Event summary produced by The Globe and Mail Events team. The Globe’s editorial department was not involved.
Canada currently has more than 77 privately-held technology companies surpassing US$100-million in annual revenue, according to a recent report by The Globe and Mail.
Many are valued into the billions of dollars. They collectively employ tens of thousands of people, and many are likely to go public in the coming years. Some members of the $100 million club would rank among the top 10 most valuable tech stocks on the TSX if they were publicly-traded.
The Globe and Mail brought some of these companies to the stage on April 1, to share their scale-up stories and calls to action to get to the next stage of growth.
Missed the event or would like to view it again? Scroll down to the video player below to watch the full recording.
Andrew Saunders, president and CEO of The Globe and Mail opened the event, reflecting on the contributions of Canada’s $100 million technology companies to our nation’s economy and innovation.
Following, Sean Silcoff, technology and life sciences reporter with The Globe and Mail, introduced the event as host and master of ceremonies. Mr. Silcoff talked about the sizeable opportunities for investment and market growth presented by companies on the $100 million list.
Michael Katchen, co-founder and CEO of Wealthsimple then participated in a fireside chat with April Fong, deputy editor of personal finance with The Globe and Mail. The conversation covered the strategies and mindset required to start and scale a successful fintech company in Canada.
Following the fireside chat Mr. Silcoff returned to the stage to moderate a panel discussion featuring representatives of $100-million companies, including:
- Alok Ajmera, CEO of Prophix
- Sarah Huggins, co-founder and chief operating officer of Hiive
- Jack Newton, co-founder and CEO of Clio
- Anna Sainsbury, executive chair and co-founder of GeoComply
- Alison Taylor, co-founder and co-CEO ofJane App
The panel reflected on the tech ecosystem in Canada versus the U.S., challenges finding top talent and capital while scaling, the impacts of AI and what might lie ahead for their companies.
To conclude the event, Ms. Fong moderated a panel discussion focused on how Canada can support more tech companies to reach $100 million in revenue and to keep growing from there. The panel included:
- Mark Noonan, vice chair and executive sponsor of Canada’s Technology Fast 50 Program (Deloitte Canada)
- Sid Paquette, head of RBCx
- Grace Lee ReynoldsEO of MaRS Discovery District
View the full recording below:
The Globe and Mail presented the event with sponsor support from Deloitte, RBCx, MaRS Discovery District and Canaccord Genuity.
To learn about upcoming Globe and Mail events please visit www.globeandmail.com/events.