As Vancouver prepares to host Web Summit, Spring is shining a light on a group of B.C. startups it says deserve attention on the global stage.
The Vancouver-based ecosystem organization, which trains and connects impact founders and investors, has named four B.C.-based companies to its latest “Impact Ventures to Watch” list, highlighting startups tackling urgent social and environmental challenges while building commercially scalable businesses.
The list includes Gigsup, Mama Milk Innovations, PhyCo Technologies, and VEGAIN Nutrition.
The announcement follows a strong showing from Spring alumni at the 2025 Web Summit Vancouver, where Spring-supported companies were among the winners across multiple pitch platforms. This year, Spring is using the moment to highlight the next cohort of impact-led ventures it believes investors, media, and ecosystem leaders should be watching.
“Web Summit is a global stage, but the companies most worth watching are not always the loudest in the room,” said Caroline von Hirschberg, Co-CEO of Spring. “Through Scale Ready, Spring is seeing a pipeline of founders building ventures like VEGAIN Nutrition, Mama Milk Innovations, Gigsup and PhyCo Technologies. These ventures are commercially strong, impact-led, and building solutions to challenges their communities and industries can’t afford to ignore.”
Spring’s view into this pipeline comes through Scale Ready, its program for high-potential impact companies preparing to raise capital and scale. Since launching in B.C., Scale Ready has supported 180 companies, helping founders strengthen their investment readiness, storytelling, and growth strategies.
According to Spring, 70 per cent of participating ventures are led by founders from underrepresented communities. The program has helped catalyze nearly $15.3 million in investment in just eight months, contributing to Spring’s broader track record of catalyzing more than $120 million through its programs.
While British Columbia is widely recognized as a major technology hub, with more than 11,000 tech companies and approximately 220,000 tech workers, Spring says impact ventures remain under-labeled and often overlooked in mainstream tech conversations and on global stages like Web Summit.
Among the companies named is Gigsup, a Future of Work and EdTech startup founded by Stephanie Brown. Gigsup bills itself as Canada’s first career intelligence platform for students, helping young people move from self-exploration to clearer education and career pathways through data-driven insights, personalized decision-making tools, and access to real opportunities.
The company onboarded more than 1,500 users within its first weeks post-launch and has launched an explainable career pathway engine powered by its proprietary VISI model: Values, Interests, Skills, Identity. Gigsup has also secured non-dilutive funding and support through IRAP and Mitacs, was a semi-finalist in the Accelerate Okanagan Angel Summit, and was named a finalist in the Innovate BC Founder Faceoff Pitch Competition at the Web Summit Vancouver B.C. Pavilion.
Also on Spring’s list is Mama Milk Innovations, a HealthTech and maternal health company founded by Shaz Tayebi, Jonathan Tippett, and Vivek Balasubramanyam. The company is developing a regulated medical device designed to make breast pumping safer, gentler, and more effective than conventional pumps.
Mama Milk has developed a feasibility prototype showing that stronger suction is not the only way to express milk, raised more than $600,000 in dilutive and non-dilutive pre-seed funding, and gained WIPO international patent approval, enabling a fast-track U.S. application.
PhyCo Technologies, founded by Ranah Chavoshi and Stacey Goldberg, is developing seaweed-based biomaterials as an alternative to conventional plastics. The ClimateTech company works in partnership with Indigenous Nations and coastal communities, positioning itself at the intersection of marine science, climate innovation, and circular materials.
The company has secured investment from angel investors and a venture capital firm, raised $500,000 in non-dilutive funding since inception, and launched an SPV via Equivesto for investors who prefer to participate through that structure. PhyCo was also selected as a finalist for the Beaver’s Den competition, where it won the People’s Choice Award, and for the Generation Regen Challenge presented by BMO.
Rounding out the list is VEGAIN Nutrition, a Vancouver consumer and sustainable food systems company founded by Melissa L’Heureux-Haché and Edan Wolk.
Founded in 2023, VEGAIN is taking aim at the growing mainstream market for protein products. Its flagship product, SURGE, is North America’s first clear vegan protein, designed for consumers looking for performance nutrition without dairy, chalky textures, or traditional protein formats.
The company says its 2026 revenue to date has already surpassed total 2025 revenue and that it is on track to grow revenue fivefold this year. VEGAIN has secured retail placements with Body Energy Club, Healthy Planet, Nature’s Source, and Popeye’s Supplements, and has been selected for a Costco roadshow in summer 2026. The company was also awarded Gold Product of the Year 2025 by BC Food & Beverage.
Spring has spent more than a decade working with mission-driven founders and investors across climate, health, housing, education, and other sectors. The organization is B Corp certified with a verified score of 117.
With Web Summit bringing global investors, founders, and technology leaders to Vancouver, Spring says its Impact Ventures to Watch list is a reminder that some of B.C.’s most promising startups are not only chasing growth, but building around problems that matter.
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