INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2

World-Class Spirit & InnovationAs the World’s #1 university for Entrepreneurial Spirit and #1 in Canada for Innovation*, Simon Fraser University is recognized as one of Canada’s most supportive post-secondary ecosystems for innovative research and education across disciplines. The heart of its entrepreneurship education pillar beats in the Charles Chang Institute...

Reliance Foundry has deep roots as a maker, designer, and supplier of architectural site furnishings, metal castings, and industrial wheels—but just because they are an old company doesn’t mean they’re laggards behind a changing world. Founded in 1925 in Vancouver, BC, Reliance grew to become the area’s largest working foundry,...

Within a span of five months in 1997, a local pulp and papermill experienced the collapse and death of two employees on-site. It was determined that both employees suffered from Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA). The prospect of future deaths at the site was palpable, and preventative solutions were non-existent. This...

Founded in Vancouver in 2011 by Beth Boyle, Katie Dunsworth-Reiach, and Sara Padidar, Talk Shop’s vision is to help it’s clients get known, and be understood. Under the leadership of the founding partners and Managing Partner Katie Stevens, Talk Shop has grown substantially to include more than fifty team members....

ORGANIKA-A SINCERE PASSION FOR DELIVERING HIGH QUALITY CUSTOMER CARE AND LEADING WITH INNOVATION, HAS BECOME ORGANIKA’S KEYDIFFERENTIATOR IN THE HEALTH AND WELLNESS SPACE. It has led Organika to achieve uncapped market success and global growth, even amidst a pandemic. Breaking out into 7,000 stores across the world, Organika has grown...

With over 27 years of experience delivering high-quality construction projects. Emerge starts construction by building components of the project in a manufacturing plant for the above-ground portion of a multi-story building at the time of groundbreaking. While the underground foundation and parking structure is being constructed, concrete and steel precast...

GCT Global Container Terminals Inc. (GCT) is Vancouver’s homegrown success story in marine container terminal operations and innovation. GCT is among the most advanced operators on the continent and boasts the largest semi-automated on-dock rail facility in North America. Shipping line customers and cargo owners benefit from easy access to...

Benchmark Sixty is not your usual entrepreneurial story. It wasn’t an idea that was burning inside of a serial entrepreneur, or a strategically thought out plan. It was an “accidental startup” that sprouted from the pain points of an industry that was devastated by the Covid-19 pandemic. What started as...

The shared kitchen industry, also known as commissaries, is a rapidly growing sector that is changing how people think about food and culinary entrepreneurship. When starting or scaling a business, food and beverage based entrepreneurs face significant challenges and risks and require significant investment in space, equipment, and overhead costs....

OMNICART-A SAAS PLATFORM AND DELIVERY OPERATING SYSTEM FOR ENTREPRENEURS WHO WANT TO BUILD AND SCALE A DELIVERY BUSINESS, AND WE ARE ON A MISSION TO EMPOWER EVERYONE TO UNLOCK THE POTENTIAL OF ON-DEMAND DELIVERY. In the same way that Shopify made it easier for anyone to start and scale an...

How Matidor.com StartedVincent and Sean are Vancouver-based serial entrepreneurs who come from very different backgrounds but share one vision. Vincent’s previous experience at Google Earth and as a product manager at Dassault Systèmes revealed a gap in how people in the field managed projects. When Sean moved back to town...

INFORMA FINANCIAL – THE IMPORTANCE OF A WELL-ROUNDED TOTAL BENEFITS EXPERIENCE IS MORE IMPORTANT NOW THAN IT HAS EVER BEEN. Informa’s founder, Cliff Pipke, began this business out of a desire to help service the insurance needs of families, as well as those of the small business owner. As Informa’s...

“Touchless technology has become disruptive technology to convert high-touch surfaces to touchless ones across industries and sectors.” Contactless solutions are rapidly replacing buttons, keypads, and controls. Interfacing with machinery, equipment, and high-touch public surfaces has changed overnight: the COVID-19 pandemic most certainly accelerated this demand, while innovations in touchless technology...

Renaissance is a social audio app for superfans. We’ve combined the best features from gaming with music to create a new fan experience. Leaderboards, achievements, daily adventures, and exclusive giveaways create an environment where music fans come together and share their love of music. For music labels and artists, Renaissance...

OnTraccr is on a mission to automate the way construction work is managed. This company provides next-generation automation software that helps any construction contractor automate their documentation, eliminate manual data entry, and gain real-time visibility into every aspect of its operations. OnTraccr was founded by a group of experienced construction...

In the upcoming decades, global food systems will profoundly change as we adapt to more sustainable food production and distribution approaches. Farmers are currently being challenged to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Backed by years of research...

Filament Health was founded by experts in botanical extraction and commercialization. We honed our expertise at Mazza Innovation, a natural extraction startup, which our team scaled from pre-seed to an exit in 2018. At Mazza, we developed and commercialized patent-protected extraction technologies at a 35,000 ft2 commercial-scale, GMP facility. After...

Specialized cleantech solutions.pH7 Technologies Inc. delivers specialized cleantech solutions for the extraction of critical metals necessary for the transition to renewable energies. We have pioneered a proprietary process that provides a near-net-zero environmental impact in the extraction of key metals and minerals. This sustainable closed-loop process makes it an ideal...

innovationsoftheworld.com

The global pandemic accelerated the way audiences worldwide consume content — and the steady growth of streaming content continues today. In fact, Nielsen reported in July 2022 that streaming viewership surpassed pandemic records, with North American audiences watching an average of 190.9 billion minutes of streamed content per week. Fueling...

A community project since day one.You might think of ECOMsquare as a place. To its founder, Steve Krueger, the distinctive blue building on West 8th Ave represents the latest evolution of a community he’s been building since June 12, 2014. Krueger hosted an Ecommerce Town Hall to connect with professionals...

In today’s fast-paced economy, employers are facing a major challenge: how to handle their changing day-to-day labour needs without over-hiring full-time staff. Finding, screening, and training new employees can be a costly and time-consuming process for companies. GigHound solves these problems by providing a flexible, reliable, and cost-effective solution that...

Floorspace originated from Matt Carlson’s experience in the industry, while working as Executive Vice President at a prominent commercial real estate brokerage. During his tenure, Matt observed the challenges faced by both seasoned brokers and young professionals aspiring to enter the commercial real estate industry. Certain hurdles like limited and...

Attention entrepreneurs, CEO’s, and high-performance leaders who want to get ahead! The way we’re working is not working, it’s a crisis. Burnout is costing the global economy trillions of dollars in lost productivity and innovation. Not to mention, rising health care costs. Burnout feels like emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced...