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Winter 2017 BUSINESS ASSOCI
SERIOUS TECH LIVES IN
KANATA NORTH Behind the scenes with the entrepreneurs, engineers and executives at the forefront of Canada’s leading tech hub
WHERE WE WORK Irdeto secures connected cars
WHAT WE’RE GEEKING OUT ON NXP eyes AI for the masses
kanatanorthbia.ca
WHERE WE LIVE Brookstreet deepens ties with Kanata community info@kanatanorthbia.ca
BUSINESS ASSOCIATION
SAVE THE DATE
Hear ideas worth spreading from some of the community’s most engaging speakers on March 1, 2018, at the Brookstreet Hotel. Visit tedxkanata.com for more information.
2 KANATA NETWORKER WINTER 2017
Connect with Kanata Join the Kanata North Business North professionals Association LinkedIn group
A new chapter for the Kanata Networker
S
lightly more than three years ago, the Kanata North Business Association launched a new platform for sharing news and information within Canada’s largest technology park. The Networker quickly became a key forum for connecting the businesses and people of Kanata North while promoting the growing community. Now, the Kanata North Business Association and Ottawa Business Journal are partnering to expand the Networker’s reach and inform a wider audience about the exciting developments taking place in Kanata North. Some 5,000 copies of this issue of the Networker are being printed and distributed via OBJ, reaching more than 1,400 businesses and public distribution points. Another 1,000 copies are being distributed by the Kanata North Business Association. At the same time, we’ve invested in journalists to spend more time in the community, visiting some of the country’s leading labs, testing facilities and corporate offices to report on the cutting-edge work taking place in Kanata North. In this issue, we examine how Irdeto Cloakware is protecting connected cars from cybersecurity threats and look at a crucial piece of autonomous vehicle hardware developed by NXP Semiconductor. We also go behind the scenes at the Best Ottawa Business Awards to meet some of the community’s top performers and size up Kanata North’s impressive credentials as the SaaS capital of Canada. The Networker aims to be the voice of businesses in Kanata North. We want to share the stories and opinions of the engineers, developers, entrepreneurs and corporate leaders that make this community such a great place to do business. We welcome submissions and story ideas. Tell us what you’re working on, what problems you’re solving and the ideas that are being sketched out on your whiteboard. In November, Invest Ottawa CEO Michael Tremblay told a group of West Ottawa business leaders that one of the biggest challenges facing the city’s economy is recognition. We need to do a better job of raising our visibility and presenting our accomplishments if we want to be players in the global market, he said. So share your story. Our community, our city and country will be more prosperous as a result. Peter Kovessy Head of content Ottawa Business Journal
WINTER 2017 KANATA NETWORKER 3
Advertise in the Networker N O I T A OCI
S S A S NES
BUSI
Reach a targeted and growing audience of business leaders, professionals and talent in Canada’s largest technology park. Contact Kirill Kornilov at kirill@obj.ca for details.
contents Table of
What’s new? What’s next?
Page 6
Where we work:
Irdeto Cloakware protects connected cars
NO TIME? To Better Your Financial Future?
HIRE US! Peter B Fraser RFP CFP® CIM® FCSI® Senior Investment Advisor
What we’re geeking out on:
NXP’s silicon backbone for autonomous vehicles
HollisWealth® is a division of Industrial Alliance Securities Inc., a member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund and the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada. P B Fraser and Company Inc. is a personal trade name of Peter Fraser. 4 KANATA NETWORKER WINTER 2017
Page 10
Test drive:
A Canadian first for autonomous Page vehicles in Kanata North
13
People of Kanata North:
Tech executive Les Rechan joins Solace Accelerators:
L-Spark’s fall cohort
Page 14 Page 16
Awards:
Kanata North shines at the BOBs Where we live:
The Brookstreet’s evolution www.pbfraser.com 613.271.3772 417A Hazeldean Road, Kanata
Page 8
Events:
TEDxKanata preview
Front page photo by Fan Song
Page 18 Page 20 Page 22
Serious tech online Looking for the latest news from Kanata North? Visit www.serioustechliveshere.com
WINTER 2017 KANATA NETWORKER 5
IN BRIEF
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CAE consolidates operations at 350 Legget Dr. Global simulation and training firm CAE is receiving accolades for its new home in Kanata North. Recently named one of Ottawa’s Best Offices by OBJ, the bright and open workspace brings staff from different business areas together. Managers directly embedded with the rest of the staff to improve communication and internal business relations.
“This move gave us a chance to reimagine the space to suit our workflow,” says office manager Kate Tomaszewski. “Now we have the opportunity to achieve optimal groupings and be flexible as new projects arise.” The floor is divided into four distinct zones, including a public
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What’s New, What’s Next?
DISCOVER TECHNATA TECH EXPO & TALENT HUNT March 28th, 2018 at Brookstreet Hotel Kanata North’s largest Career Fair and Tech Expo is back! Discover TechNATA offers local businesses the opportunities to exhibit their products and services and recruit talent. This event provides an excellent platform for our tech community to display their innovation and the unique benefits of their culture. Thousands of job seekers, including students and professionals, attend TechNATA each year to get a glimpse of the growing tech community and the variety of job opportunities that are available. Visit www.discovertechnata.com for more details.
CENGN SUMMIT 2017 KANATA NORTH BUSINESS ASSOCIATION AGM December 7th 5:00 pm - 7:30 pm The Kanata North Business Association will be hosting their annual general meeting (AGM), an evening that brings together our tech community for a little business, a recap of the past year, and some networking over drinks. This year we are excited to have one of our community partners Big Rig Brewery at our AGM! They will on hand to quench your thirst and provide free samples of their seasonal favourites! Come meet members from our business community, and learn more about Canada’s largest tech park! Visit our events calendar to register.
December 7th 8:00 am - 7:00 pm The CENGN Summit is a fullday, annual event, which allows organizations from the private, public and academic sector to showcase their leadership in Information and Communication Technologies and Next Generation Networking. This year’s CENGN Summit will take on the theme Open Infrastructure Powering the Digital Economy, emphasizing Canada’s need for a future forward and accessible infrastructure for all. Learn from the top professionals in Software-Defined Networking and Network Function Virtualization Technologies—and better understand what the future has in store for communication technology. See our events calendar for more details.
READ NEW STORIES ABOUT OUR BUSINESS COMMUNITY Find out about the open innovation model, how Solink uses high-tech video technology to help retailers and restaurants catch thieves, and meet the new CFO Paul Carreiro at Kinaxis. Visit www.SeriousTechLivesHere.com
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Continued... > area, plus corporate, operational and laboratory zones, with increasing rigorous levels of security in place for each area. Collaborative spaces have been dubbed “think tanks.” These rooms for up to four people are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis and include either a high-end smart board or whiteboard.
Kanata office, which is owned and managed by KRP Properties. Instead, it’s choosing to work in the space for a while and discover just exactly how it’s working for those who use it. “We deliberately left room in our plan for adjustment and growth, which means this space will suit our needs for some time to come,” Tomaszewski says.
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CAE is not rushing to make decisions on the final touches on its
TEDXKANATA
March 1, 2018 3:30 pm - 9:00 pm Save the Date: March 1st, 2018 for the fourth annual TEDxKanata at the Brookstreet Hotel. The theme for 2018 is, “RE:DESIGN”. An idea that can be interpreted in several ways. Join us on an inspirational journey of thought provoking ideas worth sharing! Visit www.tedxkanata.com for more details.
IEEE OTTAWA LUNCH AND LEARN
with each other has changed forever with the proliferation of smartphones and other wireless devices. Soon, even the way we get around will look different as autonomous vehicles relying on communications from thousands of sensors become technologically and commercially viable. To register and get more details, visit our events calendar.
TECHTUESDAY – ‘EMPLOYER BRANDING’ December 5th 5:00 pm - 8:30 pm
A Wesley Clover event; Attract Better Employees Through Better Employer Branding. Meet Rob Lee, Managing Partner The Ottawa sector IEEE lunch with Pivot + Edge, who will and learn presents: RF Spectrum share just how important ‘EmChallenges in the Age of Netflix ployer Branding’ is in a highly and Self-Driving Cars with Nikhil competitive market for the best Adnani (CTO, ThinkRF). It is ob- employees. Lee will explain how vious the way we communicate to create an employer brand that December 5th 11:00 am - 1:30 pm.
is competitive and compelling for new hires. See our events calendar for more details.
ONTARIO ENGINEERING COMPETITION 2018 January 26-28, 2018 The University of Ottawa is hosting the Ontario Engineering Competition (OEC) from January 26th to 28th, 2018. Every year OEC brings together over 300 of the brightest young minds from 16 universities across Ontario. All engineering students come ready to showcase their technical talents, collaborative abilities, and communication skills. Each team competes in one of the eight different categories, all designed around the central theme of automation, a principle of solving the problems the smart way. See our events calendar for more details.
8
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SPOTLIGHT
IN BRIEF
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March Networks partners with NextGen Motorsports to support hurricane, earthquake victims Responding to the devastation caused by a series of natural disasters in the U.S., Mexico and several Caribbean islands, Kanata-based March Networks joined forces with NASCAR series team NextGen Motorsports to help support relief efforts.
March Networks sponsored NextGen Motorsports and driver Josh Berry in the NASCAR Kansas Lottery 300 on Oct. 21 in Kansas City. A full 100 per cent of donations raised around the event at www.donations4disasters.com were provided via the
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Where we work
“Software protection can be applied in many different markets and fields,” says Jaco du Plooy, Irdeto vicepresident of engineering, seen with the company’s Kanata simulator. ALL PHOTOS BY MARK HOLLERON
Celebrating 20th anniversary,
Irdeto’s Cloakware protects connected cars Vehicle simulator inside Solandt Road office shows how security solutions can ‘heal’ software code during attack 8 KANATA NETWORKER WINTER 2017
Continued... Celia Cruz Foundation to established charities working on the ground to help families recover and rebuild following hurricanes Irma and Maria, and the devastating earthquake that hit Mexico. “We have established routes into many of the communities affected by these disasters,” said Peter Strom, March Networks president and CEO, in a statement. “We are honoured by this opportunity to join NextGen Motorsports and contribute to ongoing relief efforts that are critically needed in these countries.”
N
By Lucy Screnci
o matter how strong the firewall or how complicated the encryption, few firms would be willing to bet that their cybersecurity protections are completely impenetrable. Containing those inevitable breaches is where Irdeto’s made-in-Kanata technology, Cloakware, makes its impact. The firm specializes in protecting software in “hostile environments” – specifically, once a hacker bypasses the first layer of defence. “When somebody breaks into a system, we're there to prevent them from going any further and doing any damage,” says Stacy Janes, Irdeto’s chief security architect of connected transport. Cloakware was founded in 1997 by former Nortel engineers Harold Johnson and Yuan Gu, who developed cybersecurity solutions based on “software obfuscation” – deliberately making code harder to understand and hindering hackers’ reverse engineering efforts. Irdeto, a cybersecurity firm headquartered in the Netherlands, began to license Cloakware’s software solution in the early 2000s to help media companies safeguard their content. In 2007, Irdeto acquired Cloakware. “We very quickly saw that there are other opportunities outside of media because software protection can be applied in many different markets and fields,” says Jaco du Plooy, vice-president of engineering, who has worked at Irdeto for more than two decades. Now firmly entrenched in Kanata North, Irdeto’s Cloakware is tapping into the rapidly growing Internet of Things market and helping to safeguard systems in which a cyberattack has the potential to be a lifeor-death scenario. VEHICLES •AsAUTONOMOUS research and development of self-driving vehicles accelerates, the importance of safeguarding this emerging technology increases. Malware that infects a vehicle’s engine control unit could render it inoperable or, even worse, present a safety risk if the steering or braking systems were disabled, for example. Cloakware’s technology protects user data and blocks malicious attempts to install unauthorized software or modify exist-
Andrew Williams, Irdeto technical manager for connected transport, left, and chief security architect Stacy Janes demonstrate the firm’s vehicle simulator.
Company officials say Irdeto benefits from Kanata North’s skilled workforce.
ing applications. Janes says his company’s forecasts point to growing connectivity across the automotive industry in the coming years. This is leading Janes and his team to take a collaborative approach and conduct threat assessments for OEMs and suppliers to help them understand how they can address vulnerabilities as they engineer products. “Security is constantly changing, and it's our job to stay on top of that and take that worry away from our customers,” Janes says. To demonstrate the company’s solutions, Irdeto has parked a connected car simulator inside its Solandt Road office. It allows a driver to experience what it’s like to lose control of an unsecured vehicle if, for example, a hacker disables a car’s braking system. In contrast, the driver can also experi-
ence what it’s like to be behind the wheel of a vehicle protected by Cloakware. “I still maintain complete control,” Janes says during a demonstration. “We heal the code, prevent the attack and then notify the OEM of what’s going on.” He adds that security solutions are a key step towards widespread adoption of autonomous vehicles. “Taking the steering wheel away from somebody is going to be a big enough of a change,” Janes says. “We want to make sure they feel safe and they don’t think an attacker is going to take over.” RICH ENVIRONMENT •Irdeto’s Kanata location has helped fuel its expansion into securing connected vehicles. “We started out on focusing on the areas where the OEMs live – so Munich, Detroit, Tokyo,” Janes says. “It took us a little while to realize how rich of an environment we actually had in our own backyard.” He adds that they have a strong partnership with QNX, aided by that firm’s close proximity in Kanata. Du Plooy says that the company also benefits from its ability to access the region’s skilled workforce as well as tapping Carleton University and the University of Ottawa for up-and-coming talent through co-ops. “The talent is great in this area,” he says. “It’s really helped Cloakware grow to where it is today.”
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IN BRIEF
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Kanata companies among Canada’s top R&D spenders A recently released report said Kanata North tech firms Mitel and Halogen Software (now Saba Software) are among this country’s leaders in R&D investments. The report by Research Infosource said Mitel was the National Capital Region’s top R&D spender at $129 million in fiscal 2016. That places the firm 24th nationally.
Halogen Software (now Saba Software) ranked 91st with $16.2 million in R&D spending last year.
Several global firms with R&D presences in Kanata North were also high on this year’s list. That includes BlackBerry at No. 10 with $405.4 million in R&D spending, Ericsson (No. 11, $315 million), CAE (No. 21, $150 million), Cisco (No. 22, $134 million),
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What we’re geeking out on
F
By Leo Valiquette
At NXP Semi’s Kanata North facility,
every day is a moonshot Local team tackles the crucial hardware piece for autonomous vehicles
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or Ali Osman Ors, it just makes sense for Kanata North to be a hub of innovation for autonomous vehicles. The area’s high-tech pedigree, after all, fits right in with the convergence of technologies necessary to put a selfdriving car in every driveway.
Not to mention the fact that any autonomous vehicle that can reliably navigate Ottawa’s winter roads can pretty much succeed anywhere. “I’m a true believer that machines will make better decisions under almost any conditions than a human driver … roads will be safer, we’ll be saving lives and reducing the number of injuries related to automobile accidents,” he says. BACKBONE •OrsSILICON is the R&D director for driver assistance (ADAS) and autonomous vehicles at NXP Semiconductor. What is NXP Semiconductor? It’s a multinational technology company with 31,000 employees around the world and revenues of US$9.5 billion in 2016. The company may not be a household name in Ottawa, but the local team of about 60 is on the cutting edge of autonomous vehicle technology. While Blackberry QNX and Ford Motor Co. get most of the headlines for their local investments in the software for autonomous vehicle development, it’s the Ottawa NXP team that is providing the silicon backbone on which that software operates. NXP’s local operation focuses on two key areas. The first is software and silicon IP development for dataplane processing, to make computing and telecommunications networks operate faster and more reliably. This part of the operation dates back decades in the area. The second is Ors’ wheelhouse – autonomous vehicle processor cores. This half of the business has been built from NXP’s acquisition of local company CogniVue (where Ors served as vice-president of engineering). Ors’ team is working to take today’s prototype vehicles that bristle with sensor racks, vision systems, LIDAR “soup cans” and large computers in the trunk that leave them looking like the DeLorean from Back to the Future Part III and turn them into
Continued... Huawei Canada (No. 25, $127.5 million) and Microsemi Storage Solutions (No. 47, $54.2 million). Outside of Kanata North, Ottawa-headquartered firms Shopify, Kinaxis and Espial Group also ranked within the top 100.
Research Infosource said it obtained its information through annual reports, financial statements, securities commission filings and surveys, which means its list is largely restricted to publicly traded companies.
Topping the list nationally was Bombardier, at $1.97 billion.
It’s about making the artificial intelligence cost-effective AND embeddable into any level of car within
“
any brand. Ali Osman Ors, NXP Semiconductor
“
something suitable for a dealer’s showroom. It’s a big challenge – make the technology all but invisible in a physical sense while at the same time ensuring it is secure, reliable and roadworthy for the expected life of a vehicle. Enterprise-grade computer servers that once filled a trunk are being reduced to the size of a golf ball. “What we are trying to do is get to something that can be deployed into any car, not just premium cars in limited geographical areas,” Ors says. “It’s about making the artificial intelligence cost-effective and embeddable into any level of car
within any brand.” ECOSYSTEM •KANATA Where does NXP’s work in dataplane processing figure into this? Autonomous vehicles don’t exist in a silo. These are connected Internet of Things devices. They are part of a system that includes adding intelligence to roads, signage and traffic signals with sensors and wireless connectivity so infrastructure can communicate with the vehicle and vice-versa. The car must also have a persistent wireless connection with a home base for regular
updates to its firmware, and to troubleshoot how to handle new and unexpected situations – like someone driving down the road with a ladder sticking out of their trunk. This makes fast and reliable network communications essential to mass adoption. Ors expects that autonomous vehicles will still be at a prototype stage five years from now, but in 10 years we might very well see the technology go mainstream. “Automotive used to be a laggard with new technology, but now bleeding-edge tech is getting incorporated into new
vehicle designs at almost the same pace as advancements in mobile technology,” he says. “Without the silicon we provide, none of this would be possible.” And Kanata North is a natural birthplace for this paradigm shift in our love affair with the automobile, from both a hardware side with NXP, and from the software side with partners such as Blackberry QNX and Ford. “It really is about the talent and the resources,” Mr Ors says. “This is where we should be. You look out the window and see a lot of buildings with high-tech names on them – it’s an automatic ecosystem.”
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Get connected
Follow the Kanata North Business Association on Instagram at
@kanatanorthbia
HRPA Designations Speak For Themselves Canadian businesses agree*
74%
of businesses believe a designation from HRPA enhances their view of HR’s ability to find the right people for the right job *
58% of businesses believe a designation from HRPA changes the strategic positioning of HR in the organization *
Businesses need HRPA designated professionals. HRPA equips HR professionals to take businesses to peak performance thanks to CHRP, CHRL and CHRE designations. Businesses can trust they’ve got the right person to help lead their organization forward. Hire the professionals who will lead your business forward. hrpa.ca * March 2017 national LegerWeb survey of 250 C-level business executives, accurate +/- 6.2%, 19 times out of 20 ** 2016 annual average of 2,200 Hire Authority job postings
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86% of jobs “prefer or require” CHRP, CHRL, or CHRE **
SAVE THE DATE
Discover TECHNATA Tech Expo & Career Fair Discover TECHNATA is a tech expo and talent hunt for some of the most innovative and exciting technology firms in the area. If you are looking for a job this is the place to be! Visit www.discovertechnata.com to register as an exhibitor, book booth space and gain added exposure by becoming a sponsor.
On-road demo bolsters Kanata North’s credentials as Canada’s
autonomous vehicle capital For the first time in Canada, a car drove on a public road without a driver’s assistance
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anata North played host to a Canadian first in October that showcased the region’s status as an autonomous vehicle hub. A grey Lincoln sedan powered by BlackBerry QNX technology cruised through Canada’s largest technology park without anyone’s hands on the wheel before coming to a stop at a red light this fall, marking this country’s first onstreet test of an autonomous vehicle. In another milestone, officials from the City of Ottawa installed a short-wave radio system that messaged the vehicle when a traffic light turned red – the first time in Canada that municipal infrastructure has been connected to a self-driving car. As required by provincial law, a BlackBerry official was seated behind the car’s wheel, but held up his hands to demonstrate that the vehicle was steering without his control. With hundreds of curious onlookers watching the demo,
the event served as a spotlight on the more than 70 companies and organizations in Ottawa that are working on autonomous vehicle applications. “This critical mass of expertise and innovation is not replicated anywhere else in Canada,” then-Kanata North BIA executive director Jenna Sudds said. “They’re all here for a reason.” WEALTH OF TECH TALENT Kanata North firms are playing a key role in developing that new technology. In addition to BlackBerry QNX, which is building the software foundation, Nokia will be adding its 5G internet capabilities to the vehicles in the next phase. BlackBerry QNX vice-president John Wall, who also took part in the historic journey, said the region is the ideal development hub for autonomous vehicles, citing its wealth of tech talent and a climate that offers all the extreme testing conditions an automaker could want. “We think it’s the best of both worlds,” he said after the demonstration. “We have the allweather situation, we have a city
A self-driving Lincoln sedan powered by BlackBerry QNX technology drove through the streets of Kanata North this fall.
that’s committed, we have all the levels of government that are very interested in what we’re doing. Everybody’s supporting us. It’s perfect for us.” The car uses GPS, radar, cameras, remote light sensors and other high-tech equipment to detect and respond to its surroundings. Mr. Wall predicted luxury vehicles equipped with near-complete self-driving capability could hit the market by 2022, but said several safety and security issues
must still be resolved. But they’ll still look much traditional vehicles in one key respect, Mr. Wall predicted. “A car without a steering wheel? I can’t even envision when that is.” Economic development officials say the autonomous driving technology has markets beyond the automotive sector and could be used in agricultural equipment such as combines, enabling it to harvest a field of crops without a human operator.
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Book your complimentary consultation WELCHLLP.COM/OFFICEHOURS WINTER 2017 KANATA NETWORKER 13
SAVE THE DATE
December Meetup - Reactive Applications with the SMACK Stack Calling all Open Source Enthusiasts! The Ottawa Reactive Data Meetup is a meetup designed to bring the best brains in open source technologies together for an insightful, relaxed and pitch-free technical talk. The next event is Thursday, Dec. 14 at 411 Legget Dr. Visit https://www.meetup. com/OttawaReactiveDataMeetup for more details.
Tech CEO Les Rechan returns to Kanata North to lead Solace New chief executive looks to expand subscription-based revenue model
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olace has turned to a well-known Kanata North tech executive to scale up operations and help the company expand to new industries and markets.
Les Rechan previously served as CEO at Halogen Software before it was acquired by Saba earlier this year. He’s also held senior positions at Cognos, IBM and Oracle and worked abroad in Singapore, the U.K. and the U.S. Rechan was compelled to help Solace – which develops technology to improve the speed of data transfers via hybrid cloud and onpremise infrastructure – address
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an increasingly “cloud-driven, digital first” world. “Connected cars, phones and shop floors and all the data that moves around has opened up a total addressable problem for us, which is 10 to 20 times bigger than what we’re currently doing,” says Rechan. This foray into being a software and cloud solution provider, in addition to hardware, will be the primary focus for Rechan as the company heads into 2018. In addition to shifting to a subscription-based model, Rechan says the next calendar year will be dedicated to building out new digital marketing programs and executing go-to-market strategies. He says the timing was right to take over as CEO, a position
Solace’s vice-president of business development. Rehan worked with Mollot at IBM and Cognos and with Fitzpatrick at Halogen. “There really is an incredible base of people,” Rechan says, adding that it extends beyond the executive team. Solace draws upon a wealth of expertise held by individuals who built their careers at storied institutions like Newbridge and Nortel. Les Rechan is the CEO of Solace. This Kanata connection extends to the company’s first invesformerly held by the company’s founder Craig Betts. He had always tor, local tech titan Terry Matthews, who still sits on the company’s wanted the opportunity to work board of directors today. with Betts, calling him “a real viWith 13 offices around the sionary and entrepreneur at heart.” world Rechan says Solace fre“He’s really done his life’s quently highlights the location of work at Solace to get it to this the company’s headquarters when point,” Rechan says. Betts still speaking with its global clients. serves on Solace’s board of direc“We love showing (customtors, as does Tom Manley of Bridge ers) the picture of our building Growth Partners, which owns a with our logo (and) all the buildprincipal stake in the company. ings around. We always talk about Rechan says he’s also thrilled assembling these appliances here to work in close quarters with in Kanata,” he says. “We play up former colleagues Mychelle Molthe fact that we're 'Made in Canalot, the company’s chief marketda' and we're experts.” ing officer, and Paul Fitzpatrick,
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SAVE THE DATE
MARCH 1, 2018 | THE BROOKSTREET HOTEL | 525 LEGGET 3:30PM – 9PM | TEDXKANATA.COM/TICKETS SEATING IS LIMITED.
Kanata North is full of the best kind of surprises. We did some research (ok, a lot), analyzed the data, crunched the numbers and what we found was exhilarating. Exciting. Thought-provoking.
#SeriousTechLivesHere
PRODUCTIVITY
Kanata North is home to over 500+ companies.
value-add of Kanata North $7.8 billion net to Canada’s GDP 20,300 direct employees The average contribution to per Canadian worker $85,000 GDP The average contribution to $255,000 GDP Kanata North worker North 3x higher than the national average Kanata productivity level
75% of Kanata North’s tech firms have less than 50 employees.
EMPLOYMENT
20,263 + 10,416 = 30,679
directly employed indirectly employed total
Tech employment, from 1991 to present, has consistently
grown in Kanata.
REVENUES
Combined, the top 20 companies in Kanata North generated $3.3 billion
20% 24% 30% 11% 6% 6% 2%
1-10 Employees 11-20 Employees 21-50 Employees 51-100 Employees 101-200 Employees 201-500 Employees 501+ Employees
OWNERSHIP
Who owns the businesses in Kanata North?
64%
of the technology sector is Canadian owned
36%
of the technology sector is foreign-owned
in revenues in 2015.
PROPERTY VALUES
Kanata North commercial properties are valued at over $1 billion for city tax purposes.
Kanata North is the largest Technology Park in Canada and contributes an impressive $7.8 billion to GDP
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Serious tech online Looking for the latest news from Kanata North? Visit www.serioustechliveshere.com
Kanata accelerator L-Spark welcomes new cohort Local SaaS accelerator L-Spark recently added seven new startups to its portfolio. The firms, which hail from Montreal, Ottawa, the Greater Toronto Area and New Brunswick, will participate in the nine-month program with the goal of scaling their revenues 10x. Here’s the fall cohort: CYBEATS – A developer of cybersecurity defenses for enterprise IoT devices. ENERGYX – Provider of online energy audit systems designed to help homes and enterprises to implement energy savings plans. EYESOVER – Led by a former New Brunswick energy minister, this firm uses artificial intelligence for “social media listening,” discovering what relevant discussions are happening on social platforms and how a firm can leverage these debates. HEYDAY – This startup says its online chatbot can provide a more personal, adaptable customer interface experience through “Natural Language Generation” that can update personality and tone in real time. IAMSICK – Enables patients to find family doctors, book appointments, seek prescription refills and more from their home or their mobile apps. PROPERTYSPARK – Helps realtors publish and advertise their listings on social media. TRANSPARENT KITCHEN – Allows users to view partner restaurants’ ingredients, chefs and dishes to decide if the process is to their liking.
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Get connected
Follow the Kanata North Business Association on Facebook @KanataNorthBIA.
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QUOTABLE “There are so many little things about working out of Kanata North that fit with the culture we want to create at Fusebill.” – Tyler Eyamie, CEO, Fusebill
Kanata North shines at Best Ottawa Business Awards
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ome of the most successful and innovative companies and business leaders in the nation’s capital were honoured on Nov. 15 at the annual Best Ottawa Business Awards, known better as the BOBs. Once again, Kanata North was well represented by several award recipients who were recognized for driving economic growth and prosperity in the region. “We are incredibly lucky to be home to so many companies working on ground-breaking innovations from disrupting the television experience, to autonomous cars, to contributing to Canada’s space mission, to the development of 5G networks,” said Jenna Sudds, the former executive director of the Kanata North Business Association, who was on stage to hand out several awards. Here are the stories behind some of this year’s recipients:
Solink, Thinkwrap, You.i TV, BlackBerry QNX and ‘freakin’ #SeriousTechLivesHere awesome’ Kevin Ford Company of the Year THINKWRAP of Calian Group COMMERCE Top brands turn to Thinkwrap among honorees
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panies in Canada for eight years running. Revenues continue to grow an average of 30 per cent year over year with increased profitability. The team has doubled in size over the past three years. ThinkWrap continues to invest in R&D, to develop new services and keep abreast of how technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning and predictive analytics will continue to redefine retail. #SeriousTechLivesHere Team of the Year
SOLINK
At Solink, surveillance video is a rich source of data that can empower brick and mortar businesses to reinvent their entire operations. Solink’s unique video discovery application captures and audits 100 per cent of a retail location’s video and transactional data to reduce fraud proactively. The company’s team did such a great job of spreading that message, it collectively grew recurring monthly revenues by a factor of four in 12 months. During this same period, headcount increased Thinkwrap Commerce CEO Steve Byrne accepts by only 17 per cent. the #SeriousTechLivesHere Company of the Solink achieved this through Year award from Jenna Sudds, the former exa constant focus on process imecutive director of the Kanata North Business provement, employing new softAssociation. ware tools to drive greater efficienincrease online and in-store trafcy and productivity from staff, and fic, improve customer experience, encouraging team collaboration grow a loyal customer base, and to tackle any challenges as they achieve operational efficiencies increased in size and scale with the and higher profits. growth of the business. ThinkWrap has ascended the What happens when you log Branham300 list of Top Tech Com- that kind of lean growth? Investors Commerce as their trusted ecommerce system integration partner when they want to grow revenue,
Kevin Ford, the chief executive of the Calian Group, delivers his acceptance speech after being named CEO of the Year.
From left, Solink CEO Michael Matta, SMB general manager Christopher Beaudoin and customer success director Chelsea Stirling accept the #SeriousTechLivesHere Team of the Year award from Jenna Sudds, the former executive director of the Kanata North Business Association.
see a good thing and come knocking. Solink has been offered three term sheets for its Series-A round. On Nov.1, Solink announced that it had closed a $5-million funding round led by Generation Ventures. Exporter of the Year
YOU.I TV
The television industry is changing fast. Streaming video, multiple screens and over-the-top video offerings are becoming the new normal. That’s why major media brands like Turner Broadcasting, Crackle, Corus Entertainment and Rogers are turning to You.i TV to get the flexibility and reach they need to remain relevant to today’s connected consumer. How? With an app development platform called the You.i Engine. This platform makes it easy for media brands to create stunning video experiences on any device screen, to turn TV viewers into users, buyers and fans. And the word is getting out. In its last fiscal year, You.i TV grew its exports as a percentage of total sales by 80 per cent thanks to engagements with Sony Crackle and Turner. The North American sales team has expanded across the U.S. with the addition of 14 staff. New partners are being trained in Colombia, Russia and Sweden. Today, the You.i Engine is powering millions of current, in-market app installs for 14 major brands. It’s quite a leap for a company that not long ago derived 90 per cent of its revenue from the do-
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mestic market. Heading into 2018, less than 10 per cent of You.i TV’s revenue will come from domestic sales. And a new, more economical app development platform, You.i Engine One, promises to attract a whole new customer segment.
CEO of the Year
KEVIN FORD, CALIAN GROUP
NEWSMAKER OF THE YEAR
BLACKBERRY QNX
Cars that drive themselves. The stuff of science fiction is now a serious business driven by billions in R&D taking place around the world. According to a 2015 report from the Conference Board of Canada, the country could reap $65 billion in potential benefits from autonomous vehicle developments, mainly from fewer collisions, less time in cars, fuel savings and reduced congestion. But Canadian industry, and Ottawa’s high-tech community, isn’t about to stand on the sidelines and wait for initiatives in the U.S. and Europe to bring driverless cars to our roads. At the end of 2016, Blackberry QNX announced a new $100-million “innovation centre”
Calian Group employees took to the stage with custom t-shirts to help congratulate CEO of the Year Kevin Ford
in Kanata dedicated to developing software for connected and self-driving vehicles. The centre is expected to create up to 650 jobs in the coming years. The Kanata North Business Association subsequently held an Autonomous Vehicles Summit in January to discuss the best ways forward for the city and its industry partners. Then Ford Motor Co., a partner of Blackberry QNX, announced in March it would spend $337.9 million to create an Ottawa Research and
Engineering Centre focused on developing autonomous driving technology. All this has prompted local politicians to promote Ottawa as a global test bed for driverless technology. In October, Ottawa saw its first live demonstration of the technology, when a car equipped with BlackBerry QNX technology took to Leggett Drive. It marked the first time an autonomous vehicle connected to city infrastructure on a Canadian road.
Ottawa native Kevin Ford has led one of Ottawa’s largest publicly traded corporations through a string of acquisitions, its largest contract win in its 35-year history and a record $275 million in revenues last year. Additionally, he helped to spearhead the drive to form the Kanata North Business Association and served as the organization’s first chairman. Under Mr. Ford’s leadership, Calian’s share price has risen more than 60 per cent. The Ottawa native also kickstarted a drive to expand through acquisitions. Since he joined the company in 2010, Calian has bought five companies, including four Ottawa-based firms. More recently, he’s guided the firm to the biggest contract win in its 35-year history – a renewed 12-year deal signed last month to provide health-care services to the Canadian Armed Forces that could be worth up to a billion dollars.
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IN BRIEF
Calian secures $1B, 12-year health-care contract Just hours before the start of Calian Group’s fiscal year-end staff party, CEO Kevin Ford received the news he’d been waiting weeks to hear: The Canadian government was renewing the Kanata company’s 12-year contract to provide health-care support services to the Canadian military. The diversified company supplies a range of health-care
services to armed forces personnel across the country, filling short-term positions at military bases, providing medical care in remote regions and offering access to specialists who are in high demand. Calian Group will now provide similar services to the RCMP and Veterans Affairs. The expected total value of the deals: $990 million,
Where we live
New Brookstreet GM
Nyle Kelly checks in Evolution and growth of Kanata North has been a key part of hotel’s success
W By Paula Roy
The changing face of Kanata North has absolutely helped us at Brookstreet.
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Nyle Kelly, general manager, Brookstreet Hotel
INVEST IN YOUR FUTURE
hen the Brookstreet Hotel opened in 2003, much of the Kanata North Business Park was still ringed by farmers’ fields. The area has since steadily grown into a thriving community that now includes hundreds of companies spanning a diverse range of industries, numerous residential developments as well as a full suite of services, shops and leisure activities.
Throughout it all, the Brookstreet’s location in Kanata North has been critical to the hotel’s success, says general manager Nyle Kelly, a long-time employee who took the reins this summer. He replaced former general manager Patrice Basille, who announced earlier this year that he planned to retire. Kelly’s career at the Brookstreet started with a two-year stint as executive housekeeper. He later served as guest services director, operations director and eventually assistant general manager He takes over at a key time for the hotel, which is growing as it
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Continued... including $875 million for the armed forces contract, plus an additional $60 million for the RCMP pact and $55 million for the Veteran Affairs deal. “It provides a solid foundation to continue to grow the company,” Mr. Ford said.
square feet – by the end of 2017 and is looking at increasing its number of guest rooms as well. Collectively, this will allow the Brookstreet to hold theatrestyle events for up to 800 guests, easily handle 500-person sit-down dinners and be better equipped for product launches, trade shows, galas and parties.
The Brookstreet has found growth opportunities in conferences, events and leisure travellers.
OF THE COMMUNITY •ThePARTKanata North location con-
diversifies into new markets – particularly serving the Kanata North community and beyond. “2017 was our best year ever,” Kelly says. “We are optimistic that growth will continue into next year.”
•TheEXPANSION technology sector was boom-
ing in the late ’90s when planning for the hotel began, says Kelly, who has worked at Brookstreet since just before it opened. Owner Terry Matthews, who is well-known for founding and funding many of Kanata’s tech firms, was looking to develop a flagship property within the business park he founded, Kelly recalls. “The vision was to support the many corporate offices in the area at that time and to provide a place for business travellers that was close to the companies with whom they worked,” he says. The tech downturn in the early 2000s presented challenges for many businesses and landlords in the area, and pushed Brookstreet to expand its reach into other sectors. “When corporate traffic declined, it encouraged us to strate-
gically pursue new markets,” Kelly says. While corporate travellers are the foundation of Brookstreet’s business, the hotel has found growth opportunities in other segments, including conferences, events and leisure travellers. “We have developed a new
Leadership • in Software Development •
market niche with staycations, weddings, family travel and romantic packages; so much so that Saturdays are really lively and busy here now,” Kelly says. To support increased demand, Brookstreet will add 10,000 square feet of additional meeting space – for a total of almost 30,000
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Replacement of slow CRMs and inefficient and costly data-bases.
tinues to be a boon for those who work at Brookstreet as well. “Many of our staff live fairly close by,” Kelly says, adding the growing number of nearby businesses adds to the community’s already strong quality of life. He notes both his doctor and dentist are relatively close, and that it’s easy to get a haircut or fit in a quick bike ride or trail walk during a midday break. And while Kelly is obviously partial to the food served at Options and Perspectives restaurants inside the Brookstreet, he concedes he has a particular fondness for Papa Sam’s pizza. “It’s legendary throughout Kanata North and beyond,” he says. Kelly says he believes that the evolution and growth of the wider community has been a key part of his hotel’s success. “The changing face of Kanata North has absolutely helped us at Brookstreet,” he says. “The diversification of industry here now stabilizes the market overall. With so many residents plus over 500 companies, including a resurgent manufacturing sector, there is a lot happening.”
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IN BRIEF
Councillor pushes for LRT spur line to business park: report While the city’s western light-rail extension is not projected to run through the Kanata North Business Park, Kanata North Coun. Marianne Wilkinson is reportedly asking for a spur line to service the tech community. “I’m looking at an offshoot,” she told the Kanata KourierStandard, suggesting it could service the new DND headquarters in Bells Corners before travelling along Carling Avenue and
through the business park. The city councillor likened it to expansion plans for the northsouth Trillium light-rail line to include a spur to the airport. The city is currently conducting a planning and environmental assessment study that will chart a corridor for the future expansion of the LRT network to Kanata.
TEDx returns to Kanata in March Theme of 2018 event is ‘re:Design’
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ome of Ottawa’s most innovative and interesting thinkers are once again coming together in Kanata to share some ideas worth spreading.
TEDxKanata features some of the community’s most inspiring and engaging speakers, sharing their passions and discussing their visions for the world. It’s an opportunity to hear the deep expertise and insights of a select few talented and fascinating people from our own backyard. The theme for 2018 is “re:Design.” While the title can be interpreted in various ways, organizers imagine it as a look at the way in which we’re building the future in our society, in our culture and in our relationships. Additionally, it’s an exploration of how ideas and processes can be redesigned to make way for new opportunities and approaches where disruptive new technologies lead us to create variations on what was, what is and what will be. Speaker auditions were held in early November. A final lineup is expected to be released in the coming weeks at tedxkanata.com. Applications for tickets – which are $100 and include a meal and light refreshments – will also be available soon. The goal of TEDxKanata is to connect engaging speakers with talented innovators so that the ideas presented on stage become a reality. As such, this is an invitation-only event. A selection committee is looking for attendees who are innovators representing a variety of sectors with a proven track record of generating bold ideas.
Singer/songwriter Craig Cardiff at TEDxKanata 2017, discussing “Flying cars, robots, and being open hearted through songwriting and 150 years.” (PHOTO BY TINY MARVELS)
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TEDx
Kanata
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Date: March 1, 2018 Time: 3:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Where: The Brookstreet Hotel (525 Legget Dr.) Cost: $100 More information: Visit tedxkanata.com or email TEDxKanata curator Jenna Sudds at info@tedxkanata.com
TEDxKanata 2017 speaker John Weigelt delivering “Design Canada’s future prosperity.” (PHOTO BY TINY MARVELS)
Get connected
Follow the Kanata North Business Association on Twitter at @kanatanorthbia.
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