Rising Tech Star on the Upanup
By Brian Hartz | Feb 15, 2012
A new company founded by one of Western Canada's top young tech executives has hit the ground running in Victoria's Cook Street Village.
Upanup Studios is a digital agency that offers high-end web strategy, programming, development, and design. Founder Peter Knapp has experienced notable business success elsewhere in Canada prior to arriving in Victoria last year.
In the past three years, Knapp was honoured by being selected for Avenue magazine's Top 40 Under 40 for Calgary; Business in Calgary's Leaders of Tomorrow; and Oilweek magazine’s Rising Stars. He was president of a national corporate communications company with offices in Calgary and Toronto, and the company he led picked up the Best Overall Communicator Award for 2008 from the Canadian Investor Relations Institute (CIRI) Alberta Awards.
Upanup takes advantage of Victoria’s tech talent and the region’s appeal for talented creative professionals to live and work. The company is set to provide a range of high-end web solutions to companies and organizations in the Pacific Northwest United States and Western Canada.
Although the firm is newly founded, it's already approaching 10 employees and has systems in place to handle large clients.
"Upanup Studios is a great example of the talent and entrepreneurial culture that Victoria is able to attract," says Sasha Angus, economic development officer with the Greater Victoria Development Agency. "Entrepreneurs like Peter, and the team at Upanup, recognize that the quality of life we enjoy is matched by the quality of opportunity in the region."
In starting Upanup, Knapp brought on Richard Hammond, a business associate of more than five years, as co-founder and chief technology officer. Hammond is an accomplished web developer that Knapp describes as having “an amazing ability to coordinate and implement technical feats while communicating clearly with the range of people involved.”
Upanup’s team looks forward to providing high-end digital solutions such as web apps, mobile apps, responsive design, interactive websites, and web marketing to forward-thinking businesses and organizations on the west coast. The company aspires to serve clients worldwide in a matter of years.
