And yes, there were scams, but there were also many legitimate projects which otherwise wouldn't have had a chance. Today, the advanced technology industry is Canada's hottest new resource play. Instead of minerals and fibre, we're talking about the resource which can be found between our ears. By mining the new resource, our minds, the payoffs promise to be even greater.
Public financing is a viable option.
And after all, this option effectively spreads the risk among many investors. What we need is to create a climate that will spawn many ventures of which a relatively small number of successes will more than offset the failures. There is money on Howe street looking for a home and there are many technology ventures which just might emerge as the next Microsoft. In each appearance of this column, we'll track the performance of a few of these and make mention of any new developments. Of some 2500 companies listed on the VSE, only about 50 are B.C. technology firms.