03 Aug 2021 Scaling BC’s AI Potential
British Columbia boasts one of the most vibrant tech ecosystems in the world. To create the next generation of anchor companies, BC Tech’s highly sought-after HyperScale AI program actively supports start-up and growth stage AI companies to help them develop and scale.
Bruce Qi, Founder & CEO of Launchpad, who sponsored the program, shared: “Launchpad is a company founded in the spirit of growth and innovation. The Hyperscale AI program perfectly aligned with our software automation focus and our belief in supporting the future of Tech in BC.”
The recent graduating companies of the 2021 cohort were specialized AI companies addressing supply chain challenges, from food tracing to logistics and shipping. “The HyperScale AI Program helped us to reframe how we think about integrating AI into our software and communicate it to our users”, shared 2021 cohort graduate, Eric Enno Tamm, CEO of ThisFish Inc.
BC Tech has identified four critical success factors required for companies to successfully scale. It starts with a scale mindset, a fundamental shift for the leadership team and company culture from growth to scale. As operations scale to meet increased demand, companies need to access greater funding to invest in people and infrastructure – this is where a deep understanding of non-dilutive and other capital options is key. Internally, priority needs to be placed on deploying the organization, processes and systems needed to support a business operating at scale. And finally, it is vitally important to navigate how best to leverage advice and guidance from strategic advisors, including a Board, who have had success at scale and can help the leadership team make critical businesses decisions with confidence.
“The consultants we accessed through the HyperScale Ai program helped us take our business to the next level.” shared Brianna Blaney, deepND Inc., 2021 cohort graduate.
Deloitte, who also sponsored the cohort, delivered an impactful session on Seizing the AI Opportunity. “At Deloitte, we believe in the local tech ecosystem and the work that BC Tech does.” said Erica Pretorius, BC Technology Industry Leader, Deloitte, “We are excited by the AI evolution we are seeing in the tech industry, not only for tech companies themselves, but because of the significant benefits it can bring to other industries. We look forward to seeing what the future holds for this talented cohort.”
Through the educational sessions for the 2021 cohort, subject matter experts were invited to speak about the four key success factors. The six educational sessions that were developed and presented included Ethical AI – (Eddan Katz, World Economic Forum), Building Your AI Team – (Shivani Poddar, Facebook), Scaling Your AI Business (Rob May, PJC), Seizing the AI Opportunity ( William Hofmann & Bojan Ramadonovic, Deloitte), AI in Supply Chain (Lynette Dujohn, YVR & Peter Roberts, SAP), Funding Your AI Project (Annika Lewis, Vanedge Capital & Cameron Burke, Fort Capital & Bruce Qi, LaunchPad).
Congratulations to our 2021 graduates: deepND, Downtown AI, Fatigue Science, Freightera, Hailo Warehouse Group, MLVX Tech. and This.Fish for successfully completing BC Tech’s HyperScale AI Program. We look forward to seeing your growth & success in the BC Tech ecosystem!
Read more about HyperScale AI, delivered in partnership with Scale AI, and add your name to the waiting list for future cohorts at hello@wearebctech.com.