Danny Halarewich

Danny Halarewich

Founder and CEO

AGE: 28

COMPANY: LemonStand E-Commerce Inc.

The story: Raised in a single-parent household in Mission, Danny Halarewich always had an interest in web design–building basic Geocities-style websites off his Sega Dreamcast gaming console for fun. Then, at age 14, he began building websites for small businesses in the Fraser Valley. “My mom needed help, and me bringing in the income was big,” he says. Over time, more and more clients began asking for online stores instead of brochure-like websites–and so, in 2013, he launched LemonStand, a one-stop shop for retailers looking for ready-to-use e-commerce platforms. Halarewich specialized in the front end of the website–the design, the bells and whistles–while his co-founder, Aleksey Bobkov (who has since left the company), built the architecture. In the past two years, LemonStand has recruited local software heavyweights such as CTO Bruce Alderson, from Discovery Software, and VP growth Ross Paul, from ACL Software.

Markers of success: LemonStand has clients across North America, including Bose, Zendesk and TellTale games. The company, which is privately held but venture-backed, counts BDC, Paul Rochester, ex-CEO of Layer 7, and Kalle Radage, president of Payfirma, as investors. Estimated revenues are well into eight figures.

PHOTO: ADAM BLASBERG