On October 11, 2023, Shannon Vander Meulen of WaitWell was recognized with the Woman in Tech Award as part of the 2023 Start Alberta Tech Awards. The Woman in Tech is awarded to a forward-thinking woman recognized for her entrepreneurial success and ability to launch a venture-backable technology-focused company in Alberta. This individual has also demonstrated a passion for supporting gender equity and promoting women’s advancement, making a lasting impact on Alberta’s technology ecosystem.
Shannon Vander Meulen is the Chief Marketing Officer and Co-Founder of WaitWell. WaitWell operates as a digital concierge for businesses, enabling their customers to join a virtual queue via their mobile devices for both appointments and walk-ins. Businesses benefit from workflow efficiency and customer insights.
“I had the idea for WaitWell because of a real-life business problem I experienced myself in my Alberta registry office. I knew that there had to be a better way for people to get in line for services and to be informed during their wait,” explains Shannon. “We believe that we can become a household name that people will walk into any sort of organization that has a lineup and they’ll say, why don’t they have WaitWell? And that’s really my goal as Chief Marketing Officer.”
From airport lounges to University registrar offices, WaitWell has helped improve service delivery at more than 380 locations across North America and saved more than 2 million hours of waiting time.
Earlier this year, WaitWell announced a $1.5M seed investment. It plans to expand into new US markets, including private medical offices and veterinary hospitals, while also enhancing its queue management platform.
Shannon is also an active supporter of women in technology, sharing her experiences and advice at Women in Tech events including Intellectual Property Institute of Canada (IIPC) and Startup TNT. She is also a long-time member of the Women Presidents Organization, a global community for women business leaders.
“There are so many amazing women in tech in Alberta and women entrepreneurs solving really important problems in Alberta. It’s just such an honour for me to be included among all of these amazing Alberta women who are solving big challenges,” added Shannon.
Keep track of Shannon Vander Meulen and WaitWell in the Start Alberta database.
The Woman in Tech of the Year Award is generously sponsored by Innovate Calgary, the innovation company of the University of Calgary. From ideation to commercialization, Innovate Calgary offers the resources, facilities, and expert guidance needed to bring innovation to Calgary, Alberta, and beyond.
Start Alberta is committed to helping the businesses and communities within our province’s tech sector thrive and grow. Since 2018, the Start Alberta Tech Awards have recognized individuals and organizations for their contributions to Alberta’s innovation ecosystem and those significantly impacting the province’s tech sector. The Start Alberta Platform connects our province’s innovation and tech ecosystem with data to help investors, entrepreneurs and policymakers with the insights needed to make their next, big move.
View the full list of 2023 Tech Award winners.
