Victoria – South Island Prosperity Partnership (SIPP) announced that three companies recently selected Greater Victoria to locate their Canadian entities. As the economic development agency for the region, one of SIPP’s primary purposes is to create high-paying, household-sustaining jobs. That mandate includes attracting jobs for graduates of the region’s post-secondary institutions.
“We’re thrilled to see three new innovative firms set up operations in Greater Victoria after working with them over many months to assess the local market and get familiar with the business ecosystem,” said SIPP Interim CEO, Bruce Williams. “These companies are at the forefront of their industries and our job is to reveal the value in choosing to locate here over larger regions like Seattle and Vancouver.”
From SIPP’s growing pipeline of prospects, the following are the most recent wins for the region’s economic ecosystem:
Proof – A tech company in the “digital government” space. Their smart workflow management software expedites the decision-making processes within governments.
Element Human – An Artificial Intelligence (AI) tech company working on machine learning of body language so that individuals and organizations can measure, model, and simulate the human experience (a new Canadian subsidiary of UK-based Crowd Emotion).
Marka Developments – Established as a Canadian sister firm to a Brazil-based medical supply company, Marka Developments supplies pharmacies, medical labs, and nutraceutical product companies with various equipment, medicinal capsules, and other agents.
Matt Celuszak, CEO of Element Human, commented on why he chose to locate in Victoria and how working with SIPP solidified that decision. “The work life balance is hard to beat. In 15 or 20 minutes you’re out of town hiking a mountain; what I really appreciated about working with SIPP was the incredibly honed business acumen. SIPP took an active role in understanding my business and applying that business to the local area. When I arrived here to investigate the market it was really full-steam ahead. I haven’t experienced that anywhere else. We’re already looking at collaborating with local businesses, the Government of BC, and local academic institutions.”
This latest announcement of three new businesses moving to the region follows last week’s news that NetMotion, a Seattle-based software company, has also opened a local office (the largest outside of their US headquarters) in Victoria. Last year, SIPP worked with NetMotion head-office to assess Victoria as an expansion location over other regions of Canada.
SIPP will continue working with the BC Trade Representatives and the Canadian Consulate Offices to build a collaborative, long-term approach that attracts new companies and high-paying jobs to the region.
