The Globe and Mail has published their second annual ranking of Canada’s Top Growing Companies and the list of 400 businesses sprawl across sectors, from fashion to finance, and manufacture everything from medical testing devices to organic pasta.
Techcouver has poured over the list to uncover Vancouver’s gems of entrepreneurial success, whether they be companies that we’ve all heard of or are hearing about for the very first time.
Outside of Vancouver’s thriving gaming ecosytem, eight high-growth companies caught our attention and we believe these are ones to watch as Canada recovers from the pandemic.
These eight companies were responsible for a combined $300+ million in revenue last year and employ over 1,700 in Vancouver.
Article
Article sells modern furniture direct to consumers. Led by CEO Aamir Baig, Article placed 108th on the Globe’s list with 3-year revenue growth of 460% and revenue in the range of $100-250 million. Last year Article was named Canada’s Fastest-Growing Company by Canadian Business based on 5-year revenue growth of 24,182%. While revenue growth may be slowing, that is still a lot of coffee tables. Article currently employees 435.
Traction on Demand
Traction on Demand is North America’s largest independent Salesforce consulting partner & app development firm and ranked #206 on the Globe’s list. Self-funded since inception in 2007, Traction secured external funding for the first time earlier this year and has grown to over 700 employees. Led by CEO Greg Malpass, Traction reports 195% revenue growth over the past three years and 2019 revenue of over $75 million. You’ll also want to be on the look out for Traction-incubated companies like Traction Guest.
Trulioo
Trulioo provides instant online identity, document & business verification coverage of 5 billion people. With 3-year revenue growth of over 500%, Trulioo sits at #97 on this year’s Globe list. 2020 has been a banner year for the ID verification company with accolades that include being named one of the World Economic Forum’s Technology Pioneers, to CNBC’s Disruptor 50 List, and to CB Insights Fintech 250 list of emerging companies working on groundbreaking financial technology. Trulioo is currently aggressively hiring in Vancouver.
Freightera
Freightera is a cloud-based B2B online freight marketplace. A finalist for the Company of the Year in the 2020 Technology Impact Awards (TIAs), Freightera is rolling this year. Freightera checks in at #80 on the Globe’s list with 3-year revenue growth of 678%. 2019 revenue was in the $10-25 million range but we now know that Freightera hit all-time highs in bookings in June 2020 as platform revenue surged 40% over May, exceeding pre-COVID numbers.
Jane Software
Jane Software is cloud-based, health care practice management software used by practitioners in a variety of disciplines including physiotherapists, massage therapists, and chiropractors. Employing over 100 in North Vancouver, Jane ranked #71 on the Globe’s list with 3-year revenue growth of 733%. Founded in 2011 by Alison Taylor and Trevor Johnston, Jane’s momentum is accelerating thanks to a $2 million debt financing round from CIBC Innovation Banking.
Thinkific
Over 50,000 entrepreneurs and businesses from virtually every industry use Thinkific to create and sell their own online courses. Led by co-founder & CEO Greg Smith, Thinkific ranked #76 on the Globe’s list reporting 3-year revenue growth of 695%. With online learning becoming the norm in 2020, Thinkific just raised $22 million to capitalize on the opportunity and accelerate product innovation. Thinkific plans to triple its workforce, hiring an additional 350 team members over the next 18 months.
Lumen5
Lumen5 uses artificial intelligence to create high quality videos for content marketing at scale. The Vancouver startup’s AI platform already boasts more than 300,000 users. Led by co-founder & CEO Michael Cheng, Lumen5 took home first place at the 2019 New Ventures BC Competition, winning $100,000. The youngest company on our watch list, Lumen5 ranked #93 on the Globe’s list with 554% 3-year revenue growth.
Klue
Klue helps companies collect and curate hard to find competitive intelligence, combining the best of what the web knows about your competition with the best of what your employees know into a single repository. Klue recently raised a $15 million Series A round led by Craft Ventures which is led by the PayPal Mafia’s David Sacks. Klue was co-founded in 2015 by Jason Smith and Saranthy Naicker and ranked #58 on the Globe’s list, reporting 3-year revenue growth of 961%. Klue is hiring in Vancouver.