About the show
The story of BC tech, told by the people building it.
Built West is a long-form interview podcast. One guest, one unhurried conversation, on video from wherever they are in BC.
Why Built West
British Columbia has been quietly building serious technology companies for decades. Most of those stories never get told, or get squeezed into a press release.
Built West is the long version. We sit down with founders, operators and investors and talk about how things actually got built: the early days, the misses, the decisions that only looked obvious afterwards. And we get into the person making them, because the business is never the whole story.
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.