Exploring Vancouver’s Vibrant Tech Scene
The Pacific Northwest city isn’t tech’s Darling anymore — it’s a powerhouse.
Tucked away in the Pacific Northwest, Vancouver, BC is ranked as one of the greenest, healthiest, and most liveable cities in the world. Unlike the snow-capped mountains, beautiful bays, and towering trees that have always surrounded the town, it’s tech community is unrecognizable from a decade ago.
It’s not just the land of Hootsuite and underground gaming anymore — it’s one of the fastest growing, innovative tech ecosystems in the world. Below are a few reasons why, but first, it’s important to note that this post is one in a series that takes a look at the Canadian tech hubs where Terminal operates.
In the first post, we illustrated why American startups need to start looking elsewhere to build top-tier tech teams. If you missed it, here’s a quick summary:
- The United States doesn’t crack the list of top 10 countries for computer programming talent.
- The latest Silicon Valley Index revealed that more than 70 percent of Bay Area-employed computer and mathematical workers ages 25 to 44 are foreign-born.
- Even the juggernauts can’t land enough local talent. In 2016 alone, Google navigated the tricky waters of securing H1B Visas for 2,500 employees. Apple acquired 2,000, but today the rate at which H1Bs are denied in the USA is at an all-time high.
When you couple the data points with the fact that it takes on average 34 percent longer to hire an engineer than it does for any other position, you start to realize why the recruiting battlefield gets so bloody.
It’s time to think outside the box — and borders — to create your ideal team.
Companies that evaluate new markets will likely discover that the best course of action is not to recruit engineers back to their Bay Area or other major American metropolitan headquarters at all. And if they can get their heads around that reality, then a great place to look is Vancouver, Canada.
Vancouver is a fantastic place to grow your startup for all the right reasons:
Budding Talent and a Vibrant Startup Culture
The Vancouver startup scene is as active as its outdoor adventure scene. It’s young, innovative, energetic, supportive, and growing — fast. According to a recent study, the city boasts over 68,000 tech workers, which is up 30 percent from last year. Hootsuite, D-Wave, Build Direct, Indochino, Freelancer, Vision Critical and hundreds of other startups call Vancouver home. Overall, the city ranks as the 15th best startup ecosystem in the world. Companies like Apple have taken notice of the local innovation and even acquired promising startups like Buddybuild. Vancouver is one of the global leaders in cleantech with over 50 companies employing 7,700 people. It’s the biggest hub for gaming in the country and houses EA’s largest studio, Capcom, and Nintendo as well as homegrown successes like Eastside Games and A Thinking Ape. On the new and buzzworthy side of things, Vancouver is starting to make a name for itself in the Blockchain space. Current Vancouver resident, Bluescape engineer, and Terminal Member Jordan Zhang says there is a grassroots approach to Blockchain in the area that is energizing and cites DCTRL as a great example. The Bitcoin co-op is member-supported and leased space in the basement of a downtown barbershop where people meet, code, and explore the potential future of cryptocurrency. DCTRL represents the kind of unforced, organic explorations and thought leadership that made Silicon Valley what it is today.
There is a huge supply of talented graduates from specialty schools like BCIT and Emily Carr, which is a clear sign that the tech industry is growing. Bootcamps are growing, too. When students graduate from programs like those, there’s a lot of community events like meetups that strengthen relationships. Yet it doesn’t feel like that big of a community, and it’s welcoming. There are a lot of circles that intermingle, and it appeals to people who want a smaller, intimate community versus a larger one like Toronto. — Jordan Zhang, Terminal Member
Quality of Life
As great as the startup scene is, James Raymond, Manager of Research & Analysis at the Vancouver Economic Commission, believes that what keeps talented workers in Vancouver is something much more comprehensive, “The opportunity to work, invest and thrive in a city renowned for smart infrastructure, diversity, collegial culture and sheer liveability.”
Vancouver is the most densely populated city in Canada and the fifth most dense in North America, but that doesn’t mean it struggles with the same issues as New York or San Francisco. Vancouver is consistently named as one of the top ten cities for livability (this year it’s sixth on the list) and is the only city to make the list for five consecutive years. Companies and their workers seem to understand the value of a work-life balance, especially those that have experienced the other side. “When you compare Vancouver to east coast cities like New York — I’ve spent time on both sides — we’re more laid back,” says Jordan. “On weekends, people in Vancouver go out on hikes or camp or do some sort of activity to get their minds off work. The playground that is their backyard helps — you can go from the mountains to the ocean in the same day.”
Geoff Mair, CTO of Vancouver-based enterprise app store provider Partnerpedia, sums it up best — “It’s one of the only places in the world where you can windsurf or ski during the day, go for great sushi or live music at night, all in a thriving city that supports career growth.”
Terminal Member and long-time Vancouver resident, Bruce Halliday, believes the simple fact of climate is reason enough for talented tech workers to migrate to Vancouver. Although he agrees with Jordan’s views on the benefits of living in Vancouver, Bruce is blunt about the things that a startup scene can’t change. “Places like Waterloo have some of the best engineering grads and talent coming out of it — but that’s Ontario — it’s freezing there in the winter. It’s so nice here where you only have to deal with some rain.”
Business Synchronization
Vancouver is the premier location to start for west coast startups. Forward-thinking companies like Slack discovered that years ago. The communication platform is based in San Francisco, but B.C.-born founder Stewart Butterfield works in Vancouver along with a development team and communicates via, you guessed it — Slack’s video and text channels. For smaller startups, building a small remote team in the same timezone is a great training-wheels approach to adopting a remote or distributed team model. CEO of Ever AI Doug Aley, who decided to work with Terminal to build remote engineering teams in multiple Canadian cities including Vancouver, made his first AI hire in Vancouver. That hire went on to become the anchor for a team of five. “Having multiple offices in Canada allows for our researchers to work where they want to live, rather than the other way around — and as many international firms set up shop in Toronto and Montreal as AI hubs, it’s good to always be looking for the next hub and we feel we have found one in Vancouver.”
A Diverse, International Talent Pool
Vancouver is one of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities in Canada. Beyond its growing local talent pool, Canada is attracting skilled tech workers from all over the world. The Canadians have always been more welcoming with regards to immigration than the United States. With the rate of H-1B denials in the US increasing by 41 percent in 2018, many talented internationals are making their way north to Vancouver instead of attempting to jump through hoops for a US visa. Unstable politics paved the way for companies like MovNorth that help people establish permanent residence in Canada. And individuals aren’t the only ones making moves. Political uncertainties have also spurred large tech companies to mobilize backup plans that send qualified applicants that could struggle to acquire U.S.visas to the B.C. city. (As a side note, there was a 13 percent drop in F1 student visas to the US last year, which is another clear sign of increased rates in immigration denial). Those who end up in Vancouver realize that there are mountains and bodies of water everywhere — just like the place that many envisioned for their employment pilgrimage to another spot in North America — The Bay Area.
Again, these are just a few reasons why Vancouver is a land of opportunity for tech workers and companies alike. The spirit and vibe of the Northwest city can’t be put into words. What’s clear is that it’s only gaining momentum and we’re happy to be along for the ride.
Terminal Members in Vancouver are working with exciting companies like Hims, Bungalow, Mira, Bluescape, Ever AI, Earnin, Tally, Urbandoor, and Plays.tv with more on the way. If you want to join our community, check out our job board and reach out.
