A number of Greater Victoria tech companies are reporting rapid growth this past year, citing proximity to the University of Victoria and the IslandB次元官网网址檚 mild climate as reasons for the expansion, but agree a lack of physical space could be a determent to the industry as a whole.

For Tobyn Sowden, founder of Redbrick B次元官网网址� a portfolio of operating businesses that includes ReBase, Shift and Assembly B次元官网网址� UVicB次元官网网址檚 co-op program has become essential for the companyB次元官网网址檚 growth.

This past September, Redbrick reported a record number of co-op students working within the company on either four- or eight-month terms. According to Sowden, about 50 per cent of RedbrickB次元官网网址檚 staff joined the team after completing co-op programs with the company. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 our strongest recruiting channel,B次元官网网址� he adds.

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The co-founder of Kano, a Victoria-based independent gaming studio that builds social and mobile games available on smartphones and browsers, agrees. Tim Teh says finding entry-level talent isnB次元官网网址檛 hard thanks to the abundance of students here, but that itB次元官网网址檚 been difficult to find senior or executive-level talent due to the lack of established companies within the region.

In 2019, Greater Victoria ranked seventh out of 20 Canadian tech talent markets, according to a comprehensive analysis of labour market conditions, cost and quality for highly skilled tech workers conducted by the CBRE Group. This a jump from ranking 10th last year.

Peter McGuire, chief technology officer for EcoFit, says the relaxed feel of Victoria fits well with that of the tech sector but adds thereB次元官网网址檚 some work to do if we want to become the next Silicon Valley. McGuire says the talent pools for those who can develop hardware is shallower than that of software developers within the area.

B次元官网网址淵ou might see Vancouver expanding more in that area, but Victoria is coming out with more unique, more interesting and maybe more innovative products than you would in a larger city,B次元官网网址� McGuire says.

Another area he sees room for improvement is the longevity of jobs in a landscape full of startups.

B次元官网网址淚n short, the availability of jobs B次元官网网址� interesting and really fun jobs B次元官网网址� VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 pretty good for that,B次元官网网址� he says. B次元官网网址淏ut I think the concern is how long youB次元官网网址檒l have that job for.B次元官网网址�

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McGuir believes having more established companies within the market could help rid the city of some of the adversities. According to the Victoria FoundationB次元官网网址檚 Vital Signs report, the tech sectorB次元官网网址檚 economic impact on the region is expected to exceed $10 billion by 2030. It was only a few years ago that the tech industry surpassed government and tourism as the regionB次元官网网址檚 top employer.

With cloud computing becoming more accessible, the barriers to entry are a lot lower, making it easier to access technology such as computer power, storage or databases on an as-needed basis.

B次元官网网址淚 think weB次元官网网址檙e going to see a lot of new companies coming out of Victoria,B次元官网网址� says Teh, whose own business started in a condo 11 years ago after he met the other co-founders on the first day of school at UVic. B次元官网网址淎s we start to see those companies grow in scale B次元官网网址� which weB次元官网网址檙e definitely seeing now B次元官网网址� one of the side effects B次元官网网址� is landlords are starting to better understand how to cater to that clientele.B次元官网网址�

While tourists may be drawn to the shops and window fronts filled with Canadian nicknacks, the second floors in many of the buildings in the downtown core are home to VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 tech talent. Teh says when Kano first started trying to find a lease to fit their needs B次元官网网址� one that could either grow rapidly or shrink at the same pace B次元官网网址� was difficult.

Now, Kano is based out of a building that is filled with almost 90 per cent tech companies and allows companies to move within the building based on their current needs. Kano has moved twice and is preparing for their third move into another area of the building.

B次元官网网址淲hatB次元官网网址檚 exciting is weB次元官网网址檙e seeing some of the larger companies move out to new, much larger space, and bigger footprints in the city B次元官网网址� thatB次元官网网址檚 a strong indication that thereB次元官网网址檚 going to be a lot of growth,B次元官网网址� Teh says.

kendra.crighton@blackpress.ca
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