I am going to have a two posts dedicated to some of the start-ups that I admire here in Ottawa. Last year I picked my three favourites. I have followed up with the CEO’s from the three companies and asked them to share their companies’ accomplishments for the past year. Both Rob Brennan (Triacta) and Kareem Sultan (RaceDV) were kind enough to reply to my request for more information. Unlike many “companies to watch” posts I plan on following my alumni into the foreseeable future.

RaceDV is a very cool start-up here in Ottawa and one that I have gotten to know quite well over the past year. RaceDV is enriching the motorsport experience for amateur racing enthusiast in North America. The owners have those key entrepreneurial characteristics that are necessary for success; Passion and Persistence.

RaceDV has developed their own hardware platform and introduced a production system for their racing DVD’s. They have gone from a standing start to a substantial run rate over the summer and expect to increase that again by 50% over the next couple of months. Their web traffic is also increasing rapidly. On the marketing side they have identified their key market verticals, won several key customers and have plans to continue to grow over the next year. I really like team Kareem (Rob) and look forward to reporting on their progress again next year.

Rob Brennan started Triacta based on a business case he had prepared for the consulting project in his Queen’s MBA course. The business case has stood the test of time and in my opinion Triacta is one of the strongest start-ups in the Ottawa area. Their product is smart meters for small business and residential hydro applications. A growing market, strong demand, clean tech friendly and an experienced capable management team make Triacta a start-up to watch. I continue to see announcements about customer wins for Triacta and expect them to continue their trajectory of success.

Cheers,
Ian Graham