Sixteen years ago, Solink’s founders launched their software enterprise in the heart of the Kanata tech park with, in the words of CEO Mike Matta, “a very simple mission: to protect the livelihood of business owners.” Consider it mission accomplished. A company that was the brainchild of three engineers working out of a small server […]
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Sixteen years ago, Solink’s founders launched their software enterprise in the heart of the Kanata tech park with, in the words of CEO Mike Matta, “a very simple mission: to protect the livelihood of business owners.”
Consider it mission accomplished.
A company that was the brainchild of three engineers working out of a small server room at 390 March Rd. back in 2009 has moved into the big time, both literally and symbolically.
Last week, Solink unveiled a new, expanded head office that’s double the size of its previous footprint in the same building on March Road where it all began – an HQ that has even taken over space formerly occupied by the godfather of Kanata tech himself, Terry Matthews.
During a ribbon-cutting ceremony last Thursday attended by Kanata MP Jenna Sudds and federal Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation Evan Solomon, Matta said Solink has “has ambitions to become a global leader in AI for the physical world,” adding: “This is a moment for Canada to win in AI.”
Indeed, Solink is at the forefront of an AI revolution that’s seen the number of companies devoted to developing artificial intelligence software in Canada rise to 3,300 from 2,500 in just a couple of months, according to the latest figures from Solomon’s ministry.
Now at more than 400 employees globally, Solink specializes in cloud-based software that allows customers such as restaurants, manufacturers and property managers to quickly search footage from digital security cameras and marry it with point-of-sale data to pinpoint specific events, such as when employees dole out refunds or a coffee shop is running low on doughnuts.
The company’s AI-powered platform, dubbed Sidekick, can mine millions of hours of video in an instant with just a prompt from simple keywords – helping employers, for example, spot workers who are scrolling their cellphones on company time or who aren’t wearing the proper protective equipment.
Solink’s equipment is now found in 35,000 stores, restaurants and other businesses in more than 60 countries. Organizations that use its products include Tim Hortons, burger chain Five Guys and clothing retailer Moose Knuckles.
Chris McCluskey, a franchise holder of multiple Tim Hortons locations in the Ottawa area, was one of Solink’s first customers and now uses its video surveillance technology at all of his stores.
In an interview with OBJ at Solink headquarters last Thursday, he said it’s “almost impossible to measure” how much money Solink’s products have saved his businesses.
“Processes that used to take hours or sometimes days are now instant,” McCluskey said, noting the technology has prevented losses from potential thefts that are thwarted before they happen.
Solink’s AI-powered alarm system, which pairs video surveillance tech with live agents who determine whether to send police to a potential crime scene, has provided “comfort” to his managers, he added.
“Before, our senior leadership team or our restaurant managers might be woken up in the night for a false alarm,” McCluskey said. “They get to sleep at night now because Solink is monitoring. I’m just excited for where this goes from here.”
Retailers like McCluskey have adopted Sidekick in droves, and they stick with it – Solink boasts almost a 100 per cent customer retention rate. That’s fuelled revenue growth that has ranged between 70 and 80 per cent annually for the past several years, and the company’s headcount has risen 25 per cent in the past 12 months alone.
Still, Solink’s brass is showing no signs of complacency.
Chief technology officer Martin Soukup, who helped develop Sidekick, said that while the firm’s AI software is gaining traction in industries beyond quick service restaurants and retailers, such as financial services and logistics companies, he believes it’s “still just scratching the surface” of its potential.
Soukup said marrying AI with video has a wide range of potential uses beyond detecting fraud and pinpointing inefficient workflows, describing it as an “incredible hundred-billion-dollar opportunity that has just started in the market globally.”
Among those impressed by Solink’s growth trajectory is Solomon, who cited the company as an example for other budding Canadian AI entrepreneurs to follow.
“Being at Solink is an example of people getting it right,” he said.
