Deloitte: The 2012 Technology Fast 50 winners

By Rob Starr, Content Manager, Big4.com

Deloitte recently announced the winners of its 15th annual Technology Fast 50™ program and released the findings of its Technology Fast 50™ CEO survey. Winners of the Companies-to Watch (CTW), Leadership and Technology Green 15™ awards were also unveiled.

“There is a cyclical change in the technology sector. Growth in more mature companies is slowing down, but we see a lot of activity at the early stage,” said Duncan Stewart, Director of TMT Research for Deloitte. “That activity is a positive indicator of the future health of the sector and shows that starting a business is an attractive career option for many people. With limited capital many start-ups are operating in more efficient ways.”

Vancouver-based Avigilon Corporation is at the top of the Technology Fast 50™ ranking with a revenue growth rate¹ of 29,917%, although overall data from this year’s winners show a sharp decline in average growth from previous years.

Deloitte’s annuA strong majority (76%) of Technology Fast 50™ CEOs report that Canada’s graduates have the right skill set. Also on a positive note, the number of CEOs who have trouble finding the right talent mix was less than 50%, down 7% from last yearal survey of CEOs of Technology Fast 50™ companies provides insight into the challenges they face. Survey respondents point to a lack of entrepreneurship and risk tolerance as challenges with almost 80% saying that Canadians need to be stronger in both areas, up from only 56% last year.

Sitting in the Fast 50 top spot this year is Avigilon Corporation, a Vancouver-based company that designs and manufactures high-definition surveillance solutions. Founded in 2004, Avigilon went public during a difficult economy in late 2011. The company is a three-time Fast 50 winner and also the recipient of this year’s leadership award in the hardware category. Second and third spots go to EcoSynthetix Inc. (25,327%), a Burlington-based renewable chemicals company and Real Matters (8,961%) a Markham-based property solutions manager. Rounding out the top five are Hamilton-based VIZIYA Corp. (3,816%) and Toronto-based NexJ Systems Inc. (3,153%).