On November 20, 2024, ZayZoon was recognized with the Scaleup of the Year Award as part of the 2024 Start Alberta Tech Awards. The Scaleup of the Year award recognizes one of Alberta’s scaling/later-stage companies that is having a positive impact on the Alberta tech ecosystem.
ZayZoon, a Calgary-based FinTech company founded by Darcy Tuer, Tate Hackert, and Jaime Ha, provides Earned Wage Access Services that allow employees to access their earned wages before their scheduled payday. ZayZoon recently secured an additional $15 million USD in a Series B extension round in March of this year.
They’ve partnered with over 35,000 business locations in the US, including McDonald’s, Hilton Hotels and Kentucky Fried Chicken. Darcy says, “We couldn’t be more excited with our recent announcement that we’ve launched in Canada. Over the last seven years, we’ve launched this incredible product to Americans, and we’ve had wonderful success. It’s now time to bring ZayZoon home.”
“With a wonderful partnership with Scotia Bank, we’re going to put ZayZoon in the hands of Canadians that are living paycheck to paycheck and deserve access to their hard-earned wages and other important financial products.”
Beyond its business success, ZayZoon has also made significant contributions to the broader innovation ecosystem in Alberta, through leadership engagement with organizations like A100 and Platform Calgary. The company’s executives regularly mentor early-stage fintech entrepreneurs, sharing their expertise in scaling technology businesses and navigating regulatory challenges. Through speaking engagements and industry roundtables, they provide valuable insights on building socially responsible fintech solutions.
Darcy says, “Winning Scaleup of the Year Award is such an honour, because we’ve been inspired by the startups and scaleups that came before us, like Solium and Benevity. They inspired us to take a risk. So by way of winning this award, we hope that we’re inspiring future entrepreneurs to do the same.”
In addition to its financial products, ZayZoon is committed to fostering diversity within its workforce. As a leader in driving inclusivity in Alberta’s tech ecosystem, ZayZoon is building a diverse team that reflects the communities it serves, ensuring that employees from different backgrounds can contribute to the company’s growth and innovation.
Keep track of ZayZoon in the Start Alberta database.
The Scaleup of the Year award is generously sponsored by Osler, Hoskin, and Harcourt LLP. Osler is a leading business law firm recognized for providing business-critical advice and counsel in key industry sectors and in transactions and litigation for some of the world’s largest enterprises. Osler has offices across Canada in Calgary, Toronto, Montréal, Ottawa and Vancouver and an office in New York.
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 Deal Flow Platform is the most comprehensive database on startups and funding in the province, providing real-time data for founders, investors, corporates and government stakeholders. Start Alberta offers insights on the health of the regional innovation economy while showcasing Alberta’s tech and innovation ecosystem to the world.
View the full list of 2024 Tech Award winners.
