With its strong talent pool, central location, world-class facilities and excellent government incentives, Toronto has become one of North America’s hottest tech hubs, producing some of the brightest innovators in the world. world.
These visionaries are not only disrupting their industries with breakthrough technology, but reshaping lives with their unique products and services.
1. Regan McGee
Magnate Regan McGee made waves when he created Nobul, an online real estate marketplace that continues to disrupt the industry with its consumer-centric approach.
McGee shared with Toronto life how the idea of its innovative real estate platform was born. “I was having lunch with a colleague from Union Social in 2016, and we started talking about new technologies in real estate. The conversation snowballed and I had an epiphany: ‘Why not turn the industry upside down? ?”
On Nobul, top verified agents compete for a client’s business in real time. Plus, agent ratings, commissions, and stats are transparent to users. Compare this to conventional markets where customers are often at the mercy of an agent.
“Instead of having to search high and low for a good agent, home buyers and sellers create profiles online, and interested agents approach them with offers,” McGee explained. “Like Airbnb and Uber, Nobul operates on customer reviews, so before users engage, they can see what others are saying about agents.”
Nobul recently hit a milestone by achieving $5 billion in sales. Nobul executives believe the platform will expand its footprint across North America as they continue to invest aggressively in technology.
2. Jaimie Grossman, Paul Arlin, Ryan Shupak
Reviewers often describe Jiffy as the Uber of housekeeping. The popular app connects users with tradespeople like locksmiths, electricians, plumbers, landscapers, and technicians for jobs around the home. Like Uber, the professionals are verified and the prices are transparent.
According to Canadian company, Jaimie Grossman and her brother-in-law Paul Arlin came up with the concept for Jiffy after the former struggled to find an electrician for his new home. The pair then tapped investment banker Ryan Shupak as their third co-founder.
3.Ted Livingstone
When Research in Motion rejected Ted Livingston’s suggestion that BlackBerry Messenger should be cross-platform, it took matters into its own hands. The former Blackberry intern launched his own platform, Kik, which became a hit with young users due to its anonymity features.
Kik now has 15 million monthly active users, and nearly half of those users are from the United States.
Despite being one of Canada’s first tech unicorns, Kik hasn’t been without controversy. In 2013, Kik settled a patent infringement lawsuit with Blackberry. In 2018, international media began reporting instances of abuse on the platform.
In 2019, Ted Livingston informed users that Kik Messenger was shutting down in a blog post. However, the decision was quickly reversed and the Californian company MediaLab bought Kik A little after.
4. Michelle Romanow
When Michelle Romanow co-founded Toronto-based company Clearbanc (later renamed Clearco), the tech entrepreneur was on the list of Canada’s 100 Most Powerful Women in 2015. It wasn’t her first successful venture. Before launching the lending company, she had built successful online companies like Buytopia and SnapSaves.
In 2015, the entrepreneur also became the youngest Dragon in Dragon’s Den. Half a decade later, Romanow hit unicorn statusClearco having invested more than 2 billion dollars in more than 4,500 companies.
These are just a few of Toronto’s most exciting tech innovators. As one of the biggest tech hubs in the world, it’s no surprise that the city encourages creativity.
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