Open House Offers Glimpse Inside Tech Companies
While Canadians have heard how the country’s tech industry is quickly growing and introducing innovative products, many don’t know about the startups who are leading the charge.
On Sept. 28, both early-stage and high-growth companies in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver are literally opening their doors.
From 4 to 8 p.m., nearly 200 companies across the three cities are welcoming the public to see where some of Canada’s top entrepreneurs work and hear firsthand their vision for the future.
The event is a unique learning opportunity for the public and tech talent alike. Each company puts their own spin on the standard open house, offering tours, Q&As, and maybe even a drink-fuelled game of ping pong.
The Startup Open House path builder tool helps attendees plan their itinerary for the night. In the city where the event was first launched, the open house in Montreal is the largest of the three cities with 150 companies participating this year. Here’s a preview of what to expect in each city and some of the companies that should make the night’s cut.
Montreal: 150 Open Houses
Element AI, an artificial intelligence incubator and lab, secured a $102 million USD record-setting Series A in the AI industry this June. Co-founded by AI pioneer Yoshua Bengio, the machine learning company helps build, design and power AI-first organizations.
Autodesk builds software that is used by anyone to make pretty much anything: 3D design, concept sketching, engineering and more. For nearly two decades, every Oscar winner for best visual effects has used Autodesk’s animation software.
Headquartered in Montreal’s Mile End, Breather is behind beautiful on-demand private workspaces in ten cities around the world. Considered to be an Airbnb for offices, Breather allows professionals on-the-go to book meeting rooms and workspaces through the web or their app.
After popping in and out of offices, head over to Montreal’s Techfest to meet with local tech companies that are hiring right now—including Autodesk, Unbounce and Flinks. (Psst: use promo code ‘StartupOpenHouse’ to save 50 per cent on your ticket).
Toronto: 88 Open Houses
In Toronto, learn how Top Hat is shaking up the online education world. The platform that empowers educators to bring interactivity into the classroom by incorporating digital participation into traditional lectures.
Nestled in Liberty Village, Vena Solutions is the fastest growing company in corporate performance management. Vena helps medium and large-sized companies handle budgeting, planning and revenue forecasting through cloud-based solutions.
Used by more than two-thirds of U.S. medical students, Figure 1 is a global knowledge-sharing platform for healthcare professionals. Millions are using the medical app for education and collaboration, connecting with one another around patient cases.
In Toronto’s downtown, Points develops loyalty e-commerce and tech solutions for the world’s top brands, including MasterCard, PayPal and Aeroplan.
Vancouver: 29 Open Houses
On Canada’s west coast, roll over to STAT Search Analytics in Railtown to see how they became one of the fastest growing Vancouver startups. STAT’s cloud-based platform equips SEO professionals with fresh location-based search data.
The top marketing platform for Instagram, Later has grown to more than one million users. Find out how Later does much more than maintain an Insta aesthetic, and why it’s used by Yelp, Lonely Planet and the Wall Street Journal.
