Qualicum Beach Company Named National Finalist in $100,000 Fintech Competition

Unravel Travel, a technology company based in Qualicum Beach, has been named one of ten national finalists for a $100,000 fintech grant, earning founder Saleem Barnard a spot to pitch in Montreal at Startupfest this July against early-stage companies from across the country. The grant is part of a festival where founders compete for up to $1 million in prizes.

For Barnard, who grew up in Qualicum Beach, the recognition is a chance to show that building a startup in a small, engaged community is a strength. Unravel Travel runs from Second Avenue West, the same street where his father once ran a travel agency.

"People here are curious and generous, and they show up for each other," said Barnard. "That energy is part of what makes this work."

Unravel Travel uses technology to help people travel better, from making sense of loyalty and rewards programs to understanding passenger rights when flights are delayed or cancelled. The product blends AI with human help. A free SMS flight tool lets a traveller text a flight number and get live status and a read on their rights, with no app and no signup. The more ambitious work is still being built: reading cancellation odds in real time, calling the airline on a traveller's behalf, waiting on hold and transcribing the conversation, then helping assemble the evidence needed to claim what they are owed. Montreal is part of getting there, a stage to test the idea against the country's strongest early-stage companies and bring momentum home.

Accessibility sits at the core of how the product is built. That focus traces back to Barnard's first job out of high school, teaching 200 local seniors how to use the internet through a library program. A 2000 graduate of Kwalikum Secondary School's Information Technology career preparation program, he was recognized there with the Jack Bell Memorial Citizenship Award. The approach now shapes the company. Qualicum Beach, one of Canada's most senior communities, serves as a proving ground: every feature has to work for an older traveller before it ships.

Barnard spent more than two decades building products and leading growth marketing at fast-growing technology companies before bringing that experience back to the Island. He now runs an education lounge in the village centre, where members get face-to-face guidance alongside the digital tools. Winning the grant would help fund the company's first hire, an early step in building a technology team in the region.

Unravel Travel is located at C2 - 230 W Second Ave, Qualicum Beach, below the new Agora Boutique Hotel. Learn more at unraveltravel.world.