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Ray Walia

Ray Walia

Co-founder, Traction

Startup communityVancouver

Ray Walia co-founded Traction, the founder community and conference, with Lloyed Lobo and Alex Popa of Boast. It began as a project under Launch Academy, the Vancouver not-for-profit incubator Walia runs. He is CEO of Launch Ventures, co-founded Victory Square Technologies, and was inducted into the BC Innovators Hall of Fame in 2024.

Ray hasn’t spoken on a TechTO, TechVancouver or TechWaterloo stage. This profile is here because Ray co-founded Traction, which appears in 1 talk in the archive.

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Quick answers

Did Ray Walia co-found Traction?

Yes. A Boast press release dated February 8, 2022 says Traction was founded by Lloyed Lobo and Alex Popa of Boast and Ray Walia of Launch Academy, and began as a project under that not-for-profit. BetaKit called him Traction co-founder on April 14, 2016.

Why was Traction started?

In a New Tech Northwest Q&A published August 3, 2022, Lobo said Walia had told him and Popa that most startups he saw at Launch Academy struggled to show meaningful traction, and the three concluded that finding a repeatable way to get, keep and grow customers was a universal problem.

What else does he run?

Launch's team page, checked September 24, 2026, lists him as CEO and says he founded Launch Ventures, which operates Launch Academy along with innovation labs and investment funds. Vancouver Tech Journal (July 31, 2024) says he also co-founded Victory Square Technologies.

What recognition has he received?

BC Tech Association announced on July 30, 2024 that he was one of four 2024 inductees into the BC Innovators Hall of Fame, citing his co-founding of Launch Academy and TractionConf.io.

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Maintained by TechTO · facts sourced and dated · last reviewed Sep 24, 2026