Vancouver is Awesome

What Vancouver is Awesome does

Vancouver is Awesome is a private, digital local media outlet serving Vancouver, Metro Vancouver, and broader British Columbia. Founded in 2008 and operated as part of the Lodestar Media network of 20+ Canadian community news sites, the publication produces original journalism and curated lifestyle content across more than 27 categories, including local news, weather, food and drink, real estate, travel, sports, civic affairs, and community events.

The platform is anchored on a publishing website with a deep content archive and is supplemented by five distinct email newsletters (Daily, Weekly, Forking Awesome food, The Wanderer travel, and Travel Deals). Auxiliary products include an online classifieds marketplace, a real estate listings integration with REW.ca, regional business directories (Tri-Cities, Travel BC, Pride), and an annual A-List readers' choice awards program. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via the website, newsletters, and social channels (Facebook, X, LinkedIn).

Monetization is advertising-led across display, sponsored content sections, native branded stories, directory sponsorships, and A-List program participation by local businesses. Pricing for readers is free; advertisers and SMB partners pay for visibility through multiple surfaces. The company does not disclose revenue, is privately held within Lodestar Media, and operates with 51-100 employees headquartered in Vancouver.

Name

Vancouver is Awesome

Legal name

Vancouver Is Awesome

Website

https://vancouverisawesome.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Vancouver is Awesome is a private digital local news and lifestyle publisher serving Metro Vancouver and British Columbia readers, operated within the Lodestar Media network and monetized through advertising, sponsored content, newsletters, and the A-List business awards program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Digital News

NAICS

Broadcasting and Content Providers (516), Web Search Portals and All Other Information Services (51929)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

News & Content Aggregation Portals (BPAMAAAI)

Keywords

• Local news
• Digital media
• Newsletter publishing
• Community journalism
• Lifestyle content

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Digital advertising: The primary revenue stream appears to be digital advertising through display ads, sponsored content, and branded content partnerships with local businesses and organizations.
2. Sponsored content and native advertising: The site features dedicated 'Sponsored' and 'Sponsored Content' sections with articles from partners including travel, healthcare, food, and local business promotion.
3. Business directory and A-List program: Local businesses can be featured in sponsored directory pages (Tri-Cities, Richmond, Travel BC, Pride) and the A-List readers' choice awards program, creating partnership opportunities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Vancouver Is Awesome is a regional digital news publication that produces and distributes local Vancouver and British Columbia news, events, food, real estate, weather, travel, sports, and community lifestyle content. The platform monetizes its free-to-reader content through digital advertising, sponsored content, native advertising, and a business directory and A-List recognition program. It operates as part of the Lodestar Media network of 20+ Canadian local news sites.

Product overview

Vancouver Is Awesome is a regional news and media platform operated by Lodestar Media, offering a comprehensive digital publication covering Vancouver and B.C. through multiple content channels. The core offering is the news platform itself, supplemented by five distinct newsletter products (Daily, Weekly, Forking Awesome, Wanderer, Travel Deals), a real estate listings platform in partnership with REW.ca, an online classifieds marketplace, the A-List awards program for local businesses, a business directory network (Tri-Cities, Richmond, Travel BC, Pride), and text-to-speech audio accessibility for articles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Vancouver Is Awesome News Platform A regional news and media website covering local Vancouver and B.C. news, events, food and drink, real estate, weather, travel, history, and community content through multiple editorial channels, offered free to readers.
• Newsletter Subscriptions Email newsletter offerings including Daily (Monday-Friday news briefing), Weekly (Saturday headlines), Forking Awesome (food/restaurant updates curated by Editor-in-Chief Nick Laba), The Wanderer (travel recommendations), and Travel Deals (flight/cruise deals from reporter Elana Shepert), offered free to subscribers.
• Real Estate Listings (via REW.ca Partnership) Real estate listing search platform for homes for sale, apartments for rent, new homes, and real estate agents, powered by a partnership with REW.ca (Real Estate Weekly).
• Classifieds Marketplace Online classifieds section with categories including Agriculture, Business Services, Celebrations, Community, Education, Employment, Garage Sales, Home Services, Legal Public Notices, Marketplace & Pets, Real Estate, Real Estate Rentals, Remembrances, and Transportation.
• A-List Awards Program Annual readers' choice awards program recognizing outstanding local businesses across various categories in Vancouver and surrounding regions (Tri-Cities, Burnaby, New West, Richmond), with winners featured in print magazine and online.
• Business Directory (Tri-Cities are Awesome) Local business directory featuring 28 featured listings in the Tri-Cities area (Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Coquitlam), showcasing businesses across categories including restaurants, legal services, wellness, automotive, and retail.

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Lodestar MediacoreOthersLodestar Media is the parent company and operator of Vancouver Is Awesome and a network of 20+ local news sites across Canada. Vancouver Is Awesome operates as part of this media network.
• Glacier MediaminorOthersContent partnership involving shared images and syndicated content. Some articles reference Glacier Media as a content source for illustrations and photography.
• Business in Vancouver (BIV)minorOthersPart of the Lodestar Media network of sites. BIV is a business-focused publication within the same media group.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• CTV News Vancouver: Bell Media-owned Vancouver news operation extending the CTV broadcast brand into digital. Competes with V.I.A. for local Vancouver news audiences, particularly on breaking news and event coverage.
• Glacier Media: Western Canadian media conglomerate that supplies syndicated images and content to V.I.A. Operates a portfolio of community newspapers across BC and Western Canada that compete for the same local advertiser dollars.
• Global News Vancouver: Corus Entertainment-owned national broadcaster with a dedicated Vancouver regional hub. Competes for both Vancouver news consumers and digital advertising budgets as a large incumbent transitioning from broadcast to digital.
• Vancouver Sun (Postmedia): Legacy Vancouver daily newspaper now part of Postmedia Network. Overlaps with V.I.A. on local Vancouver news coverage but operates at much larger scale as part of a national newspaper chain with print roots and broader newsroom resources.
• CBC British Columbia: Canadian public broadcaster's BC regional service covering Vancouver and provincial news. A much larger incumbent with public funding and a national newsroom that competes for the same Vancouver audience and advertiser share.

Regional players

• Castanet: Interior BC local news and classifieds platform also operating under the Lodestar Media network. Same parent, same revenue model, but covers Kelowna/Okanagan rather than Vancouver directly—useful benchmark for sibling-site economics.
• Business in Vancouver: Vancouver-focused business news publication that is part of the same Lodestar Media network as V.I.A. Overlaps on Vancouver business coverage but with a more B2B/professional audience than V.I.A.'s consumer lifestyle focus.

Direct peers

• blogTO: Toronto-based digital local news and city lifestyle publisher with the same advertising-supported model, newsletter strategy, and SMB directory business. Closest analogue outside Vancouver for city-focused digital publishing economics.
• Daily Hive Vancouver: Digital-first local lifestyle and news publisher covering Vancouver with the same advertising-supported, free-to-reader model and similar coverage of food, events, real estate, and travel. Directly competes for the same Vancouver audience and SMB advertiser base.
• Narcity Vancouver: Digital local news and city lifestyle publisher operating under the Narcity Canada network. Competes directly for Vancouver readers and local advertisers with native content, newsletters, and city-focused lifestyle coverage.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/viawesome
• Facebookfacebook.com/VancouverIsAwesome

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Vancouver is Awesome