30 | BC B U S I N E SS NOVEM B ER/ D ECEM B ER 2025
ENTREPRENEUR
OF
THE
YEAR
THE KICKOFF:
For almost 25 years, serial entrepreneur James Dean has
been spinning big ideas into Canadian technologies.
In 2001, Dean became co-CEO of GreenLight Power,
which manufactures technology for sustainable energy
solutions. Four years later, he created Vancouver-based
dPoint Technologies (now Core Energy Recovery Solutions),
specializing in advanced membrane technology that con-
trols heat and humidity in energy recovery ventilation sys-
tems. Dean's success with dPoint led to his selection as an
EY Entrepreneur of the Year Pacific Region finalist in 2013.
In 2020, he was back at it with Oxygen8, a Vancou-
ver-based company that's working to improve the health of
buildings with smart ventilation systems. It uses the same
membrane-based heat- and humidity-control technology
Dean worked on at dPoint, advanced through a strategic
partnership with global HVAC giant Daikin.
ACTION PLAN:
At a time when an increasing number of buildings are
becoming well-insulated and airtight (which is great
for energy efficiency but bad for fresh air, according to
Dean), Oxygen8 transforms indoor environments using low
amounts of energy consumption—with zero greenhouse
gas emissions. Its compact white boxes typically sit in
ceilings or small mechanical rooms, with fans to draw fresh
air in and exhaust stale air out.
Since the launch of the business, Oxygen8 systems
have been installed in more than 2,000 buildings across
Canada and the U.S. "One of our customers said, 'What
we love about Oxygen8 is we can fit them in the armpits
of the building,'" shares Dean.
About 60 percent of the company's projects today
are retrofits for existing spaces that are upgrading their
ventilation systems, like the Empire State Building in New
York and a wing of the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.
In 2024, Deloitte Canada recognized Oxygen8 as the
country's fastest-growing clean-tech company, with 6,610
percent three-year revenue growth.
Today, it runs with 230 employees and three man-
ufacturing sites in B.C.—two in Burnaby and one in East
Vancouver—serving schools, retail businesses, offices and
senior care facilities. That includes Apple stores, a student
residence at the UBC Okanagan campus and the George
Derby Centre in Burnaby.
CLOSING STATEMENT:
"It's been crazy when you think about it," Dean says, reflect-
ing on Oxygen8's growth so far. He lists five challenges in
five years: the COVID-19 pandemic, difficulty sourcing
industrial space in Vancouver, a global supply chain crisis,
shifts to new refrigerants in the HVAC industry and a trade
war. "And oh, by the way, we're growing 100 percent per
year, and trying to manage through all of that."
The fresh-air innovator is poised to reach $45–$50
million in revenue in 2025, notes Dean, with a U.S. fac-
tory on the horizon. Rising demand for data centres and
affordable housing has Dean feeling optimistic about the
future of Oxygen8, especially as the federal government
aims to build 500,000 homes a year.–R.R.
PACIFIC REGIONAL WINNER
James Dean
FO U N D ER A N D C EO, OX YG E N 8
What's the best leadership advice
you've ever received?
Take extreme ownership of problems and challenges.
After work, we can find you...
On Gambier Island, renovating an old cabin.
RAPID
FIRE
