Vancouver-founded healthcare platform UPGUYS is drawing national recognition after its co-founders were named finalists for the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2026 Pacific Region program.
Founded in 2019 by Ramin Behzadi and pharmacist Mat Rezaei, UPGUYS has grown from a local startup into a national healthcare platform serving tens of thousands of patients across Canada through licensed practitioners, pharmacy infrastructure, lab testing, and ongoing care.
The company now has a team of approximately 70 people, including roughly 50 full-time employees and 20 practitioners. About 80 percent of that team is based in British Columbia, with Vancouver serving as the company’s primary hub.
Unlike many fast-growing technology companies, UPGUYS has scaled without outside capital. The company has been entirely founder-funded, with Behzadi personally investing approximately $1.2 million into the business at inception.
That path has made the company’s growth especially notable in a sector where scale is difficult to achieve. Healthcare remains one of Canada’s most regulated industries, and UPGUYS has had to navigate different provincial requirements while building a consistent patient experience across the country.
Behzadi told Techcouver that the most challenging part of scaling nationally has been managing that regulatory complexity while coordinating practitioners, pharmacies, lab testing, compliance, and ongoing patient care across multiple provinces.
Building a technology-enabled healthcare platform within that framework has become one of UPGUYS’ biggest strengths. The company’s model brings together digital access, clinical oversight, pharmacy services, and follow-up care in a platform designed to support patients beyond a single transaction.
While UPGUYS is best known today for men’s health, the company sees a larger opportunity ahead. Its next phase of growth is expected to include hormone health, preventative care, longevity, and broader access to healthcare services delivered through modern technology and infrastructure.
The company is also continuing to hire as it expands, with roles across its Clinic and Care Team, practitioners, pharmacists, developers, and other operational and technical functions.
For Behzadi and Rezaei, Vancouver has remained central to the company’s story. Beyond being where UPGUYS was founded, the city has provided access to talent, early relationships, and a growing community of entrepreneurs building ambitious companies from British Columbia.
The EY recognition adds another milestone for the company, following UPGUYS’ inclusion on The Globe and Mail’s ranking of Canada’s Top Growing Companies and a recent BCBusiness feature on its growth.
For Vancouver’s tech ecosystem, UPGUYS offers a reminder that not every high-growth company follows the same playbook. In a capital-intensive and heavily regulated industry, the company has built a national healthtech platform through founder funding, operational discipline, and a deep focus on infrastructure.
As UPGUYS expands beyond men’s health, its Vancouver roots remain a key part of a growth story that is increasingly national in scope.
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