North Vancouver startup RetreatsandVenues wins New Ventures BC Competition

The corporate retreat and venue booking platform beat out 203 other startups

Smart HR reps reading this post are going to send it to their boss immediately. We’ll even give you the email copy: “Hey, did you hear about the company that won the New Ventures BC Competition? Maybe that would be a good place to find the next spot for our company retreat.”

North Vancouver-based startup RetreatsandVenues was announced as the winner of the 2023 New Ventures BC Competition, earning $110,000 and the title of the province’s top startup in the process. The company offers an online marketplace featuring over 4,200 retreat venues across 120 countries.

Second place and $60,000 went to Browse AI, a Vancouver-based platform that enables non-technical users to transform any website into a spreadsheet or data pipeline.

Taking home third place and $35,000 was Blanka, a wholesale hub and fulfilment partner for branded beauty products. One of Blanka’s co-founders, Kaylee Astle, is a former BCBusiness 30 Under 30 winner. The company was also named Startup of the Year at last week’s TIAs.

“Winning the 2023 New Ventures BC Competition is a huge achievement for our team,” said Cory Sivell, co-Founder & CEO of RetreatsAndVenues. “We’re truly humbled by this honour and thankful for the guidance and support we’ve received along the way. This victory will serve as a catalyst for our continued growth, allowing us to further our mission of helping deliver over 1 billion 5-star retreat experiences.”

Maybe your boss can be convinced…