INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2

BC entrepreneurs Bill Roche and Charles Chang have a vision to make Canada more competitive by nurturing an entrepreneurial spirit in young people. In 2017, they co-founded Young Entrepreneurs of Canada Association, a registered Canadian charity that operates under the name PowerPlay Young Entrepreneurs. “Our mandate is to help school-aged...

The First Nations Technology Council (The Technology Council) is an Indigenous-led organization that serves all 204 First Nations communities across the Province of British Columbia. Established in 2002, they are mandated by BC First Nations Leadership to provide digital skills training to Indigenous learners, realize digital equity, and ensure Indigenous...

Thrive Health is a digital healthcare platform company, founded in 2016 with a mission to make healthcare work better for everyone. The company provides an interactive patient engagement solution that enables healthcare providers to build custom clinical workflows, and offers patients enhanced access to their health data. Thrive Health’s innovative...

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...

The Canadian tech sector is booming, there’s no question about that. In 2021, despite the impacts of the pandemic and the general economic downturn, the information and communications technology (ICT) reflected a total 5.3% of the national GDP — that’s $104.5billion. This number, alongside a teeming collective of businesses that...

SolvedAF Consulting is a boutique management advisory firm that uses a unique approach to facilitate digital transformation and organizational growth, enabling innovation for its clients. With their foundational fractional leadership service model the goal at SolvedAF is to create an infrastructure of support services for startups and small to medium...

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...

The Quebec Film and Television Council (QFTC) has been contributing to the development and competitiveness of Quebec as a world-class audiovisual production center for over fifteen years. It supports innovation in three major economic sectors in Quebec: live action, visual effects, and animation. In 2021, this creative and dynamic sector...

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...

JIBE Ecommerce.JIBE is a digital ecommerce agency, originally founded in 2009 to help better-life brands transform into thriving ecommerce businesses by helping them navigate and build their growing technology ecosystem. In the decade or so since, JIBE has grown from building brochure business websites to a multidisciplinary team of developers,...

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...

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...

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...

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...

HAPPINESS. TO LIVE A HAPPIER AND MORE FULFILLING LIFE IS EVERY INDIVIDUAL’S ULTIMATE GOAL. WE OFTEN SEARCH FOR HAPPINESS OUTSIDE OF OURSELVES IN THINGS LIKE RELATIONSHIPS, CAREERS, HOBBIES, AND MATERIAL POSSESSIONS. BUT WE FORGET TO RECOGNIZE THAT SUSTAINABLE HAPPINESS CAN BE CULTIVATED WITHIN ONESELF. These are the thoughts of the...

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...

Picture this:You’re standing in the lobby of an office building waiting for the elevator. The only thing in view is an evacuation map posted on the wall so you take it in. Several minutes later, you’re sitting comfortably in a waiting room when the fire alarm goes off. Can you...

Across the province, innovators, entrepreneurs, and emerging businesses are evolving industries and creating positive impact for British Columbians and the rest of the world. Whether it’s finding sustainable solutions or creating breakthrough technologies, British Columbia is teeming with great ideas that are advancing how we work and live in exciting...

By bringing together innovative software and best-in-class hardware solutions, Operto enables property owners/managers to efficiently run, scale and monetize their business, while eliminating common friction points associated with the guest journey. Operto has built a huge global footprint in the accommodation industry, with customers ranging from single Airbnb operators, up...

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...

Rafael Santa Ana Architecture Workshop (RSAAW) is a Vancouver-based architectural practice that creates expressive, contemporary interventions that contribute to our communities in thoughtful and meaningful ways. The practice’s diverse team pursues projects where design can be developed, including residential, commercial, institutional, industrial, and mixed use development programs. RSAAW seeks creative...

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...

Every two years, there is more new data being created than throughout all of previous human history. As a result of this growing information overload, it’s becoming harder and harder to understand the root causes leading to the future trends shaping our world. Visual Capitalist is an independent media company...

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...