Please watch this video to learn how to update your company directory and how to
understand your Directory Info display options.

DESCRIPTION – The description is displayed when the organization is selected for the directory. This is displayed in the About us section of your directory page.

KEYWORDS – Keywords are used to search the directory. Keywords are used when someone accesses the directory and enters words in the “What are you looking for” search option.

CATEGORIES – Select the business categories under which your organization will be displayed in the directory. This is the category within which you wish to be included within the directory. Categories are also used
to search the directory.

SEARCH DESCRIPTION - (only available for Deluxe Directories) – This is a short description that will be displayed on the main directory page. It is a short description of your business. See this quick video on this function here. When someone searches your directory, a list of members matching that search will be displayed and that is where the search description will be displayed.

HIGHLIGHTS – (only available for Deluxe Directories) Provides ability to add additional description of the organization in the directory. Highlights are displayed on your directory page in the additional info section. Many members choose to use this area as a bulleted list of the services that they offer, even including links to their website in the bullets.

IMAGES – (only available for Deluxe Directories) Click the add button to add images to be displayed in the directory. This will allow you to add an image gallery to your member directory page.

Q. How do I delete an employee from my Company Directory?

A. You must be the primary contact for the company directory. This is usually allocated to the CEO or the acting Liaison for the account. When you are logged into your Info Hub please go to “My Info” and under Related Contacts you can edit your staff and delete staff that no longer work for your company. If you need assistance please email info@viatec.ca

Job Postings

Q. How do I post a job?

A. View the posting instructions on the job board details page to learn how to post as a member or non-member.

Q. What is your job pricing?

A. Each 60-day job posting is:

$125 for VIATEC Members
$250 for non-members

VIATEC also has volume and membership-related discounts. See the job board details pricing section for more info.

Q. How do I get help with recruitment & sourcing strategy?

A. A VIATEC membership includes access to advice and support from our in-house Community Talent Development Manager. Contact eolynyk@viatec.ca to discuss recruitment channels, initiatives, wage subsidies, hiring strategy and more.

Q. How do I obtain a copy of my invoice/receipt?

A. Login to the website and you will find yourself located within your Info Hub.

Go to the "My Info" tab and open it
Select the "Billing" tab and review your invoices
Select the Actions tab on the right beside your invoice and download the invoice for your own records.

Q. How do I repost an expired job?

A. VIATEC keeps a historical record of expired jobs. If you need a job reposted, please contact info@viatec.ca. If your job's posting duration was less than 60 days, you can have the posting end-date extended up to the full 60-day duration for no extra cost. If your job was posted for 60 days, you will be invoiced for a new job posting.

Q. How do I edit my job posting?

A. Here are the steps below on how to edit a job posting once it is live.

Login to the website and in your info hub scroll to job postings
You will see your posting listed and it will have a pencil marking at the bottom of the right hand corner. This means you have privileges to edit.
Click the pencil and the posting will open up so you can make changes
When your changes are complete hit the Done button
Only VIATEC staff can change the publishing or closing date.
Only VIATEC staff can unpublished the job posting earlier than specified

Invoices/Receipts

Event Calendar

Q: How do I submit an event to the Event Calendar?

A: Visit the "Full Event Calendar" here, click the "+" icon and fill out the form!

PLEASE NOTE:

If you are a VIATEC Member, you can also submit an event through the Info Hub
Please include your registration link within the event description. Our crew will grab an image from your link to include on your listing, or you can email an image/logo to tectoria@viatec.ca

Q: When is the best time to submit an event to the Event Calendar?

A: We recommend submitting 3 weeks prior to your event date (minimum), to allow for better promotion. VIATEC's weekly Short & Sweet e-Bulletin also goes out every Wednesday morning, so it's best to have your event in by Monday morning that week at the latest to make the cut! Events submitted with less than 3 weeks lead up may be subject to being denied approval.

Q: What type of event submissions are typically approved?

A: If you are a VIATEC Member, any and all of your events will be approved to be listed on the event calendar(s). Please allow 2-3 days for your event(s) to be approved.

If you are a non-member*, the event must be of interest to the tech community, and either be free or have an exclusive VIATEC Member discount.

*Events that do not meet the criteria above are subject to approval and may be charged a fee to be listed.

Questions? Contact tectoria@viatec.ca.

News Articles

Q: How do I submit a news article to VIATEC's News page?

A: If you are a VIATEC Member: Hover over "News and Events" on the top navigation bar, then go to "News" and "Post Member News". This will then take you to log into the Info Hub where you can proceed to posting your article. All VIATEC Member articles are normally approved, unless they don't meet the criteria of being a news article.

If you are a non-member: Hover over "News and Events" on the top navigation bar, then go to "News" and "Submit Community News". You will then need to fill out this form. Please allow 2-3 days for approval.

VIATEC Crew

Dan Gunn

DAN GUNN

CEO

Bio

After being accepted by Royal Roads University, Dan transferred from Trent University where he started in Political Science after unexpectedly getting elected to Georgina City Council when he was 22. Fortunately for Dan, one of his RRU profs was Doug Taylor, the then CEO of VIATEC. They hit it off and two weeks after graduating Dan started on a 7-month contract.

Dan loves how the not-for-profit world allows his entrepreneurial spirit to flourish while making a difference helping other entrepreneurs realize their dreams. Having previously operated his own IT support company and a publishing company, Dan knows how tough starting a business can be and he takes great satisfaction from playing any role he can in helping others achieve their goals.

20 years later, Dan's 7-month contract has turned into a career and in 2005, he was promoted to leading the organization. A lover of creativity and innovation, Dan takes pride in VIATEC's unique approach to serving its members.

Rob Bennett

ROB BENNETT

COO, Program Director

Bio

As VIATEC's Chief Operating Officer and Program Director, Rob supports the development of start-up and early stage companies through a variety of programs and resources, most notably the VIATEC Accelerator Program. He has personally been involved in multiple local tech companies as a programmer, founder, angel investor, mentor and coach. He's passionate about the growth and development of the tech community, and you can easily spot him at a variety of community events (he's 6'5" tall!).

Georgia Cowell

GEORGIA COWELL

Member Relations Manager

Bio

Native to Vancouver Island, Georgia is the 4th generation. The Island provides her family the diversity that is required for their lifestyle and the Gulf Islands where she enjoys boating, camping, fishing and a great round of Frisbee golf.

With a biology background in Pathogenic Bacteria's and a Diploma in Business Management. Georgia brings more than 30 years experience in a Managing position. Her talent to manage time keeps the team fashioned and the office functioning in top-notch condition.

She is the main contact for all inquiries regarding membership. Her resourcefulness to assist VIATEC members on a day-to-day basis provides her with a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment knowing that she is working in a innovative and entrepreneurial community.

Some of her other Mad Hatter hats entail accounts receivable, administration, procurement, and negotiations.

Michelle Gaetz

MICHELLE GAETZ

Operations & Finance Manager

Bio

Originally from the sunny Okanagan, but realizing she was not a winter lover, Michelle made her way west to obtain a Bachelor of Science in Genetics. In 2001 she was offered a job with a biotechnology firm and made Victoria her home. Tired of cloning trees, Michelle began her career with VIATEC in 2007.

When Michelle is not knee deep in budgets and expenses you'll find her on a yoga mat, tending to vegetable patio garden, or reading a favourite book. She thrives on learning and has currently obtained a certification in holistic nutrition and is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist and owner of Healthy Beet Nutrition.

"The energy and creativity that percolate from working with entrepreneurs and the amazing team at VIATEC is extremely gratifying but to know we've had a hand in helping others reach their stars is astounding"

Rebecca Blaser

REBECCA BLASER

Member Experience Coordinator

Bio

Originally from Whistler, BC, Rebecca fell in love with the island lifestyle and decided to make the move to Victoria. Before moving here, Rebecca was unaware of the city’s thriving tech sector. Shortly after moving here she noticed the huge presence the industry has within the city. When she saw a position open up at VIATEC, she was excited at the possibility of working for such an impactful organization. With a diploma in Arts and Entertainment Management, and a background in customer service, Rebecca has a unique mix of skills that she is excited to put to use in the Member Experience Coordinator role at VIATEC. She takes pride in providing an exceptional experience for everyone who enters Fort Tectoria. Rebecca’s primary departments include, building tours and rentals, facility inquiries, and membership onboarding. After working in retail for several years she is thrilled to change it up and enter into the Victoria tech community.

When Rebecca isn’t at Fort Tectoria she loves working out, exploring the island, and hitting the slopes when she’s back at home. She’s passionate about music, food, and finding the best bubble tea wherever she is.

JHENICA TONGCO

Program Coordinator

Bio

She brings creativity, a strong drive to continually learn, and a passion for making a positive impact in her community.

Born in the Philippines, she moved to Canada with her family in the late 2000s. She pursued Graphic Design at Pacific Design Academy. Worked as a freelancer for several years, where she had the opportunity to collaborate with small businesses around Victoria. Before the pandemic, she flew to Cambodia to volunteer as a Graphic Designer at an NGO where they supported vulnerable children through education, scholarships, and community development. She believes that it was through volunteering that she discovered her talent and enhanced her skills.

Opposite to her personality, as she’s more spontaneous than a planner. Jhenica ensures the efficient day-to-day operation of VIATEC programs and supports the work of accelerator start-up companies, management, and VIATEC staff. Just starting her career in tech, she’s excited to contribute to the growth of multiple ventures, learn more about the start-up ecosystem, and meet inspiring entrepreneurs and mentors.

Her current areas of interest are watching movies, trying new restaurants, and traveling.

ANNA QUINN

Marketing & Communications Manager

Bio

Anna has grown up as a Victoria local and has witnessed the impressive growth of the city and the tech industry. Her fun-loving and outgoing personality led her to working with hospitality and events.

She got started in tech working as ChatterBlock’s Marketing Manager and later went on to work at Capital Investment Network as a Venture Associate organizing educational/pitch events connecting angel investors to tech startups.

When covid hit she moved over to the local construction industry working with a heritage consultant analyzing and documenting large scale heritage reconstruction projects to city standards.

Anna is happy to be working back in Victoria’s thriving tech community. She loves being exposed to all the amazing innovative ideas and being part of a forward thinking environment. She hopes to grow her career in the tech world working alongside the best and brightest problem solvers in this beautiful city.

Anna’s background working in Victoria’s tech industry cultivated management, marketing, multi-platform communication, and strong organizational skills that she has enjoyed putting to use since joining VIATEC in 2022.

Outside of work, Anna enjoys creating new recipes, anything fitness related, and spending time with her daughter Kaia exploring Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands.

Program Staff

SHELLEY VOYER

Executive in Residence: Accelerator Program.
Program Manager: Women's Entrepreneurship Program.

Bio

Shelley has spent her career bringing innovative digital products and services to market for consumer brands and start-ups alike. Brands like Nokia whose first mobile gaming platform she helped bring to life, and Vivendi Universal/Sierra On-line whom she assisted with their first foray into massively multiplayer games.

Shelley creates brands and experiences that resonate--helping companies differentiate themselves in increasingly competitive markets. She’s worked with numerous start-ups to find to find their niche and first revenue agreements like leading VR gaming company Cloudhead Games, Branium--an award-winning online curriculum product which she brought to North American schools--and a host of others. She even founded her own start-up, Zuzee, an award-winning web/mobile app for tweens.

She’s a sales and marketing maven, applying both traditional and digital tactics that generate long-term revenue. Shelley loves validating market opportunities and defining go-to-market plans that help companies find their best path to success.

MARK GRAMBART

Executive in Residence:
Accelerator Program.

Bio

As an Executive in Residence for VIATEC, Mark is excited about helping Victoria’s entrepreneurs accelerate the profitable growth of their promising start-ups.

Prior to becoming an Executive in Residence, Mark was the president and CEO of Contech Enterprises Inc., a technology based company that provided green pest management products for consumers. While at Contech, revenues grew by more than five times by expanding distribution networks, driving world leading science and adding complementary acquisitions. Contech was sold to The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company in 2015, the world's largest marketer of branded consumer lawn and garden products.

Prior to Contech, Mark was the vice president and general manager for JM Huber Corporation, one of the largest family owned, privately held companies in the US. While at Huber, he led the turnaround of a $170m specialty chemical business that resulted in EBIT growing from $5m to 18m in two years. Previously, Mark had a number of different roles in development, marketing, production and strategy with Mercedes-Benz while based in in Germany with projects in South Africa, Latin America and the US.

Mark has an MBA from IMD in Lausanne, Switzerland and an engineering degree from the University of Victoria, Canada.

Outside of business, Mark enjoys spending time with his wife and two kids and can commonly be found coaching at the rink or ballpark or sailing around BC’s south coast.

LORNA JOHNSON

Executive in Residence:
Accelerator Program.

Bio

Lorna Johnson is a Business Mentor/Coach, Advisor and Board Director. She uses an agile approach to strategy to help early to late stage start-ups and businesses undergoing change explore, test, and refine their products, customer-experience, go-to-market strategies and business models for profitable growth. She is passionate about understanding what customers are really buying and has proven frameworks for customer discovery.

Lorna honed her product design and development skills, operations competencies and commercial acumen via a global career as a management consultant with a top-tier firm in New York and Sydney, and as an intrapreneur with Australia’s largest insurance providers, wealth management firms, and banks. She brought to market more than 30 customer-focussed technology-based products and services.

Returning to Canada in 2012, Lorna was Vice President, Product Services and Innovation with Interac, one of Canada’s leading payments brands; Managing Director, Canada with Cubane Consulting, a private firm supporting universities via their Consultant-As-A-Service model and; Principal/Owner of CalderJohnsonConsulting Inc., providing digital strategies, project delivery, and advice for clients such as the world’s largest gold mining company, a European fintech, and a B.C.-based digital marketing start-up.

Lorna has the ICD.D designation from the Canadian Institute of Corporate Directors, and is a certified Advisory Board Chair. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Forestry (U. New Brunswick), an MBA and Masters in Environmental Studies (Yale) and a Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning (Deakin U.)

Outside of business advisory and consulting, Lorna is the Vice President and Board Member for the Rotary Club of Victoria-Harbourside, is an active member of Le Cercle (French) Toastmasters Club, and, with her husband, Cliff, owns and manages investment properties including an AirBnB.

ADAM DORVAL

Executive in Residence:
Accelerator Program.

Bio

Adam Dorval is a marketing strategist, e-commerce business builder, and digital transformation expert. He has a deep passion for brand development and is a fervent believer that truly successful brands and organizations are built by their people, culture, and customer experience - not just products and pricing.

On the client side, Adam has built e-commerce businesses for some of Canada’s most iconic brands, and developed brand, marketing, and digital strategies in the retail, media & entertainment, agriculture, construction & engineering, and real estate sectors.

On the agency and consultancy side, Adam has worked with one of North America’s most innovative brand engagement agencies, as featured by Forbes, and coached and consulted with government, non-profit, and businesses of all sizes.

In 2019 Adam relocated to Victoria BC and began helping local businesses and start-ups with digital transformation, business and marketing strategy, building for scalable growth, and overcoming new market challenges.

Adam is an accomplished and awarded multi-instrumental musician, an avid world traveler and wilderness adventurer, and can sometimes be found playing beach volleyball in his spare time.

Board of Directors

ARMON ARANI

VIATEC Board Member

Bio

Cognito Health

Armon Arani is a co-founder & board member at Cognito Health - a Victoria based online mental health startup established in 2021. He graduated electrical engineering from the University of Victoria and quickly made his transition into tech. Armon launched his career into the Victoria tech scene by working at VIATEC and then transitioning to DoubleUp; a Tiny Agency that focuses on go-to-market strategy and subscription business. He went on to start a company that focuses on supporting individuals with anxiety & depression by offering a holistic approach to mental health care. Outside of his career, Armon enjoys photography, hiking, playing music, and enjoying the hundreds of restaurants Victoria has to offer.

JIM BALCOM

VIATEC Board Member

Bio

Redlen Technologies

Jim Balcom has spent his career in the technology industry in Silicon Valley, Seattle, Vancouver and now Victoria as COO of Redlen Technologies. Redlen has become a major technology success story, developing world-leading medical and security imaging technology, tripling staffing, quintupling revenues and attracting talent and customers from around the world. Jim has worked in various roles over the past 30 years including manufacturing, engineering, sales and venture capital, and has developed and launched disruptive products and technologies into the consumer electronics, alternative energy and medical and security industries. Jim has a Systems Engineering degree from Waterloo and an MBA from Harvard and has learned a lot along the way from his successes and failures. He has helped raise over $200M in financing for numerous companies from angels, VCs, government programs and IPOs and has been a board member, angel investor and advisor to several companies over the years.

DARREN BECKWITH

VIATEC Board Member

Bio

Barnacle Systems

VIATEC Vice Chair

Darren’s a rare breed in Victoria, he’s into hardware. His love of embedded systems has landed him as the Director of Engineering at Barnacle Systems, a startup in the thick of exponential growth, where he leads a team that recently launched a product at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas in 2020. Formerly the Manager of Technology at Carmanah Technologies, Darren has spent over 16 years developing hardware products for variety of markets and has successfully launched six products in the past five years.

Darren strives to help grow the hardware and embedded systems scene in Victoria. His commitment includes having been on Camosun College’s Electrical and Mechanical Program Advisory Boards for 13 years and has guest lectured on the Internet of Things (IoT) at UBC and Linnaeus University in Sweden and at Camonsun College.

When he’s not working, Darren enjoys challenging his wife and two kids to fiery games of mini-golf.

ROBERT BOWNESS

VIATEC Board Member

Bio

BC Pension Corporation

Robert is a designated Chartered Accountant with experience in accounting, financial reporting, financial analysis and regulatory reporting. He is currently the Assistant Director of Employer Operations at the BC Pension Corporation where he leads a team to work with over 1,000 employers to collect over $3 billion of annual contributions for more than 300,000 pension plan members across the province. Previous to the Pension Corporation, Robert articled at an international accounting firm serving public and private clients primarily in the technology and mining industries. Robert brings a background in governance, risk and compliance blended with a technical knowledge of accounting. He enjoys building strong governance structures in organizations and always understanding the "why" behind each decision. To date, Robert’s involvement with VIATEC has been as a member for over 3 years while attending numerous VIATEC events. He also served on the finance committee helping guide VIATEC through financial decisions. In his spare time he can be found exploring the mountains and oceans of British Columbia.

MARIA DAVIDSON

VIATEC Board Member

Bio

Udutu

Maria Davidson is the CEO of Udutu, an e-Learning software company. Over the past 15 years she has had a variety of roles at Udutu and been involved in all aspects of business ranging from training development, project management, HR, operations management, management, business development, marketing strategy, and social media. She has worked with Udutu’s biggest clients including WorkSafeBC and BC Hydro helping them plan, develop and successfully launch their training initiatives. As CEO, she oversees strategic direction, ensuring the products remain innovative while maintaining client satisfaction. In 2008, Maria joined the VIATEC board of directors where she served 3 consecutive terms. During her time on the board, she both served on and chaired the governance committee. Maria remains an active member of the VIATEC community. In 2020 during the pandemic, Udutu became a virtual company. Working from home allows her to successfully run a company while maintaining work/family balance.

SCOTT DEWIS

VIATEC Board Member

Bio

CHRISTINA JONES

VIATEC Board Member

Bio

RaceRocks

Christina Jones is the Vice President of Operations at RaceRocks. She champions a culture of collaboration based in inclusion to motivate high performance teams to do their best work. She is known for the care and attention she brings to client relationships while overseeing the delivery of product and services, ensuring that quality planning, process strategy and communication are of the highest standard.

Christina found her passion for learning design while at Coast Capital and Western Financial Group where she led the charge towards online learning programs. Concurrently, she took on the role of Youth Chapter Lead for Canada Learning Code, a charity championing digital literacy education with a special emphasis on women, girls, people with disabilities, Indigenous youth and newcomers to Canada.

This work introduced Christina to the vibrant local tech community through VIATEC in which she immersed herself. Ultimately, this led to an opportunity to join RaceRocks where she has helped to grow and establish the company as a leader in the Defence and Aerospace Industries for immersive training and distributed learning.

CORINA LUDWIG

VIATEC Board Member

Bio

FunctionFox

Corina Ludwig is an accomplished Senior Executive, Advisor, and Board Member with more than 20 years of success in SaaS, Corporate Branding, and building strong workplace cultures. As the President of FunctionFox, she is responsible for the corporate strategy and daily operations of FunctionFox.

Corina was awarded Executive of the Year by VIATEC and has been actively involved in the CEO roundtable group since 2018. Currently she is Vice Chair of the IWIST Board (Island Women in Science and Technology), is a Camosun College Program Advisor, and recently served as a Mentor for the Women’s Enterprise Centre. Prior to joining FunctionFox, Corina worked at Ogilvy & Mather in New York and Adobe in Calgary. Corina completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic Design at ECIAD.

In her free time she runs a successful culinary business and loves living in Victoria with her husband, cat, and three Great Danes.

SACHEN MACDONALD

VIATEC Board Member

Bio

Workday

Sachen Macdonald, a Senior Director at Workday, is currently focused on enabling product development teams to build, measure and learn faster, while creating amazingly innovative products. Sachen is a tenacious product leader and an empathetic people leader, who excels at building and scaling high output teams. She has been working in the Victoria tech industry since 1999, spending the first part of her career in consulting, with an emphasis on leading teams to deliver on ambitious large scale custom development goals, and leveraging emerging technologies and methodologies. Sachen is passionate about VIATEC’s mission and enthusiastically supports the growth, development and excellence of our local tech community.

CASEY MILONE

VIATEC Board Member

Bio

SCOTT PHILLIPS

VIATEC Board Member

Bio

StarFish Medical

Scott Phillips is the CEO of StarFish Medical, the largest medical device development services company in Canada, and a long time stalwart of the tech industry in Victoria. He is also the CEO of the StarFish Group with 4 group operating companies. Last year StarFish responded to the federal government’s call and developed a critical care ventilator for COVID. He is also the chair of Lifesciences BC and a sits on a few other private company boards. He is a big believer in the value of VIATEC to amplify the technology sector in Victoria. In particular he believes that the combination of community building, normalizing entrepreneurship, delivering programs, facilitating groups, providing programs, creating celebration opportunities and advocacy creates an exponential boost to the tech industry to help all of us be better.

RASOOL RAYANI

VIATEC Board Member

Bio

Heart Pharmacy

Rasool Rayani is a purpose-driven entrepreneur who takes great joy in working with and enabling others to follow their entrepreneurial path. Rasool started his entrepreneurial career in 2001, when he co-founded Metalogix Software, which won North America's largest new venture competition and achieved triple-digit and profitable growth for over a decade. In 2009, he began angel investing and venture investing. He continues to invest in and acquire businesses with a focus on tech, health innovation, pharmacies, cpg food and food retail (50+). Rasool has served on a number of boards over the years - private and not for profit. His philosophy on spending time on board work is that it is an investment in building an organization’s capacity and impact by supporting strategy and leadership.

SCOTT ROBERTS

VIATEC Board Member

Bio

National Research Council Canada

Scott Roberts is the Director of Astronomy Technology at the National Research Council Canada in Victoria. Scott currently leads a world class, highly collaborative team of 90 people, located in Victoria and Penticton, who conduct research and development and design and deploy cutting edge astronomical observatories and instrumentation. He is recognized internationally as an expert in engineering design and development, systems engineering and project management of large complex projects. Scott leads the directorate in building and maintaining partnerships with many Canadian and international organizations. After completing B.A.Sc. and M.A.Sc. degrees in mechanical engineering from UBC, Scott held engineering leadership positions at startup companies before moving to NRC. He is a champion of equality, diversity and inclusion. Scott is actively involved in mentorship of early career researchers, outreach to the community, and works towards policies and practices that encourage women to choose careers in science, technology, and engineering and math.

BRAD WILLIAMS

VIATEC Board Member

Bio

Echosec

VIATEC Chair

Brad Williams is a fractional executive (mostly CFO, but also COO/President), who has worked with a wide variety of companies and industries over the last 20 years. During this time Brad has been involved in raising well over $100M in capital into companies (debt and equity), and played the key finance role in 10 sell side transactions ( $450M). His sweet spot is being involved in any company that is going through a significant time of growth and/or transition and is disproportionately excited about building models, doing strategic cohort analysis or running the "One Page Plan" (strategic planning/operating process) in…. Excel!

Brad is also actively involved in the advisory and mentoring communities that are regularly engaged with people and companies at all stages. He currently sits on the board of Power to Be, the finance committee at Victoria Foundation and was a past board member for six years at VIATEC.

VIATEC Foundation

The VIATEC Foundation was founded to encourage, support and enable the generosity of the Victoria tech community by bringing them together for greater impact, coordinating their efforts, collecting and sharing the amount and impact of their philanthropic activities, and reducing the time and effort of individual tech companies reviewing requests for support. It focuses its support on initiatives directed at Diversity and Inclusion, Access to Innovation, Social Impact through Innovation, Food Security and Education.

Projects & Organizations the VIATEC Foundation has supported:

The Independent Media Producers Network Society received $16,000 in funding ($10K from the VIATEC Foundation, $6K from the Victoria Foundation and other fund contributors) for MediaNet’s Filmmaking Camp for Indigenous youth
The Greater Victoria Public Library (GPVL) Board received $15,000 in funding ($10K from the VIATEC Foundation, $5K from the Victoria Foundation and other fund contributors) to support a Digital Media Lab
The Gender Equity Fund received $30K in funding from the VIATEC Foundation. This leadership fund will support gender equity initiatives in our region

$10,000 was contributed to the Times Colonist's Rapid Relief Fund to help serve those who are less prepared to deal with the health, social and economic impacts of the pandemic
$1,200 was donated to My FED Farm to help those in need build a sustainable garden from home or in their community. The donation equated to 10 kits (one community garden)
Each year, the VIATEC Foundation also coordinates the VIATEC Foundation Food Bank Challenge where local companies compete to raise the most for the Mustard Seed Food Bank. Since its inception in 2002, $2,396,043.72 worth of food and cash has been donated to the Mustard Seed through companies participating in the VIATEC Foundation Food Bank Challenge!

For more information on the VIATEC Foundation, please contact Dan Gunn at dgunn@viatec.ca.

If you would like to make a donation to the VIATEC donation please click here.

Who We Are

About VIATEC

A Message From the CEO

Focus Areas

FAQs

VIATEC Crew

DAN GUNN

ROB BENNETT

GEORGIA COWELL

MICHELLE GAETZ

REBECCA BLASER

JHENICA TONGCO

ANNA QUINN

Program Staff

SHELLEY VOYER

MARK GRAMBART

LORNA JOHNSON

ADAM DORVAL

Board of Directors

ARMON ARANI

JIM BALCOM

DARREN BECKWITH

ROBERT BOWNESS

MARIA DAVIDSON

SCOTT DEWIS

CHRISTINA JONES

CORINA LUDWIG

SACHEN MACDONALD

CASEY MILONE

SCOTT PHILLIPS

RASOOL RAYANI

SCOTT ROBERTS

BRAD WILLIAMS

VIATEC Foundation

Victoria Innovation, Advanced Technology & Entrepreneurship Council