In photo above: Pleora’s video interfaces transmit real-time video in advanced medical imaging applications to help bring new levels of precision and insight to surgical and screening procedures.
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Home grown successes as far as the eye can see
What defines a successful tech company?
It could be dominance of a market niche. Global reach. Consistent profitability and steady revenue growth. Part of the measuring stick is definitely how long it has endured through market upturns and downturns when others have withered and faded away.
When we look at the scores of companies in Kanata North, a few names invariably dominate – Mitel Networks, Calian Group and Halogen Software to name a few.
But these are only the tip of the iceberg. Many others have weathered the years and continued to thrive and lead in various markets across Canada and the world, even if they are not inclined to seek the spotlight here at home. Let’s find out why they have chosen Kanata North and how this has contributed to their success.
Martello on guard for Mitel
One of the newer faces among this crowd is Martello Technologies. Its MarWatch software-as-a-service (SaaS) helps Mitel resellers, service providers and customers in 20 countries find and fix problems on their cloud-hosted business communications networks. In six years, Martello has become a key player in the Mitel ecosystem, thanks in part to its acquisition in 2014 of French software company Netvitesse. Last year, Martello was Ottawa’s Fastest Growing Company.
It’s obviously a big plus to be next door to Mitel when you’re part of that ecosystem, but President and CEO Bruce Linton says there are other great reasons to have put down roots in Kanata North.
“Kanata North is rapidly becoming a leader in SaaS, and part of the reason for that is the entrepreneurial environment that’s been fostered here,” he said. “Being in Kanata North also gives us an opportunity to draw upon people who have spent their careers scaling companies like ours from the startup stage through various phases of growth.”
Nanometrics thrives on shaky ground
Eight out of 10 earthquakes in the world are detected by Nanometrics’ instrumentation. To say the company is a world leader in seismic technology is an understatement.
Nanometrics has grown from a small business in the 1980s to market domination today. Although Nanometrics has opened offices in Calgary, Houston and Beijing, the Kanata headquarters remains the nerve centre, and includes the company’s manufacturing, software and hardware engineering and R&D.
“Not only has Kanata North been a great source of talented professionals, it’s given us the flexibility we needed to accommodate new staff and greater manufacturing capabilities,” said CEO Neil Spriggs. “Over the past 30 years, we’ve evolved into a global market leader. A big part of our success has been our ability to access the resources we need right here in Kanata North.”
Pleora Technologies drives high-performance video
Since its founding in 2000, Pleora has grown into another company worthy of the label “industry leader.” It’s one of a few companies in the world developing products that transmit real-time video over Ethernet and USB 3.0 for high-performance imaging systems.
Headquartered in Kanata North, Pleora has been consistently profitable and maintains sales offices in the U.S., China and Europe. Global customers rely on Pleora’s products and systems expertise to simplify the design of increasingly complex imaging systems that automate processes and improve intelligence in manufacturing, medical, defense and transportation applications.
“Kanata is the heart of high tech in Ottawa, and when we formed there was no question we would be located here,” said co-Founder and President George Chamberlain. “We have been able to attract top talent, network and collaborate with industry-leading companies of all sizes, and access an extensive base of local suppliers. A lot of very successful companies are based here, and being part of this community has helped us thrive.”
Fantastic home-grown success stories are just a few among many.
