Harvest Builders Plants Its Roots in East Village

Ever since its inception, East Village has been inventing Calgary’s future by pioneering new ways to live and work at the confluence of two rivers. The neighbourhood has increasingly become a place to do business with an innovative edge, making it a 21st century complement to the downtown business district. It’s drawing and shaping the city’s next generation of tech elites, inviting Calgarians, Canadians, and people from all around the globe to become part of the Creative Class.

Don’t believe us? Just ask Chris Simair, former CEO and co-founder of SkipTheDishes. Since selling the tech company (one of the largest in Canada) in 2016, Simair has set his sights on elevating innovation in the Canadian Prairies through a new organization called Harvest Builders. And when it came time to choose a location for the pilot program of this new venture, Simair landed here, in Calgary’s East Village. From their home base in the river-adjacent M2 building, Harvest will carry out their mission to build globally competitive companies, and in doing so, help the Prairies become a better place to live and work for future generations.

“East Village offers something unique—something that’s ideal for launching and scaling meaningful technology-based companies.” says Simair. “The neighbourhood has the potential to become a world-class destination to attract the young, creative, tech talent needed to build a stronger, more competitive Calgary.”

Using the playbook that helped turn SkipTheDishes into a household name across North America, Harvest will develop local talent into high-potential companies by equipping them with world-class talent, funding, and support. While their operations only just kicked off in December 2019, Harvest is already hard at work. Their first portfolio company, Neo Financial, has already grown to over 20 employees and is set to launch in the coming months. Harvest has also locked down a partnership with VanHack, a Vancouver-based network of tech talent that connects industry professionals with recruitment opportunities.

With Harvest sowing seeds of disruption and entrepreneurism—and East Village facilitating collisions and connections—Calgary’s next chapter of energy and optimism is ready to unfold right here in the city’s east end.