10 Canadian Tech Entrepreneurs To Watch In 2021
CEO Ram Tumuluri” If you thought a global pandemic would stop entrepreneurs from coming up with new ideas and inventions, think again. In the year 2020, some serious hustlers emerged who are purposefully navigating the business world. Take a look at this list of some of the most exciting Canadian entrepreneurs to watch in 2021”.
Sage Franch
Diverse workplaces generate more sales and retain better talent. This is one of the reasons Sage Franch founded Crescendo in 2017, a company that trains users how to promote inclusion among coworkers. Franch knew her tool was perfectly positioned to put teams together this year, as people moved to remote work and the pressures of America’s election and racial reckoning rippled across the globe. Crescendo seeks to open up corporate discussions, making diversity and inclusion less of a check mark and more incorporated into company culture.
Qiming Weng
Drop Mobility, founded by Qiming Weng, works closely with cities to incorporate bicycles and scooters into transportation networks while still being environmentally aware. As citizens pursued open-air transit alternatives, Drop extended to five U.S. cities in 2020, raising more than $1 million in revenue. Drop is expected to be operating in more than 12 North American cities by 2021. Drop is also updating the company’s products to offer improved user experience and accessibility.
Mohamad Sawwaf
In 2017, Mohamad Sawwaf co-founded Manzil after finding a gap in the market when it came to Islamic investment and financing options. Under the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions, his company provides halal investments that meet Shariah requirements. Despite the many obstacles that COVID-19 presented, the company received a lot of attention this year from big-name fintech players such as KOHO and Wealthsimple.
Jennifer Wagner
Based in Halifax, CarbonCure is now regarded as one of Canada’s most innovative and forward-thinking cleantech firms. The company, led by president Jennifer Wagner, has created a technology that allows CO2 to be effectively trapped in concrete as it sets, lowering project carbon footprints without lowering efficiency.
Karen Chan
Karen Chan, co-founder and chief engineering officer at Wysdom.AI in Toronto, helped in the creation of a software system that uses natural language to direct and communicate with humans. Wysdom.AI’s technology is used by clients in a variety of industries, including retail, telecommunications, banking, and utilities, and as the pandemic pushed businesses to digitise their services, the startup grew by 25% in 2020, with further expansion expected for 2021.
Jeff Ruby
Based in Toronto and New York, Jeff Ruby’s startup Newtopia promotes safe habit change to combat Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and weight issues. While people across the world resorted to unhealthy behaviours to cope with the pandemic, Newtopia clients actually became healthier, losing weight and achieving a 90 percent participation rate (a phenomenal achievement for any health programme). In addition, the company went public, formed a board of directors, and strengthened its bench strength around the board.
Evelyn Allen
Evelyn Allen is the founder and CEO of Evercloak, a company that uses nanomaterials to minimise energy consumption in air conditioning. Allen is also a finalist in the $1 million Women in Cleantech Challenge, where she used the opportunity to help her company recruit a chief technology officer and raise $2 million in funding. Evercloak is gearing up for pilot-scale development of its membrane manufacturing process in 2021.
Mitch Debora
Debora, the co-founder and CEO of Mosaic Manufacturing, has made a living upgrading 3D printers for multi-colour, multi-material production with his dozens of employees. The technology is simple and inexpensive, and it allows for more vivid, stunning, long-lasting, and multi-use prints. While most businesses struggled in 2020, Mosaic Manufacturing saw a significant shift in consumer sentiment toward domestic manufacturing solutions, especially as international supply chains collapsed.
Ajay Kochhar
Ajay Kochhar, CEO and co-founder of Li-Cycle, recovers more than 80 percent of all materials found in lithium-ion batteries through their environmentally sound recycling plants. Ajay acquired entrepreneurial experience at a young age, as part of a multi-generational family business called Ashlin BPG Marketing. Li-Cycle is looking to extend its services into the United States and open a commercial center in New York after recently announcing a Series C equity funding round.
Peter Kalen
Flexiti, founded in 2013 by CEO Peter Kalen, works with both in-store and online retailers to provide flexible payment solutions for everything from mattresses to engagement rings. The business has seen strong sales growth in recent years, earning it a spot on Deloitte Canada’s Technology Fast 50 list.