Community-forward Vancouver Startup Week is back. Every spring, founders, investors, and operators from across British Columbia converge for one of the most concentrated weeks of startup programming the city has to offer. If you've been wondering what VSW is, what's on, or whether it's worth your time — here's everything you need to know.

What is Vancouver Startup Week?

Vancouver Startup Week (VSW) is an annual, city-wide celebration of the startup ecosystem in British Columbia. It brings together founders, investors, and operators from across the province for five days of events blending tactical programming with high-impact networking. The week has become a key anchor event for Vancouver's tech community.

When is it happening in 2026?

VSW 2026 runs Monday, April 27 through Friday, May 1 — five days, city-wide across Vancouver.

What does the week look like, day by day?

The programming is stacked from start to finish. Monday kicks things off with Chris Hobbs facilitating a fireside chat with Ania Wysocka of Rootd, Funded in Vancouver's Beaver's Den, a featured session on storytelling in Vancouver tech, and the official Opening Reception and Ecosystem Showcase at Science World.

Tuesday shifts into fundraising mode with New Ventures BC’s session on Gender-Smart Investing.

Wednesday focuses on community and strategy, featuring Launch Academy's Launch Builders session, then a highlight of Thursday is Cold Tea Collective’s Asian Canadians in Food Innovation.

The week wraps Friday with a, run club hosted by BlueHour Health and Kamino, a VTJ session on why founders leave Vancouver — and why many return —the return of the infamous Men in Tech panel, and the VSW 2026 Closing Party at D/6.

Who is this event actually for?

VSW is built for the full startup ecosystem — early-stage founders, growth-stage operators, investors, and the community organizations that support them. The programming covers a wide range of stages and industries, so whether you're pre-seed or scaling, there's something on the schedule worth your time.

What are the standout sessions to know about?

A few sessions stand out from the lineup. Beaver's Den is Funded in Vancouver's spin on the pitch format and sets the tone for the whole week. The Convergence Pitch Rodeo on Tuesday has become a VSW staple worth catching. The Immigrant Founders' Conclave is one of the more distinct sessions in the program, spotlighting a major and often underrepresented segment of Vancouver's founder community. And closing out Friday, VTJ's candid conversation on why founders leave Vancouver — and why they return — is the kind of honest ecosystem reflection that tends to linger.

Who's organizing and hosting events?

VSW is a community-driven week, meaning events are hosted by organizations across the ecosystem rather than a single organizer. This year's contributors include Futurpreneur, Invoke, Osler, Convergence, New Ventures BC, Launch Academy, Be Pacific, RBCx, BlueHour Health, Kamino, Funded in Vancouver, and VTJ, among others.

How do tickets work?

There are two types of tickets – Standard all access passes that get you into everything; there are also Investor tickets, where a portion of the ticket price go to startups taking part in the Beaver’s Den competition.

Yes — VTJ readers get 20% off tickets. Use code VTJ20 at checkout.

Is there anything else happening in Vancouver's tech scene around the same time?

Yes — VSW leads directly into a busy spring for Vancouver tech. Two weeks after it, Web Summit Vancouver is set for May, making the back half of spring a particularly strong stretch for anyone embedded in the BC startup world. If you're planning to be in town for VSW, it's worth keeping an eye on what follows.

Where can I find the full schedule and register?

The full schedule and registration are available at vanstartupweek.ca. Events span venues across Vancouver, so check individual session pages for specific locations and times.