Super vision and artificial skin tissue seem like features one would find on superheroes or cyborgs.
But they’re also the technologies developed by two of the winners at the annual BCIC-New Ventures competition, which gave out $300,000 in prize money to B.C.-based startups on September 22.
DarkVision Technologies took home the first-place prize of $100,000 for developing imaging technology that can see through opaque fluids such as bitumen and provide high-resolution images of oil and gas wells.
“We are blown away to be named the winners. We started DarkVision to help oil and gas operators make better decisions in the field,” CEO Stephen Robinson said in a statement.
“The competition sets us up for greater levels of success and gives us the tools we need to take the next step in our evolution.”
Aspect Biosystems earned $55,000 for its second-place finish after developing 3D bio-printing techniques for human tissue.
Vancouver’s AppBridge, which has developed content migration software for companies using Google Apps and Microsoft SharePoint, came in third place ($37,000) and also earned the Plug and Play prize package.
CEO Cam Wallin told Business in Vancouver September 19 any prize money earned would go toward hiring more staff.
Plug and Play is a business accelerator based in the Silicon Valley. The prize package is worth as much as $50,000.
