# Ray Walia

> Ray Walia is a Vancouver-based entrepreneur, investor and mentor, co-founder and CEO of Launch Academy and founder and CEO of Launch Ventures. His work connects startup incubation, founder education, investment and events, including Traction. He was inducted into the BC Innovators Hall of Fame in 2024.

- **Role:** Co-founder and CEO at Launch Academy; founder and CEO at Launch Ventures
- **Organizations:** Launch Academy, Launch Ventures, Traction Conference, Victory Square Ventures, PlayWize, OpenSport.io
- **Nationality:** Canadian
- **Education:** Entrepreneurship studies; exact credential unspecified, British Columbia Institute of Technology
- **Known for:** BC Innovators Hall of Fame inductee, 2024., Business in Vancouver Forty Under 40 honouree, 2014., Startup Canada Entrepreneur Mentor of the Year for British Columbia, 2014, and Entrepreneur Promoter of the Year for British Columbia, 2015.

## Career timeline

- **2002** — Opened a second Dairy Queen franchise in downtown Vancouver and experimented with online ice-cream cake ordering and delivery.
- **2012** — Co-founded Launch Academy; it began on April 1 in space at GrowLab.
- **2013** — Launch moved into a 12,000-square-foot Gastown facility in April.
- **2015** — Co-founded Victory Square Ventures and represented Canada at the G20 Young Entrepreneurs’ Alliance summit in Turkey.
- **2016** — Appointed chief operating officer of Fantasy 6 Sports in August.
- **2019** — Appointed guest professor at Shenzhen Technology University; a joint incubator with Launch Academy was unveiled on November 4.
- **2024** — Inducted into the BC Innovators Hall of Fame.
- **2026** — Launch Academy featured in BetaKit Most Ambitious 2026 under Community Builders.

## Achievements

- BC Innovators Hall of Fame inductee, 2024.
- Business in Vancouver Forty Under 40 honouree, 2014.
- Startup Canada Entrepreneur Mentor of the Year for British Columbia, 2014, and Entrepreneur Promoter of the Year for British Columbia, 2015.
- BC Tech Person of the Year finalist, 2018.
- FCPA, FCMA professional designations.
- More than 30 startup investments personally or through his funds.

## Latest updates

- **2026-06** — His LinkedIn honours list records BetaKit Most Ambitious 2026 recognition; Launch Academy appears in the project’s Community Builders category.
- **2026-05** — Launch’s 2025 year-in-review, published May 19, describes its Global Relay partnership for the Vancouver Tech Hub and the return of Launch Builders Demo Night.
- **2025-05** — Discussed heritage, service and AI-assisted interview preparation in Vancouver Startup Week’s May 27 profile.

## Links

- Website: https://launch.vc/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raywalia/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/raywalia
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raywalia/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/ray-walia
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-26