In May 2010, Laszlo Hanyecz, a developer from Florida, made the first known purchase of a good with bitcoin. He was mining tens of thousands of bitcoin from his home. Even though he had large amounts, he had nowhere to spend his bitcoin. Fortunately, he was part of a Bitcoin Talk Forum started by Satoshi […]
Thought Leaders
Our Thought Leadership series highlights the province's notable domain experts and is meant to offer guidance and insight to our readers. Interested in sharing your knowledge? Reach out to rob@techcouver.com with your pitch.
Investing in Real Estate with Addy: My Early-Adopter Experience
As a teenager, I was thrilled to open my own bank account—not so that I could spend, but so that I could save. When I graduated from college, the first thing I did was buy real estate: a humble apartment suite in Vancouver, where I would work as a journalist and editor for nearly a […]
An Founder’s Advice: Attracting Top Talent In BC’s Tech Industry, Now
Access to top talent has long been one of the biggest constraints for founders looking to grow and scale a tech company in B.C. With the current shift towards a digital economy, skilled tech workers are in higher demand than ever. Tech job postings in Canada were up 30% from pre pandemic levels in early […]
How to Switch from Sitting to Standing at Work—And Why It Matters
We know that sitting for extended periods of time yields negative outcomes. You know that, right? A sedentary lifestyle, whether led by 9-to-5 desk jobs or laziness, can have major implications on weight management, cardiovascular health, and metabolic effectiveness, among other important areas of our wellbeing. We sit in our car, and on the train, […]
Canada, it’s Time We Address Our Soft Skills Deficit – Before It’s Too Late
The value of soft skills is undeniable. It’s time Canada realizes that. Overlooked and overshadowed, Canada’s fixation on hard skills training has turned soft skills into an afterthought. This is a problem and is leading to what many are calling a Soft Skills Deficit. I couldn’t agree more. Although our initial emphasis on hard skills […]
Want To Build Better Products? Begin With Working Backwards
It’s difficult to develop products that truly deliver for the customer. Too often development teams huddle together to come up with ideas in a vacuum, and build what they believe are amazing products with incredible features that will tackle customer challenges or unmet needs—and then once their product or service is built, it misses the […]
Employers Now Need To Accommodate Employee Availability, Not The Other Way Around
The days of managers dictating where and when employees must show up for work are gone. The problem however, is that most people haven’t seen much of an improvement in how schedules are built and communicated beyond more complex spreadsheets or more cumbersome on premise solutions. When I came on board as the CEO of […]
Tips For SaaS SMB Companies Considering Permanently Moving Remote
Wishpond began experimenting with remote work arrangements a few years before the pandemic. This enabled a smooth transition once COVID-19 started to permanently close our downtown Vancouver office and give our employees the freedom to work remotely once the pandemic is over. Most businesses that were not experimenting or planning on a flexible work arrangement […]
The Responsible Producer – The Simple Answer To Save The World For Our Grandchildren
It is not responsible to pass on the responsibility. According to many studies, Canadians want a single-use plastics ban, however, this can mean many things; less plastics, different plastics, more recycling, and the list goes on – making regulation difficult to create. The notion of a single-use plastics ban has consumers, manufacturers, restaurants, and retailers […]
B.C.’s Innovators Need A Post-pandemic Prosperity Strategy
Today’s budget in British Columbia reflects a province that is still focused on fighting COVID-19 and carrying citizens and businesses through the worst of the crisis. While the government’s efforts to help people weather the pandemic are critical, we were hoping to see a larger, more clearly defined vision for post-pandemic prosperity and economic recovery. […]