Highlighting the Meteoric Rise of the Silicon Prairie
By Suchet Randhawa - Jul 5, 2019
The Saskatoon technology start-up sector has seen a massive boom in recent years, birthing a number of innovative companies, including the likes of SkipTheDishes, 7Shifts, and our very own, Coconut Software. Since then, the prairies have seen significant growth in the tech sector, earning the title ‘Silicon Prairie’. Alex MacPherson of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix recently covered this growing sector, acknowledging some of the most influential and successful start-ups in the prairies.
Read Alex MacPherson’s article in the Saskatoon StarPhoenix here.
MacPherson starts off the article highlighting Coconut Software Founder & CEO Katherine Regnier’s experience and journey, from starting off with a $5,000 loan, to on-boarding over 50 employees in offices located in Saskatoon and Toronto.
The article then moves on to take an in depth look at the exponential growth the SaskTech sector has experienced in recent years. Aaron Genest – the President of the SaskTech Association – discusses the three budding categories of technology companies sprouting in Saskatoon:
- Pure-Play Software Companies
- Tech-Adjacent Companies
- Traditional industrial companies, attempting to disrupt the market with technology
MacPherson dives into the key success factors in the prairie tech industry. Sitting down with the likes of Jordan Boesch of 7Shifts Inc., Coconut investor David Unsworth of Information Venture Partners, and Greg Sutton of TinyEye Therapy Services to discuss the driving factors for continued growth, the challenges they face, and the recent government support start-ups have received in the prairies.
Featured Silicon Prairie Companies and Associations:
Coconut Software, is an industry leading software company that provides enterprise appointment scheduling and lobby management solutions. Coconut provides enterprise level solutions that redefine how customers interact with organizations while maintaining the highest levels of security and compliance.
Information Venture Partners is an investment firm specializing in direct and fund of funds investments. Information Venture Partners is an entrepreneur friendly, Toronto-based, early stage, venture fund focused on North American enterprise and financial technology companies.
7Shifts is a reputed scheduling software solution for restaurants, bars and similar hospitality venues, designed to improve employee attendance, evenly and effectively distribute workload among available workers, and significantly reduce labor costs.
SkipTheDishes Restaurant Services Inc. is a technology company now headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba, that connects people to local restaurants and food couriers, for fast, efficient delivery.
Pivot Furniture allows customers to subscribe monthly to everything from couches to coffee tables to lamps and wine racks, and then return the items when they’re no longer wanted or needed.
TinyEYE provides crucial speech language therapy despite a severe shortage of treatment specialists, especially in remote areas.
Co.Labs is a technology incubator that provides all the tools necessary to grow and scale a tech startup in Saskatchewan.
Looking to boost revenue and deliver a premium experience to your clients? Schedule a consultation with Coconut Software to learn more about how our appointment scheduling solutions can get you there.
