Lindsay shares her experiences about growing and succeeding in business. View videos here>

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Lindsay Smith, CEO Techvibes

Most opportunities that grow quickly happen at the intersection between a) an unmet market need and b) a special talent for filling that need. In Lindsay Smith’s case, she created a perfect opportunity. For a class project at SFU, Lindsay and 11 others came up with a concept they called “GeekRave,” a social networking event targeting the 20-something workers and wannabes in Vancouver’s high-tech industry. The first GeekRave drew hundreds of attendees, the next, thousands. The project became GeekRave Productions, with Lindsay as Director of Public Relations, then President.

After graduation, while working in marketing for a website developer and running GeekRave Productions on the side, Lindsay realized that the high-tech world needed more than just networking events. She quit and formed Techvibes, an online community for business and technology that now boasts over 31,000 members, who use Techvibes to network, look for jobs and contracts, share ideas, resources and information, and offer their feedback on products and services available in a constantly changing market. Over 5000 suppliers use Techvibes to connect with the community, offering employment opportunities, showcasing products and interacting with others.

Today, Techvibes employs a staff of over 18 across the country. At 26, Lindsay, who also volunteers as national President of Wired Woman, is a name in online marketing and advertising and is frequently quoted by local and national media. A master networker, she is as likely to be found on the floor as behind the scenes at Techvibes events – she gets to do what she loves best as she builds her business. Funny, it doesn’t seem much like work!

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