For Vancouver-based shoe company Vessi, technological innovation is in their DNA. To design their line of all-weather sneakers they created a completely new material that can withstand the elements—come rain, snow or sunshine—without compromising on style or comfort. So it should come as no surprise that to solve their next e-commerce challenge the Vessi team […]
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.
Why 72% of Early Stage Female Founders Were Unsuccessful in Fundraising in 2020
By gathering survey data from over 280 female founders globally in FLIK’s 2020 report (Q4), it has become more clear what unique challenges female founders have been struggling with during COVID-19 and their hopes for the future. 2020 thus far for female founders has been marked by shrinking financial runways, disappointing and disproportionately less funds, […]
The Future Workplace – 3 Considerations when Planning your Team’s Return to Work
In March 2020 most knowledge workers shifted to a remote-first workplace, working primarily from their homes with a number of virtual tools. What employees needed in April and May is vastly different from what employees need today, and what they expect to need in the future. As you plan for a return to work – […]
Six Things that Entrepreneurs Need to Know About Raising Seed Capital
Raising seed capital takes more than a deck and a pitch. Here are some trade secrets from the other side of the table to increase your chances of raising funds. Angels (high net worth individuals investing their own money) tend to be the gatekeepers of the venture capital ecosystem. They’re the only people who will […]
In An Increasingly Digital Economy, What Steps Can Consumers Take To Safely Transact Online?
With an accelerated shift to a digital economy, consumers, who are being inundated with new information online, are placing greater emphasis on cybersecurity and are seeking out information on how to protect themselves online. Our latest Interac Corp. Cybersecurity Study* reveals that although 84 per cent of Canadians believe it is more important now than […]
A Bigger And Better Vancouver Startup Week & More Events Than Ever
Another month another batch of online events – I think I attended 2 conferences in September last year, this year I have been at 5+ in the past 30 days. Some notable online events I attended: Slack Frontiers was a conference for Slack developers built on Slack. I thought it was well done and especially […]
How Technology Is Innovating The Insurance Industry
We’re living in an age of pandemics, flash floods and forest fires. This year has taught us many lessons, one of which is to prepare for the unexpected. And yet, studies show that Canadians are dangerously uninsured. Why is that? My belief is that the traditional insurance industry is no longer set up to cater […]
What These 3 Successful Vancouver SaaS Companies Have In Common
In the past two years, three of my Vancouver-based Software-as-a-Service clients achieved significant growth milestones, or what we often refer to as an “event.” Lendesk was acquired in 2018, klue recently announced a $15 million Series A round, and 7Geese was acquired by Paycor a few weeks ago. In my quest to improve upon my […]
Values Are Key To Success In Vancouver Tech
How often do you think about your company’s values? In the tech startup world, it’s easy to get side-tracked by immediate concerns around product development, balance sheets, and just plain making it through another year. However, the values held by a company don’t just serve to look good on a corporate wall. Values define who […]
Access To Information Is Access To Capital For Women In Business
With less than 4% of venture capital going to white women entrepreneurs in Canada (and almost negligible amounts to Indigenous or Black women), and with women being more than three times likely to be discouraged to borrow funding than their male counterparts, the prospect of bringing a business vision to life for a woman entrepreneur can […]