The Innovation Hub recently held the a conference featuring great speakers, panel conversations, and networking opportunities. The knowledge exchange was valuable, but it was shining the spotlight on the current cohort of companies calling the Hub home that proved to be the real highlight.

While women are really excited to be engaged, they're generally not very excited to plan the wedding. Early in Angel Pui's career as a wedding dress designer she got an intimate look at how overwhelming, stressful and confusing the planning process is for many prospective brides.

Three former game studio executives with 40+ years of experience could easily be basking in the console glory days of the past. Instead of opting for white sandy beaches and umbrella drinks, these former EA (Electronic Arts) colleagues have co-founded a company that adds rewards to mobile games as you play.

More people want to buy sustainable products and have a kitchen full of fresher, natural and healthier foods. The challenge is connecting the people who make good things, with the people who want those good things. Vancouver's is taking on that challenge by connecting brands with mobile customers.

A stimulating evening in Vancouver recently provided an excellent snapshot of a startup community that's starting to grow up. It comes as the city improved on its ranking of the world's top startup ecosystems. This week, the Startup Genome Project updated its list, placing Vancouver ninth in the world, compared to its 16th showing on the previous list.