The second annual BCBusiness 30 Under 30 list was recently unveiled and the list boasts winners from retail, design pharmaceuticals, insurance, media, and the not-for-profit sector. 
The list is as diverse as the industries represented, almost equally split between exceptional young men and women, and also featuring cultural emissaries like Claudia Li (founder of the Hua Foundation, strengthening Chinese culture, heritage and sustainability) Bryce Williams (chief of the Tsawwassen First Nation).
The 2015 BCBusiness 30 Under 30 Event will be held on Tuesday, April 28, 2015 from 5:30-8:00 p.m. at The Vancouver Club, located at 915 W Hastings Street in Vancouver.
For more information go to www.BCBusiness.ca/30Under30.

Gabrielle (Gaby) Bayona
Owner and Creative Director
Age: 22
Company: Truvelle Bridal Ltd.
After high school, Gaby Bayona began working in her mother’s custom wedding dress business in New Westminster. In 2013, at the age of 21, Bayona obtained a $15,000 bank loan and launched Truvelle to sell modern off-the-rack bridal gowns, each locally designed and produced. She started out marketing her gowns, priced at under $2,500, on Etsy.com. Today she also sells through a Gastown showroo.

Alexander Chuang
Managing Director
Age: 26
Company: Launch Academy
Chuang is the managing director of Launch Academy, a Vancouver co-working space for startups. Under Chuang’s tenure, Launch Academy has helped 225 companies establish themselves and has increased the organization’s revenues from $2,500 to $45,000 a month. 

Jeff Jang
Co-founder and Art Director
Age: 25
Company: Boximals Studios Inc.
Jeff Jang is a gamer. Boximals Studios produces educational video games targeting markets like Brazil that are underserviced by educational software, Jang explains. The 15-person company, with an office in Gastown, has launched in seven countries, partnered with Microsoft and generated north of $1 million in revenue since launching in 2013.

Claudia Li
Co-founder
Age: 28
Company: Hua Foundation
Claudia Li launched her first nonprofit, Shark Truth, to promote shark conservation and alternatives to shark fin soup. In 2013, she and Kevin Huang co-founded the Hua Foundation to strengthen Chinese culture, heritage and sustainability. The Hua Foundation’s annual budget has grown from about $2,000 in 2009 to $200,000 this year.

Alice Park
Founder and CEO
Age: 27
Company: Go2Gether Inc.
Park's app Go2Gether—a ridesharing platform that encourages large employers to support carpooling—allows drivers who belong to a member organization to post their future trips, which other members (potential passengers) can then view over a secure network. Go2Gether currently generates enough revenues to cover costs for Park’s seven-person operation and has signed pilot contracts with Vancity, SFU and YVR.

Sayenden Supramaniyam
Co-founder and CEO
Age: 25
Company: Realtyforsale
Sayenden Supramaniyam is one of three co-founders of Realtyforsale. It provides buyers with online listings, an assigned agent and neighbourhood data on schools, parks and community services; agents get a commission of one to 1.5 per cent (lower than the standard commission of two to 2.5 per cent) while buyers get up to one per cent cash back on purchases.Realtyforsale will be opening a second office in Vancouver in 2015, which will employ five customer service staff and four real estate agents. 

Eugene Suyu
Founder and CEO
Age: 26
Company: Tinkerine Studios
The Taiwan-born entrepreneur believed a 3D printer, one that was specifically designed for the layperson, would help people do just that: build anything. His printers—the Ditto Pro, Ditto+ and Litto, selling for between $1,000 and $2,000 through the company’s website and a handful of brick-and-mortar stores. Since launching in 2012, the publicly traded Tinkerine has mostly been profitable, although margins have shrunk as the company scaled from just four employees to 27 over the past year. 

Brittany Wong
Principal
Age: 28
Company: Bash + Fete
While B+F also has corporate clients, Wong discovered a niche for producing and planning bar and bat mitzvahs. Bash + Fete has grown from a boutique one-woman show to employing four full-time and six part-time staff, plus 50 event vendors. Revenues increased five-fold between 2013 and 2014.

Manny Bahia
Position: Co-founder and Chief Business Development Officer

Company: Vancity Buzz
It’s true that sometimes wanting to change a negative outlook influences the best ideas. That is the case of Vancity Buzz. Now recognized as one of the fastest growing and most influential online magazines in the city, it started because two friends were peeved by Vancouver’s “No Fun City” reputation. 
In 2008, Manny Bahia founded Vancity Buzz—then, a simple local news blog—with childhood friend Karm Sumal, while studying business administration at SFU. Now it has evolved into something far beyond what they could have ever imagined – a hub of timely executed and thoughtfully written content that provides Vancouverites with a broadened perspective of the city’s happenings from an honest and positive standpoint – covering everything from food, fashion, events, sports, arts, and even recently expanding coverage to the Fraser Valley. The blue icon has become a recognized brand among Vancouver’s media elite. 
Bahia and Sumal launched the site as a side project while pursuing other occupations with absolutely no ties to journalism. The tidal wave of change came during the 2010 Olympics when the pair hustled to pump out highlights over social media – using Facebook and Twitter as a springboard. 
Long story short, it paid off. Last December, the site hit five million monthly page views and continues to grow. VancityBuzz has since become a full-time gig for Bahia and Sumal, as well as many of the staff they now employ. Bahia takes on the sales and admin role, including hiring, selling ads, marketing partnerships, and launching new products.

On success: “It has been a long journey to build Vancity Buzz with my co-founder Karm. We began with a mission to connect Vancouverites to their city by highlighting the plethora of happenings and also provide exposure to those creating unique experiences. We have been fortunate to have a lot of support and love from the Vancouver community since inception. To build a passionate side project into one of the largest digital media companies in Western Canada has been surreal. Our team is absolutely the best and are an exceptional foundation for our future. We have a vision to go further and are excited about the prospects.” – Manny Bahia 

Meet Manny Bahia and the rest of the 2015 30 Under 30 winners at this year's celebration event!