Entrepreneur James Dean is changing the air in North America’s office buildings! Dean is the founder of Oxygen8, a British Columbia-based startup that develops smart ventilation solutions for commercial spaces. With its cutting edge ventilation technology and zero-waste footprint, Oxygen8 provides fresh, filtered outside air with minimal emissions – creating a more comfortable, more efficient, and healthier indoor world.
The company’s core technology was developed in 2019, when co-founders James Dean and Matthew Doherty developed the flagship Nova ventilation system. At a time when an increasing number of buildings were becoming airtight, Oxygen8’s innovative technology helped building occupants to breathe.
Where conventional HVAC systems are large, inefficient and recirculate dust, dirt, and germs, Oxygen8 has created an all-electric eco-friendly alternative. The company’s compact energy ventilation systems draw in fresh air from outdoors, then use cutting-edge heat-exchanger technology to capture the excess energy from exhaust. Oxygen8’s core is made of a polymer membrane that cannot mold. The result is fresh, clean air at the optimal temperature, with the smallest possible consumption footprint.
Despite the overall economic slowdown (and pandemic) that occurred around Oxygen8’s inception, Dean says there is still solid demand for the technology. The company saw explosive revenue growth in the years that followed as sales of its commercial ventilation systems began to soar. Today, Oxygen8 is one of British Columbia’s fastest growing companies, with 3 of its Nova A16 and 2 of its Nova C20 energy ventilation systems powering the ventilation at BC Place, which will host 7 matches in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Most of the company’s projects are retrofits for existing spaces, and Oxygen8’s technologies also power major buildings like the Empire State Building in New York and a wing of the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.
Currently focused on schools, long-term care facilities, and office buildings, Oxygen8 has installed dozens of its flagship Nova systems in buildings across North America. Their unique HVAC systems have a slim design that allows units to be hung on the ceiling, mounted on the wall, or seated on the floor. These systems help sustain healthier indoor environments, so people working in offices, classrooms, or senior care facilities get sick less often. With controlled humidity and dedicated outdoor air, Oxygen8 helps to reduce the amount of contaminants that we inhale: helping the people who live and work in these buildings to breathe a little easier.
