42 Illu s t r a t i o n : i S t o c k / I a n a K o t o v a
B C B U S I N E S S . C A
M A R C H 2 0 24
DrInk It In
Caty Tedman has worked for some of the world's top sports leagues and
helped Dapper Labs become one of Vancouver's biggest startups. Her
new venture, Sipply, is working to make the takeout experience better
Tedman, who is originally from New
York, worked as a social media strate-
gist with the
NHL and NFL before serving
as senior vice-president at Vancouver
blockchain startup Dapper Labs. King is a
certified sommelier and former communi-
cations executive for brands like Arc'teryx.
The two started poking around their net-
works. That led to meetings with people at
DoorDash and Uber Eats. "What we heard
from them is that they're logistics compa-
nies, not recommendation companies,"
says Tedman.
The pair saw a gap in the market, and
addressed it with Sipply, which makes
recommendations for people looking for
a good wine choice to match whatever
The
Innovators
It started, as things sometimes do,
with a glass of wine between friends. Caty Tedman and
Verity King were joking about how life with toddlers often means
ordering in. "I'll spend $100 on dinner from [Vancouver-based
eatery] Nook," says Tedman. "And then, right after, DoorDash
will be like, 'Do you want a hot dog from 7-Eleven?' And... no.
Not now, especially, but not ever. If they instead said, 'Hey, do
you want a reasonably priced glass of chianti?' I'd probably go,
'Oh, that's actually not a bad idea.'"
