For Uprise co-founder and CEO Francis, the value of the VanHack Growth Network went beyond new business. It also brought relationships, knowledge and a chance to help talented people build a life in Canada.
When Francis first heard about the VanHack Growth Network, he saw an opportunity. He also had questions.
An entrepreneur for 20 years, Francis had founded Uprise in 2016. His company worked across software, research and development, government projects and grants, and was expanding its focus on AI adoption. He was familiar with navigating processes that involved multiple moving parts. Even so, understanding how this opportunity would fit together took time.
In a conversation with VanHack CEO Ilya Brotzky, Francis described what happened after Uprise decided to participate: positive relationships with American clients, support from talented engineers and a personal connection to people starting a new chapter in Canada.
His story is about business growth, but it is also about benefits he had not anticipated at the outset.
Seeing the opportunity through the uncertainty
Uprise’s experience with government projects and grants helped Francis recognize the potential of the Growth Network. He could see how the pieces might connect, even before he understood every step.
That did not mean he expected everything to happen instantly. In the interview, he was candid about the procedures involved and the fact that timelines could vary. Working with people, companies and different processes required patience.
What mattered was having support along the way. Francis described VanHack as a partner in navigating that process, helping Uprise move from initial questions toward participation.
His account makes an important distinction: a process can require time and attention while still being manageable with the right support. For Francis, the early uncertainty was ultimately outweighed by the positive experiences that followed.
Building dependable relationships with American clients
One of the clearest business outcomes Francis discussed was Uprise’s experience with American companies through the network.
Asked about those client relationships, he said they had been positive and that Uprise had not experienced a payment issue with the participating clients. He also described an arrangement in which the company received client payments before paying the individual involved.
Francis did not suggest that every working relationship would always be a perfect fit. He acknowledged that sometimes a person and a company do not work out together. But he described the stable relationships as having a significant, positive effect on Uprise’s business.
The interview does not put a dollar amount on that growth. Instead, Francis’s account offers a practical picture of what mattered to him: clients who paid, relationships that worked and a network that became meaningful to the company’s development.
An unexpected connection with engineers moving to Canada
The commercial side was only part of the story.
Francis also spoke warmly about meeting engineers who had moved to Canada through the initiative. Several had chosen to live in his town, creating opportunities to meet and get to know one another in person.
He had not expected that level of connection when he joined. Those relationships developed over time, and he described them as deeply fulfilling.
For Francis, helping talented people bring their knowledge, work ethic and energy to Canada became a source of pride. He spoke about the quality of the people involved, not simply their professional qualifications.
It is a different way to understand the value of a business network. Beyond the client relationship or the formal process, there can be an opportunity to build a local community. In Uprise’s case, that human connection became one of the most memorable parts of the experience.
Knowledge that helped Uprise grow
Some of those relationships also supported work inside Uprise.
When Ilya asked whether Francis had worked with participating engineers on internal projects, Francis confirmed that he had. He described their knowledge and support as valuable to the company and credited the developing network with helping Uprise grow.
The interview does not identify specific products or quantify the engineers’ contributions. What Francis emphasizes is the relationship itself: working with capable people, supporting them and receiving valuable expertise in return.
That exchange became another benefit he had not fully appreciated at the beginning. The network was not only connecting Uprise with business opportunities. It was also connecting the company with people whose experience could contribute to its own work.
Why Francis continues to recommend the network
By the end of the conversation, Francis’s perspective was clear. The questions he had at the start had given way to an experience he was happy to recommend.
He said he had already referred others to the program and intended to continue. He was also willing to share his experience with people who wanted to understand the client side.
For other business owners, his story offers a useful perspective: look beyond the initial opportunity and consider the relationships that may develop around it. In Uprise’s experience, client work, access to knowledge and personal connections all became part of the value.
Francis entered the VanHack Growth Network seeing potential. What stayed with him was the combination of a stronger business network and a meaningful role in other people’s journeys.
Interested in learning more? Connect with VanHack to discuss the Growth Network and whether it could be a fit for your company.
