Talent labour market and technology advancements are top of mind for Deloitte Technology Fast 50 winners

Vanrx Pharmasystems at the top with revenue growth of almost 20,000 per cent
between 2014 and 2017

TORONTO, Nov. 15, 2018 /CNW/ - Deloitte is pleased to announce today the 2018 winners of its Technology Fast 50, Companies-to-Watch and Leadership awards programs. The Technology Fast 50 program celebrates the world-class achievements of Canadian technology companies, highlighting their true commitment to innovation, leadership, and rapid revenue growth between 2014 and 2017. This year, the average three-year growth rate of the Fast 50 winners is 2,124 per cent.

Topping the Fast 50 list this year is Vanrx Pharmasystems, a manufacturer of aseptic filling machines for the pharmaceutical industry. With an average three-year growth rate of 19,342 per cent, the Burnaby, BC-based company dramatically sets itself apart in the pharmaceutical technology industry.

Taking second place for revenue growth is Mojio, a connected car platform and SaaS provider based in Vancouver, BC. With an average three-year growth rate of 11,949 per cent, Mojio delivers smarter, safer and more convenient car ownership experiences for subscribers of mobile network operators.

In third place, with an average three-year growth rate of 10,942 per cent, is COLO-D, a Canadian leader in wholesale data centre solutions. Based in Drummondville, QC, it develops and operates cutting-edge hyperscale data centres to meet the evolving technological needs of today's largest organizations.

"This year's Fast 50 winners are demonstrating just what it takes to stay ahead of the curve, in an era of rapid and constant change," said Anders McKenzie, Managing Partner of Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT) for Deloitte Canada. "Spanning a variety of industries, these companies are united in their unrivaled achievements in innovation, leadership and incredible growth. Every winner should feel a sense of pride for this success, and motivation to continue striving to succeed in the future."

Deloitte's annual survey of Technology Fast 50 CEOs found the labour market to be the biggest challenge for respondents, a reoccurring theme from 2017. More than half (64 per cent) of the respondents cited the talent labour market and technology advancements as the top two challenges facing their businesses today. While Fast 50 CEOs highlight the labour market as a challenge domestically, more than half (57 per cent) believe it's becoming easier to attract international talent to Canada compared to other countries.

Although the 2018 data shows a small drop in female applicants compared to 2017, 38 per cent of respondents say that more than 41 per cent of new hires for all positions are women, a 12-percentage point increase from 2017.

More companies believe diversity is a driving force in success

Seventy-five per cent of the Fast 50 companies surveyed believe creating and maintaining a diverse and inclusive workplace is one of the top three strategic drivers of a company's success. Sixty-seven per cent believe the best way to achieve an inclusive and engaged workplace is to hire a more diverse employee base, which represents a 13-percentage point increase from last year.

In 2018, 89 per cent of respondents consider their employee base to be diverse across age, skill level and cultural background.

"This year's Fast 50 winners operate with a global mindset and commit to investment in research and development, two elements that are critical for growth and future success," said Erica Pretorius, National Leader of the Technology Fast 50 program at Deloitte Canada. "By encouraging a more diverse and inclusive workplace and uniting through differences, Fast 50 companies will be able to capitalize on Canada's diversity and ensure future growth and success for their companies and our country."

Adopting emerging technologies

This year's survey results reveal an increase in companies using emerging technologies. Sixty per cent of Fast 50 companies surveyed report they are using more artificial intelligence (AI) and cognitive technologies than they did just a couple of years ago, an eight-percentage point increase since 2017. Zero respondents say they are using less AI technology in 2018.

In line with 2017 results, the primary purpose of AI and cognitive technology for Fast 50 winners is to increase their flexibility to grow faster. Twenty-nine per cent of respondents claim AI technology allows them to do things they wouldn't otherwise be able to do.

The majority of this year's Fast 50 winners are based in Ontario (23), followed by Quebec (13), British Columbia (12) and the Prairie region (2).

The 2018 Companies-to-Watch category winners include 7 Shifts, Algolux, Ample Organics, Auvik, Dialogue, eCompliance, Kira Systems, Klue, League, Loopio, Pressboard, Ritual Technologies, SOLINK, SPORTLOGiQ and Voltera. These outstanding companies are key to the future success of the technology sector.

The 2018 Leadership award winners include eSentire, Global Relay, Index Exchange, Plusgrade, Prodigy Game, Solium and TouchBistro. Ranging from British Columbia to Quebec, these winners dominate in their sector and join the ranks of other global leaders across Canada.

A complete list of winners of the Technology Fast 50, Companies-to-Watch and Leadership Awards categories is available at www.fast50.ca

Rank	Company name	City	Province	Growth %
1	Vanrx Pharmasystems	Burnaby	BC	19,342.0%
2	Mojio	Vancouver	BC	11,949.5%
3	COLO-D	Drummondville	QC	10,942.2%
4	LANDR Audio Inc	Montreal	QC	9,875.3%
5	SkipTheDishes	Winnipeg	SK	5,598.8%
6	Cluep	Toronto	ON	4,460.4%
7	Bench Accounting	Vancouver	BC	4,372.8%
8	Prodigy Game	Burlington	ON	2,386.7%
9	LowestRates.ca	Toronto	ON	1,858.7%
10	Rumble	Toronto	ON	1,757.2%
11	TrackTik	Montreal	QC	1,725.3%
12	Wave	Toronto	ON	1,647.4%
13	Influitive	Toronto	ON	1,523.2%
14	Dialekta	Montreal	QC	1,443.8%
15	VOTI Detection	Saint-Laurent	QC	1,299.3%
16	Left	Maple Ridge	BC	1,242.3%
17	Vidyard	Kitchener	ON	1,197.9%
18	Race Roster	London	ON	1,191.2%
19	PathFactory	Toronto	ON	1,161.3%
20	Foodee	Vancouver	BC	1,144.5%
21	FixMeStick Technologies Inc	Montreal	QC	1,131.6%
22	Strawhouse Inc	Kelowna	BC	1,124.9%
23	Refresh Financial	Kelowna	BC	934.3%
24	TouchBistro	Toronto	ON	928.3%
25	District M	Montreal	QC	925.8%
26	Diply	London	ON	829.6%
27	StackAdapt Inc	Toronto	ON	820.9%
28	Carbon Credit Solutions	Airdrie	AB	804.2%
29	Diff	Montreal	QC	763.9%
30	Felix and Paul Studios Inc	Montreal	QC	755.5%
31	Volante Systems	Toronto	ON	703.9%
32	Kinova	Boisbriand	QC	699.4%
33	Visier	Vancouver	BC	678.5%
34	Eastside Games Inc	Vancouver	BC	663.4%
35	Maropost	Toronto	ON	649.7%
36	Ayuda Media Systems Inc	Montreal	QC	647.2%
37	Ratehub Inc	Toronto	ON	604.7%
38	Newtrax Technologies Inc	Montreal	QC	599.6%
39	MMB Networks	Toronto	ON	591.4%
40	Index Exchange	Toronto	ON	547.7%
41	Prodigy Ventures Inc	Toronto	ON	519.9%
42	Klipfolio Inc	Ottawa	ON	513.6%
43	Canada Drives	Vancouver	BC	499.6%
44	Arcane Digital	London	ON	491.1%
45	Sortable	Kitchener	ON	483.2%
46	Top Hat	Toronto	ON	480.6%
47	GSoft	Montréal	QC	476.1%
48	BuyATab Online Inc	Vancouver	BC	433.0%
49	Unbounce	Vancouver	BC	408.8%
50	Axonify	Waterloo	ON	390.0%

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