09 Sep 2019 Spotlight on VanHack
Describe your company and its product.
VanHack helps companies hire tech professionals from a world of talent.
What year did your company start?
2014
Which city (or cities) are you located?
We started in Vancouver but our remote workforce is in cities all over the world.
Describe your company culture in three words.
- Collaborative
- Global
- Adaptive
How do you celebrate company or employee wins?
Every day, we’re celebrating wins from different departments with recognition on Slack. For special occasions, we bring out the cake and party hats!
What is the problem that you are trying to solve?
We help companies rapidly hire for hard-to-fill tech roles by making it easy to access global talent. In Canada alone, we’re anticipating a need for 220,000+ tech jobs by 2021.
What is your biggest milestone to date?
Creating the world’s biggest community of tech professionals, including over 200,000 people from 100+ countries.
What is your biggest challenge?
Generating awareness. Many companies just don’t realize how easy it is to access the talent they need from around the world (if they have the right hiring partner, like us).
What is your motto?
We hack together.
How are you making an impact?
VanHack has helped companies hire 700+ tech professionals from around the world to fill critical roles. More specifically, our Leap hiring events help companies that are looking to hire a more diverse workforce in terms of gender and culture. Check out our Educational Series workshop at the BC Tech Hub on September 25th. Register now.
What is your hope for the future of tech in BC?
We’re proud to not only be part of the growing local technology scene, but help other companies grow as well. Our hope is that we maintain and even speed up this momentum!
Lightning Round with Ilya Brotzky, CEO VanHack
What excites you about your job?
Having the ability to change people’s lives forever and the lives of their families as well. As an immigrant myself, I know how hard it is to immigrate and how impactful it can be when it happens.
What was the biggest obstacle you had to overcome?
Finding the right people to work with on our team. It’s always hard to find people who are as committed to the same cause and on the same page as you.
If you can give advice to your 20-year-old self, what would you say?
Be more patient. And travel more!
What are your pet peeves?
People who are slow.
Words of wisdom to other tech CEOs or founders?
Look for talent where you’re not currently looking for it.
Favourite country you visited?
Sorrento, Italy. Awesome beach town.
What is your formula for success?
Work harder than anyone else.
Name one book that everyone should read.
How I raised myself from failure to success in selling by Frank Bettger
How do you decompress?
Catching up on sleep and going to the sauna.
Favourite movie?
Signs by M. Night Shyamalan