THE RIDE THAT

STARTED WAKYM

One ordinary ride changed the way I looked at technology, opportunity and fairness.

Every company has a beginning. Mine started with a simple rideshare trip in Ottawa that changed the way I saw technology, opportunity and fairness.

I was on my way to look at a vehicle I was interested in buying. During the ride, I noticed that our driver was unusually quiet. My wife, who has always had a strong intuition for people, gently asked how his day was going.

What began as an ordinary conversation became something I have never forgotten.

He told us that he had been a professional in his home country. After coming to Canada, however, he had to return to school and rebuild his career before he could practise again. In the meantime, he was driving to support his family and pay for his education.

What stayed with me was not simply that he was struggling. It was how hard he was working while trying to rebuild his life.

He explained that after platform fees and the other costs associated with doing the work, what remained was not giving his family the stability he was working so hard to create.

At the end of the ride, my wife and I gave him a $50 tip.

I still remember the expression on his face.

It was more than happiness about the money. It was the feeling of being seen, appreciated and valued. He told us that the extra money meant he could stop working for the day, go home, rest and spend time with his family.

That moment stayed with me long after the ride ended.

For months, I kept thinking about one question:

How can technology create so much value by connecting people, while the people doing the work can still feel that they have so little control?

Later, I began thinking more broadly about local businesses as well. I saw how marketplace fees and commission-based models could put additional pressure on businesses already working with tight margins, while also creating more distance between businesses and their customers.

I realized that what I had seen was bigger than one driver.

It was a question about how marketplaces themselves could be designed differently.

Technology should empower the people and businesses creating the value — not take control away from them.

That belief became the foundation of WAKYM.

I set out to build a marketplace where businesses can maintain direct relationships with their customers and use marketplace visibility, local delivery coordination and business advertising tools without WAKYM taking a commission or percentage from their underlying customer sales.

For independent Drivers, the principle is just as important: WAKYM does not take a commission or percentage from the compensation they earn for their underlying delivery or transport opportunities.

WAKYM may charge separately disclosed subscription, advertising, visibility or other Platform fees for WAKYM services, but those fees are separate from the underlying business sale or Driver job compensation.

I did not come from a technology background, and I did not have the financial resources to hire a development team. So I taught myself what I needed to know and spent more than 16 months designing, building and deploying the platform.

What began with one conversation in one car became a much larger mission:

to build technology that gives more value and more control back to the people and businesses that create it.

WAKYM begins in Ottawa, with the goal of growing responsibly across Canada and, eventually, beyond — one supported community at a time.

A better way to work.

A better way to grow.

THE MOMENT THAT STARTED EVERYTHING

Built for Local Commerce

WAKYM was created to support local commerce with a clearer way for consumers, businesses, couriers, service providers and advertisers to connect.

The Idea

WAKYM brings marketplace listings, local delivery coordination, business visibility, chat/contact tools and account controls into one web app.

For Consumers

Consumers can discover businesses, save listings, contact providers and follow supported marketplace activity.

For Businesses

Businesses can post marketplace listings, request local delivery coordination where supported and manage visibility from one platform.

For Couriers and Service Providers

Couriers and service providers can review available platform requests in supported areas, subject to account rules and location availability.

Our Direction

WAKYM focuses on local commerce, direct communication, platform rules, moderation and supported regional growth.

Contact

©WAKYM 2025. All rights reserved.

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