More than 1,100 people gathered in the Royal Theatre Friday night to celebrate the brightest lights of the high-tech industry.
The 19th annual Victoria Innovation, Advanced Technology and Entrepreneurship Council awards handed out 15 trophies in what was the largest awards show yet. As always, the night was filled with irreverence and a touch of pandemonium — complete with flying inflatable whales — while the spotlight hit some of the best stories in the industry.
“It is our honour to produce a show that brings together and entertains our tech community and we relish the opportunity to highlight and celebrate some of our top performing companies and executives,” said VIATEC chief executive Dan Gunn.
“Each year gets more elaborate and we cannot say enough about our local arts community and what they bring to make this event the unique and anticipated festivity it is has become.”
Erin Athene was named this year’s winner of the Victoria tech sector's highest award, the Colin Lennox Award for Technology Champion. Athene has been a tireless servant to the community having worn several hats including starting the local Ladies Learning Code chapter and serving as a mentor in VIATEC’s accelerator program.
Other winners were Women’s Equity Lab as Angel of the Year; Sang Kiet-Ly of KPMG as Member of the Year; and RingPartner, named Community Champion.
Other Winners
• Tech Company of the Year (30+ employees): Benevity
• Tech Company of the Year (11-29 employees): RingPartner
• Scale-Up of the Year: Tutela
• Start-Up of the Year: Cuboh
• Product of the Year: Limbic Media
• Innovative Excellence, Software or Service: DreamCraft Attractions
• Innovative Excellence, Hardware: RioT Technology Corp.
• Leader of the Year: Anita Pawluk, RaceRocks
• Emerging Leader of the Year: Stephanie Thiel, SaaSquatch
• Team of the Year: Encepta
• Employer of the Year: FreshWorks Studio
