Women in tech in Vancouver: groups, events, leaders and companies
About 150,000 tech workers and more than 7,000 tech companies make Metro Vancouver Canada’s third-largest tech market. It is a major centre for video games and visual effects, with studios like EA Vancouver, Sony Pictures Imageworks and ILM, and home to software companies like Clio, Visier and Hootsuite.
Amazon, Microsoft and SAP run large engineering offices in the city, and the region has a growing quantum computing cluster around Photonic and D-Wave.
The average Vancouver tech wage is about US$86,900 a year, the highest of Canada’s five biggest tech hubs and about 9% above Toronto (US$79,800). See tech salaries in Vancouver.
By Heidi Lee, community manager, OutGeek Women in TechUpdated
Where women work in Vancouver tech
Women hold about 24% of tech jobs in Canada, and the share is not the same in every role.
Tech salaries in Vancouver
Vancouver has the highest average tech wage of Canada’s five biggest tech hubs, about 9% above Toronto and 20% above Montreal.
Average tech wage in Canada’s biggest tech hubs
US DOLLARS A YEAR · CBRE SCORING TECH TALENT 2026 (2024 WAGES)Median pay in the Lower Mainland–Southwest Region
CANADIAN DOLLARS · JOB BANK, GOVERNMENT OF CANADAThe gender pay gap in Canadian tech
Women in tech organizations in Vancouver
Groups based in Vancouver or running a Vancouver chapter, for networking, mentoring, learning and meeting peers.
SCWIST
The Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology, founded in Vancouver in 1981. Mentoring, networking and programs for women and girls in STEM. scwist.ca → PRODUCTWomen in Product Vancouver
Vancouver chapter of the global community for women in product management, with more than 1,500 Meetup members. womenpm.org → MENTORINGVancouver Women in Technology (VanWIT)
Non-profit founded in 2016 that offers mentorship, networking and career events for women in Vancouver tech. vanwit.ca → RESEARCHWomen in Tech World
Vancouver-based, volunteer-run non-profit with educational programs and research on women’s experiences in Canadian tech. womenintechworld.com → COMMUNITYThe Thread Women+Tech
Volunteer-led community launched during Web Summit Vancouver in May 2025, with curated in-person meetups for women in tech and startups. threadwomentech.com → NETWORKVancouver Women in Male-Dominated Industries
Networking group for women in tech, engineering and other male-dominated fields, with 4,400+ members and a monthly speaker series. meetup.com →Notable women in tech in Vancouver
Founders and tech leaders who come up again and again in Vancouver tech news.
Shahrzad Rafati
Founded BroadbandTV in Vancouver in 2005. The media tech company went private in 2024 and now operates as RHEI, helping video creators earn from their content.Stephanie Simmons
Co-founded Photonic in 2016 to build large-scale quantum computers. Associate professor at Simon Fraser University and a BCBusiness 2026 Woman of the Year.Lisa Shields
Founded FISPAN in 2016 to connect business banking with accounting software. Before that she founded and led Hyperwallet, which PayPal bought in 2018.Shelby Yee
Leads GroundedAI, a Vancouver startup building software that maps underground conditions on tunnelling projects. It raised $2 million in July 2026.Macarena Cataldo-Hernandez
Leads Viridis Research, a Vancouver company working to clean and reuse textile wastewater. A finalist in BC Tech’s 2026 Technology Impact Awards.Tina Merry
Leads Simply Sweet Games, a B.C. studio making word puzzle games, after decades in senior roles at AAA game studios. A 2026 BC Tech award finalist.Notable tech companies in Vancouver
From global tech offices and game studios to homegrown software, quantum and AI companies.
Global tech offices
Games and visual effects
Software and SaaS
Clio
Legal practice software, founded in Vancouver.Hootsuite
Social media management platform, headquartered in Vancouver.Visier
People analytics software, headquartered in Vancouver.Trulioo
Identity verification company, headquartered in Vancouver.Thinkific
Online course platform, headquartered in Vancouver.Klue
Competitive intelligence software, headquartered in Vancouver.Absolute Software
Endpoint security software, headquartered in Vancouver.Telecom, retail and finance
Quantum, AI and biotech
Photonic
Quantum computing company headquartered in Vancouver, co-founded by Stephanie Simmons.D-Wave
Quantum computing company with a large research centre in Burnaby.AbCellera
AI-powered antibody discovery, headquartered in Vancouver.Dapper Labs
Blockchain company behind NBA Top Shot, headquartered in Vancouver.Want the newest roles from teams like these?
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OutGeek Women in Tech in Vancouver
We run two to three recruiting events in Vancouver every year, plus private recruiting events for companies.
Each event features short talks from hiring teams, speed networking with recruiters and engineering leads, and open networking with food and drinks.
Oxana Skuratova
EVENT DIRECTOR · WITH OUTGEEK SINCE 2023Upcoming OutGeek events in Vancouver
Women in tech in Vancouver: common questions
What is the women in tech scene like in Vancouver?
About 150,000 tech workers and more than 7,000 tech companies make Metro Vancouver Canada’s third-largest tech market, with strong video game, visual effects, software and quantum computing sectors. Women hold about 24% of tech jobs in Canada. Vancouver has active women in tech groups for STEM, product management, mentoring and networking.
What percentage of tech workers in Vancouver are women?
Across Canada, women hold about 24% of tech jobs, according to CBRE. The share is higher in UX/UI design and product management, and lower in core infrastructure, DevOps and senior engineering.
Where women work in Vancouver tech →How much do tech workers earn in Vancouver?
CBRE puts the average Vancouver tech wage at about US$86,900 a year, the highest of Canada’s five biggest tech hubs. In the Lower Mainland–Southwest Region, the median wage for software engineers and designers is $62.50 an hour, about C$122,000 a year full-time, according to Job Bank.
Tech salaries in Vancouver →Is there a gender pay gap in Canadian tech?
Yes. Census data analyzed by The Dais at Toronto Metropolitan University shows the average woman in Canadian tech earned $71,400 in 2021, compared with $91,000 for men. A 2026 survey by Artemis Canada found women in tech leadership earn about 78 cents for every dollar men earn.
The gender pay gap in Canadian tech →What women in tech groups are there in Vancouver?
Groups in Vancouver include SCWIST, Women in Product Vancouver, Vancouver Women in Technology (VanWIT), Women in Tech World, The Thread Women+Tech and Vancouver Women in Male-Dominated Industries.
All Vancouver women in tech groups →Are there women in tech events in Vancouver?
Yes. OutGeek Women in Tech runs two to three recruiting events in Vancouver every year, where hiring teams meet women in tech in person, plus private recruiting events for companies. Women in Product Vancouver, VanWIT and The Thread Women+Tech also hold regular meetups.
Tech recruiting events by city →What is OutGeek Women in Tech Vancouver?
OutGeek Women in Tech runs recruiting events where hiring teams meet women in tech in person. Our Vancouver community has more than 10,000 members. In Vancouver we run two to three recruiting events a year, plus private recruiting events for companies, led by event director Oxana Skuratova, with OutGeek since 2023. Joining is free at outgeek.org.
About OutGeek Women in Tech in Vancouver →Which tech companies are notable in Vancouver?
Vancouver’s big tech employers include Amazon, Microsoft, SAP and Telus, game and visual effects studios like EA Vancouver, Sony Pictures Imageworks and ILM, and homegrown companies like Clio, Hootsuite, Visier, Trulioo, Photonic and AbCellera.
Company ratings and open roles →Who are notable women in tech in Vancouver?
Women who appear often in Vancouver tech news include Shahrzad Rafati (RHEI), Stephanie Simmons (Photonic), Lisa Shields (FISPAN), Shelby Yee (GroundedAI), Macarena Cataldo-Hernandez (Viridis Research) and Tina Merry (Simply Sweet Games).
Notable women in tech in Vancouver →