Canada’s Promising Tech Startups | overseas companies

The Canadian province of British Columbia (BC) startup scene has an excellent reputation. Most founders are attracted to the coastal cities of Vancouver, Burnaby, and Victoria on Vancouver Island. Because of its lively tech community, Vancouver is often referred to as takover. No wonder companies like Slack and Flickr saw the light here (see text below).

Universities of British Columbia (UBC) and University of Victoria (UVic) often act as incubators and provide start-up support through infrastructure and networking with experts and sponsors. UBC also has two seed funds that invest in UBC startups with high growth potential. The focus is on technology and social impact. Since the funds were launched, 22 startup companies have been invested in. These include Richmond-based Ideon, which has developed an X-ray technology that can be used to identify undeveloped mineral and mineral deposits far from the Earth’s surface. The company has raised $2.4 million in four funding rounds so far.

Infrastructure monitoring by drone

The most recent success story includes UVic Niricson Software, which has raised just over $2 million in seed capital over five rounds of funding in less than two years and now employs 25 people. The company specializes in air monitoring of infrastructure. For this purpose, the founders have developed a program that evaluates the data collected by the flight of the UAV in real time. The system provides detailed visual, thermal and acoustic analyzes of concrete structures such as bridges, buildings or dams, allowing assets to be inspected frequently, improving maintenance. Headquartered in Victoria, Niricson Software has operations in Canada, the United States, and Australia, where it is growing significantly. As the company becomes more global, it is expected to employ about a hundred people by the end of next year.