About the show
The work, the life around it, the calls in between
British Columbia has been quietly building serious technology companies for decades, but most of those stories never get told, or they get squeezed into a press release.
Built West is the long version. We sit down with the founders, operators and investors building companies across this province and talk about how things actually got built: the early days, the misses, and the decisions that only looked obvious afterwards.
And we get into the person making those decisions, because the business is never the whole story. How do they quiet the imposter syndrome? How do they balance showing up in the other aspects of life with the all-in nature of building a company? How do they get off the hamster wheel of achievement?
BC tech is the setting, not the point. If you’re a plumber, a teacher, a public servant or a fresh grad finding your feet, you’ll still find lessons here about work and life. You should leave each episode with one thing you didn’t expect to learn, from a source you didn’t expect to learn it from.
The goal is simple: make BC tech easier to see, so more talent, founders and companies build here and stay.
How it works
- 01
One guest
No co-hosts talking over each other. The whole hour belongs to the guest.
- 02
On video, anywhere in BC
In person when we can, remote when we can’t. The conversation matters more than the room.
- 03
Long form
About an hour. Long enough to move past the talking points.
- 04
Listen everywhere
Audio on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, transcripts here.
Your host
Matt Vaillant
Hey, I’m Matt: dad, Victoria local, and endlessly curious about the people behind the companies.
I’ve had a blast building my career over the past 15 years across marketing, sales and operations, in organizations of all sizes and stages. From marketing specialist to quota-carrying rep to VP to COO, I’ve been lucky to have some incredible experiences and work with a lot of amazing people who are still friends today.
I had the idea for Built West a few years ago, and no matter where my life or career took me, I kept coming back to it. I consume podcasts at an alarming rate, and always thought we needed a place to tell the stories of the people behind BC tech. We have many of the makings of a great tech hub (education, lifestyle, talent), but we’ve never quite lived up to our potential.
I want to be a small part of helping grow this ecosystem and keeping talent, founders and companies in BC. Built West brings you unfiltered conversations with the people building technology here: how they build, and how they manage the rest of life along the way.