Certn and Klue Named To The Vector AI20 List for 2023

The Vector Institute has released a report highlighting 20 Canadian AI startup companies to watch over the next 12 months and two companies from British Columbia made the grade.

The list was compiled after analyzing 150+ Canadian AI start-ups that achieved major milestones in 2021 and 2022.

The inaugural Vector AI20 for 2023 included Victoria’s Certn and Vancouver’s Klue.

In consultation with industry partners and through Vector’s own work in the broader AI ecosystem, Vector narrowed down a shortlist of startups that reflect key regions of AI innovation across Canada and diversity in both their executive leadership and AI applications.

Certn was recently named Anchor Company of the Year at the Victoria Tech Community Awards.

A leader in background screening solutions, Certn secured a sizable Series B funding round earlier this year and was added to Communitech’s first ever Team True North list which indicates they are tracking to $1 billion in annual revenue.

Klue raised a mammoth Series B round led by Tiger Global in 2021 for its AI-powered competitive enablement platform.

Headquartered in Vancouver, Klue has already seen its share of accolades and awards. Klue won the Tech Culture of the Year Award at BC Tech’s 2021 Technology Impact Awards and was named one of Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Cultures for 2021.

“Each honoree puts AI to work in interesting and potentially transformative ways. Together, they illustrate a manifestation of the remarkable promise of Canada’s AI ecosystem — and show how AI can drive not only future innovation but also future prosperity,” said Cameron Schuler, Chief Commercialization Officer & Vice President, Industry Innovation, Vector Institute.

“Vector is proud to highlight these innovative start ups as ones to watch, as their successes will support Canada’s quality of life in 2023 and beyond. We hope the Vector AI20 for 2023 helps to further put these 20 promising startups on the map.”

Check out the complete list of companies chosen for the Vector AI20 2023 here.