Startup Canada Entrepreneur of the Year, Prairies
Named Entrepreneur of the Year for the Prairies by Startup Canada. The work underneath that headline was companies, mentorship, and showing up in public for Calgary's tech community.
“Forge ahead with passion and integrity.”
Pieter Boekhoff · Calgary
I build things people can actually do something with. Software, companies, drinks with a story.
The through-line has not changed since this site first went up: make the thing, then help other people make theirs. Mentorship, products, and companies that give people agency instead of another generic brand.
I got my first taste of the start-up world at a small software company, then launched Fenture Solutions. Since then I have founded, co-founded, and invested in more than 10 startups and mentored plenty more.
Nobal was the hardware bet: interactive mirrors for retail and hospitality. AcceleratorYYC was the community bet: Calgary's first dedicated tech coworking and mentorship space. Bored Brewing is the story bet. Liquid Rails is the systems bet.
I am a Mount Royal Computer Science alumnus (minor in Entrepreneurship), a Horizon Award recipient, and a dad of three. The lab is for them. Everything else waits.
Named Entrepreneur of the Year for the Prairies by Startup Canada. The work underneath that headline was companies, mentorship, and showing up in public for Calgary's tech community.
Named the Horizon Award winner by Mount Royal University, given to alumni early in their career for work in the community as well as in business.
MoreThey are our educators, innovators and entrepreneurs. They rule the C-suite and both the corporate and volunteer boardrooms. Whether in the arts, non-profits, oil and gas, law, finance or medicine, they are doing more and doing it better and faster. That's what makes them the 2014 class of Top 40 Under 40.
By co-founding AcceleratorYYC, the city's first cowork space dedicated to mentoring local tech entrepreneurs, I was trying to grow Calgary as a technology hub. Globe and Mail also named me one of Alberta's Top 20 Entrepreneurs.
Read the Avenue Magazine article
Pitched iMirror on The Pitch. Hospitality-first, on purpose. 500 Startups, Alberta Innovates, and installs that included Puma Fifth Avenue, Four Seasons Whistler, and Visa x Monse.
Watch the pitch
AcceleratorYYC was Calgary's first dedicated tech coworking space. Avenue Top 40 Under 40 came out of that chapter. The current companies are Liquid Rails and Bored Brewing.
Bored Brewing. A beverage company built around story, IP, and community. Not another generic craft brand.
Software. Technical CTO work for spirits and beverage brands, plus my own platforms. Ship the system, then get out of the way.
Dad. Three kids. We build games, cook, shoot pucks.