Melody Yun Ya Ma

Photo by Rémi Landry Yuan

Melody Yun Ya Ma 馬勻雅 (she/her) is a Hakka 客家 Toisan 台山 Chinese second-generation settler who lives on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations (known colonially as Vancouver, Canada). She is a multidisciplinary entrepreneur and cultural innovator, working at the intersection of technology, culture, art, social justice, communications, and heritage. She is also a software developer and designer, cultural curator, community organizer, writer, and activist. Through her ventures and initiatives, Melody builds platforms that connect people, conserve histories, and shape cultural and civic discourse. Her work spans founding tech startups, leading multi-site grassroots cultural campaigns, producing arts and heritage programs, and fostering critical approaches that bridge local communities and global conversations.

Highlights

Technology & Innovation: Founder & CEO of FormPay serving micromerchants globally; co-founder of Podyssey reaching 1.5M users before exiting; led BC Coding Initiative and Hour of Code, securing $6M in funding and expanding tech education province-wide.
Cultural Advocacy & Heritage: Lead of SaveChinatownYVR and co-founder of Chinatown Together; founder of the Foundation for Chinese Dignity and Critical Alternatives.
Leadership & Governance: Board member of The Tyee, Vancouver Public Library, Pi Theatre, and Chinatown Together. Ecosystem and Strategic Engagement Lead for DemocracyXchange, Canada's premier democracy summit.
Social Impact: Initiated BC’s first free COVID rapid test distribution and co-founded ImagineX for civic engagement and transparency using technology.
Publications & Thought Leadership: Contributing columnist for The Tyee and Toronto Star; lectures, keynotes, and panels on urbanism, culture, race, and technology.
Global Fellowships: UNAOC, EU Global Cultural Relations Programme, CanStudyUS TMU, and University of Guelph Policy Fellowship.

Select Accolades and Media

Local activist Melody Ma talks being a catalyst for social engagement (Georgia Straight)
The property battle in Vancouver’s Chinatown (The Economist)
Lobbying to save Chinatown's heritage (Vancouver Sun)
Fighting for a Vancouver that Puts People First (The Tyee)
How I Made It (Flare)

Fellowships & Education

United Nations Alliance of Civilizations Fellow (2022–2023)
EU Global Cultural Relations Programme Fellow (2022)
CanStudyUS Fellow, The Dais at Toronto Metropolitan University (2022)
Data, Economics, and Design of Policy, MIT MicroMasters Program (Current)
Web Development, Lighthouse Labs (2014)
Marketing Strategy for Business Leaders Certificate, Cornell University (2011)
Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science, First Class Honours, UBC (2009)

Connect

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