Looking at the history of business in London, familiar names like Labatt, London Life, Goodlife Fitness, and McCormick speak to a tradition of “made-in-London” success stories creating a strong foundation for the city and region’s economy.
While the city’s economy has evolved over many decades, that homegrown ethos has remained the same, and the companies that are positioned to lead the city’s growth in the coming years are ones that have started, grown, and thrived in London.
“Some of our top entrepreneurs were born and raised here, some came to London through Western University or Fanshawe College, and still others arrived along with family and spouses.” says Marilyn Sinclair, President & CEO of TechAlliance.“Regardless of what brought them here, what they all have in common is that they knew London was the right place for their business to succeed”.
That success is being recognized at the national and international level more and more each year, as London’s tech leaders continue to rank among the best in Canada and North America. In 2018, Voices.com, Diply, Arcane, and Big Viking Games landed on Deloitte’s Fast 500: North America listing of the fastest- growing companies in the United States and Canada, while Voices.com, Digital Echidna, Zomaron, and StarTech.com appeared on the Growth 500 listing of Canada’s fastest-growing companies.
“Add to this numerous other awards and special recognitions that companies like Digital Extremes, Media Sonar, and Total Leader Solutions earned in the past year, and it was a banner year for London’s tech companies.” enthuses Sinclair.
Another prominent indicator of the sector’s continued growth are the number of businesses changing offices to accommodate their growing teams. Zomaron, Northern Commerce, Start. ca, and Info-Tech Research Group are just some of the numerous companies that have moved into new, larger spaces in recent years, and in some cases, the company relocations are making a positive contribution to neighbourhood revitalization efforts.
“We expect all of these trends to continue in 2019 and beyond.” says Sinclair.“More of our startups will be transitioning into a growth stage, more companies will be adding to their teams and expanding their operations, and we expect to see even more of our entrepreneurs representing the city on the national and international stage.”
