This article is part of a series presented in partnership with BC Tech, profiling the finalists for the 2026 Technology Impact Awards‘ Company of the Year – Startup category.
Cities do not lack activities or people looking for connection. What they lack, according to hyperlocal CEO Hadi Ekaputra, is the infrastructure to reliably bring the two together.
A plan might begin on Instagram, move to WhatsApp and require a separate payment link—while still leaving everyone uncertain about who will actually attend.
“We believe society has incredible digital infrastructure, but very little social infrastructure,” Hadi told Techcouver. “People already want community. The problem is not intent. The systems around real-life connection are disconnected.”
Founded by Stephen J., Joel Vandervalk, Valiant Chan, and Hadi, B.C.-based hyperlocal is building a platform designed to close that gap by helping people discover opportunities, coordinate plans, commit and ultimately show up.
Its first consumer product, koinē, gives people a place to make plans and follow through on them. Behind koinē is hyperlocal OS, a broader platform designed to connect the tools, data and participation experiences used by a business or organization.
“We are not trying to replace WhatsApp, Instagram, Eventbrite or the other tools people already use,” Hadi explains. “Our products are designed to work alongside the tools people already use, while adding the structure needed to help people commit, participate and actually show up.”
Central to that vision is a new data layer based on verified attendance. Through a lightweight check-in system, hyperlocal aims to create a verified participation history of real-world participation.
That information could help participants find more relevant and dependable ways to engage locally, while allowing hosts to build recurring groups and venues to better understand who is coming through their doors.
“Most technology optimizes for attention,” Hadi says. “We are building technology that optimizes for participation.”
Over the past year, hyperlocal has grown from an idea discussed around coffee shops and dinner tables into a company with a founding team spanning product, engineering, design and creative.
The startup has built the first version of koinē and is preparing for a broader launch focused on hosts already running recurring gatherings. A joint campus launch with Trinity Western University is also planned for this fall.
At the same time, the team is working with local hosts, organizations and community leaders to learn what encourages people to attend consistently and keeps communities active over time.
Hadi says the company’s biggest challenge has been distilling an ambitious vision into a focused product people can use today.
“The opportunity is much bigger than one app, but trying to build everything at once would have slowed us down and made the product less clear,” he says.
Starting with koinē allows hyperlocal to focus on one behaviour: helping people make plans and show up. From there, the company can continue developing hyperlocal OS and future connected consumer experiences in areas such as fitness and finance.
Building in British Columbia has also shaped both the company’s mission and its culture. Hadi sees the province’s neighbourhoods, universities, businesses, churches and community groups as opportunities to strengthen relationships at a time when many people are experiencing isolation and disconnection.
He says local founders, operators and community leaders have supported hyperlocal with advice, introductions and encouragement from its earliest stages.
“That has reinforced something we believe deeply: community is not only what we are building,” he says. “It is also how we want to build the company.”
For a startup that has yet to formally launch its first consumer product, being named a BC Tech Startup of the Year finalist is a significant early validation.
“We believe stronger communities create stronger cities,” Hadi says. “When people consistently show up for one another, communities are restored and cities flourish.”
The post BC Tech Finalist hyperlocal Is Building the Missing Layer for Real-Life Connection appeared first on Techcouver.com.
BC Tech Finalist hyperlocal Is Building the Missing Layer for Real-Life Connection was first posted on July 20, 2026 at 5:00 am.
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