{"id":7906,"date":"2018-12-11T17:56:05","date_gmt":"2018-12-11T22:56:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.brainstation.io\/?p=7906"},"modified":"2020-05-20T18:13:26","modified_gmt":"2020-05-20T22:13:26","slug":"toronto-2018-a-huge-year-for-the-tech-market","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/toronto-2018-a-huge-year-for-the-tech-market","title":{"rendered":"Toronto 2018: A Huge Year for the Tech Market"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We\u2019ve written about <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/how-toronto-became-a-global-tech-leader-in-7-years\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Toronto\u2019s rise as a global tech leader<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and 2018 maintained that momentum, with the city\u2019s digital sector continuing to grow at an unprecedented rate. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With the holiday season upon us, we felt it was time to take stock of the year that was. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are some of the most important Toronto tech industry stories from 2018.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Toronto\u2019s Growing Tech Market Gets Noticed<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> CBRE Group<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> raised a lot of eyebrows this year, releasing a report that underscored the growth of the Toronto tech sector. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Toronto, the report stated, added 82,100 tech jobs between 2012 and 2017, an increase of 50 percent, which is more than any other city in North America. Toronto also came in fourth in CBRE\u2018s Tech Talent Scorecard, which looks at a number of metrics, including tech talent supply, completed tech degrees, industry outlook, and more. It was the first time a Canadian city has made the top five (which included the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.).<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_7929\" style=\"width: 1918px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7929\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-7929\" src=\"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Screen-Shot-2018-12-12-at-9.34.06-AM.png\" alt=\"CBRE Report\" width=\"1908\" height=\"526\" srcset=\"https:\/\/d2re7sjnpekmig.cloudfront.net\/prod\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Screen-Shot-2018-12-12-at-9.34.06-AM.png 1908w, https:\/\/d2re7sjnpekmig.cloudfront.net\/prod\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Screen-Shot-2018-12-12-at-9.34.06-AM-300x83.png 300w, https:\/\/d2re7sjnpekmig.cloudfront.net\/prod\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Screen-Shot-2018-12-12-at-9.34.06-AM-768x212.png 768w, https:\/\/d2re7sjnpekmig.cloudfront.net\/prod\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Screen-Shot-2018-12-12-at-9.34.06-AM-1024x282.png 1024w, https:\/\/d2re7sjnpekmig.cloudfront.net\/prod\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Screen-Shot-2018-12-12-at-9.34.06-AM-960x265.png 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1908px) 100vw, 1908px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-7929\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">CBRE&#8217;s Tech Talent Scorecard | Source: CBRE<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"attachment_7931\" style=\"width: 297px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7931\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-7931\" src=\"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Toby-Lennox-1.jpg\" alt=\"CEO of Toronto Global\" width=\"287\" height=\"306\" srcset=\"https:\/\/d2re7sjnpekmig.cloudfront.net\/prod\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Toby-Lennox-1.jpg 460w, https:\/\/d2re7sjnpekmig.cloudfront.net\/prod\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Toby-Lennox-1-282x300.jpg 282w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 287px) 100vw, 287px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-7931\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Toby Lennox | Source: Toronto Global<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe Toronto Region has never seen momentum like it\u2019s experiencing right now,\u201d said Toby Lennox, CEO of Toronto Global. \u201cIn September alone, the city drew over $1.4 billion in investment from U.S. and Canadian companies, ranging from global tech giants to local startups.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This momentum shows no sign of slowing down.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2018, the city made the top 10 on a ranking of global cities \u201cthat have the future-proofing capacity for longer-term success,\u201d and was deemed one of the world\u2019s leading technology innovation hubs according to KPMG\u2019s latest Global Innovation Report.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One reason for this might have to do with Toronto\u2019s reputation in the AI and blockchain sectors. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cA lot of the early fundamental technology for AI and blockchain was built by local scientists, developers, and teams, which has given us credibility and attention,\u201d said <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Alexander Norman<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Executive Director at Tech Toronto. \u201cThere has been a build up for at least 20 years. There have been many small changes over the last decade, which has now made us an emerging hub.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The launch of the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence in 2017 has also played a key role. According to Lennox, it has\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cput a spotlight on the outstanding quality of globally recognized AI talent that lives right here in the Toronto region. Major international companies are establishing R&amp;D labs in the Toronto region to take advantage of this deep pool of knowledge to develop new commercial applications.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Toronto, believe it or not, is also cheap. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yes, we know. The cost of housing is increasing at an alarming rate. Still, Toronto is one of the cheapest cities for tech firms to operate. CBRE\u2019s study found that a 500-employee firm renting a 75,000 square-foot space in Toronto would have estimated one-year operating costs of $30,224,259. Only Vancouver and Montreal were cheaper. The Bay Area was the most expensive market for tech companies to operate, with a total estimated cost of $59,124,612.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Which brings us to\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Tech Giants Move In<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If anything underscored the growth of the tech market in 2018, it was the number of tech organizations expanding in the 6ix. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It started in April when The Wing \u2014 a New York-based co-working and social space for women \u2014 announced that the city would be its first expansion into Canada. Less than two weeks later, Collision Conference, one of North America\u2019s largest startup conferences, announced it would be held in Toronto next year, making it the first time it had left the United States.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_7914\" style=\"width: 651px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7914\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-7914\" src=\"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/SF-space.jpg\" alt=\"The Wing\" width=\"641\" height=\"653\" srcset=\"https:\/\/d2re7sjnpekmig.cloudfront.net\/prod\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/SF-space.jpg 641w, https:\/\/d2re7sjnpekmig.cloudfront.net\/prod\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/SF-space-294x300.jpg 294w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 641px) 100vw, 641px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-7914\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: The Wing<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The following month, Etsy announced plans to open an AI\/Machine Learning center, their third \u201cMachine Learning Center of Excellence,\u201d and first in Canada. In a statement, the Brooklyn-based company said it had been &#8220;attracted by Toronto&#8217;s deep pool of world-class machine learning talent, leading universities feeding a robust tech pipeline and vibrant maker culture.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From an investment point of view, however, Microsoft was probably the most significant development this year. The tech giant announced they would <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">invest $570 million<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> into their Canadian operations, with the main focus a new, 140,000-square feet headquarters on Bay Street. The company also intends to grow local staff by more than 500 full-time employees, with an additional 500 co-ops and internship positions by 2022. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Just two days after this announcement, Uber\u2019s CEO Dara Khosrowshahi visited the MaRS Discovery District to announce their own massive investment in Toronto, this time to the tune of <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$200 million<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. With this investment, Uber intends to expand the company\u2019s self-driving lab in Toronto, build an engineering lab, and increase its headcount in the city to 500.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cAt Uber, we recognize Canada\u2019s commitment to innovation and the vibrancy of Toronto\u2019s tech ecosystem,\u201d said Khosrowshahi. \u201cWe want to support the innovation coming out of this great, diverse region.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Not to be outdone, Intel announced plans to <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">open a graphics chip engineering lab<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in the city on the very same day. The new facility will be the main operation center used to design the company\u2019s newest GPUs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201c[Toronto] was always on our radar. So when we were going to expand our dreams, we really wanted to tap into this great talent that exists there, \u201dAri Rauch, Intel\u2019s VP of Visual Technologies told <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/outline.com\/NUZ3XC\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the Globe and Mail<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Just a week later, Pinterest announced it would be opening its first-ever Canadian office in downtown Toronto. The social media company also revealed that it had hired former Facebook Canada executive Erin Elofson to lead the operation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That same week, Instacart revealed it would be expanding its Canadian presence with a new Toronto office and 200 additional employees (who will work across engineering, product, design, research, and development.)<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_7916\" style=\"width: 516px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7916\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-7916\" src=\"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/104457258-Apoorva_Mehta_Instacart.600x400.jpg\" alt=\"Apoorva Mehta\" width=\"506\" height=\"337\" srcset=\"https:\/\/d2re7sjnpekmig.cloudfront.net\/prod\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/104457258-Apoorva_Mehta_Instacart.600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/d2re7sjnpekmig.cloudfront.net\/prod\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/104457258-Apoorva_Mehta_Instacart.600x400-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 506px) 100vw, 506px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-7916\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Apoorva Mehta, Founder, and CEO of Instacart | Source: Getty Images<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cAs a Canadian and alumni of the University of Waterloo engineering school, I\u2019m proud to see Canada, and Toronto in particular, grow to become one of the most influential tech hubs in North America,\u201d <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/techvibes.com\/2018\/09\/26\/instacart-announces-new-toronto-tech-hub\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">said <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Apoorva Mehta, CEO of Instacart. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWhen I was a student at Waterloo, the perception was that you had to leave Toronto and head to Silicon Valley to make an impact in tech. Today, that\u2019s no longer the case, as Toronto has quickly become one of the hottest tech markets in the world. The innovation and talent coming out of Canada are world-class and Instacart is excited to invest in this growing community.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Instacart had a busy 2018, as it turns out, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">having also acquired Toronto\u2019s Unata<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, one of Canada\u2019s fastest-growing companies, in January. They also <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">announced a grocery-delivery partnership<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with Loblaw, the country\u2019s largest grocer.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One day after Instacart\u2019s announcement, WeWork launched WeWork Labs in Toronto, its first Lab in Canada. WeWork Labs provides early-stage startups with space and resources, including \u2018Startup 101\u2019 workshops. WeWork currently has Labs in 12 cities, including New York, Washington, DC, Shanghai, and S\u00e3o Paulo.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Just two days later, Shopify announced a $500 million expansion of its Toronto presence. The Ottawa-based company currently has 700 employees in the city, across three offices, and the new plan involves occupying 254,000 square feet at The Well development on Front Street, one of the largest construction projects in Canada.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_7918\" style=\"width: 1110px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7918\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-7918\" src=\"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Arial1100x360.jpg\" alt=\"The Well Development\" width=\"1100\" height=\"360\" srcset=\"https:\/\/d2re7sjnpekmig.cloudfront.net\/prod\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Arial1100x360.jpg 1100w, https:\/\/d2re7sjnpekmig.cloudfront.net\/prod\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Arial1100x360-300x98.jpg 300w, https:\/\/d2re7sjnpekmig.cloudfront.net\/prod\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Arial1100x360-768x251.jpg 768w, https:\/\/d2re7sjnpekmig.cloudfront.net\/prod\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Arial1100x360-1024x335.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/d2re7sjnpekmig.cloudfront.net\/prod\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Arial1100x360-960x314.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1100px) 100vw, 1100px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-7918\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Well Development | Source: The Well Toronto<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All of this was capped off in November when professional services firm Accenture opened an innovation hub in the city, with plans to add 300 jobs within the Toronto hub, and another 100 elsewhere in the city. Accenture also plans to add 100 apprenticeship jobs, dedicated to underrepresented groups including Indigenous youth and people with disabilities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With the then still-undecided Amazon decision as a backdrop, this stream of announcements signaled that something in Toronto had changed. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIt\u2019s not a one-off. It\u2019s a pattern where large companies are increasingly seeing the need to invest in technology as a means of staying competitive [and] coming to Toronto,\u201d said Sean Mullin, Executive Director of the Brookfield Institute for innovation and entrepreneurship at Ryerson University, explaining that Toronto\u2019s presence on Amazon\u2019s shortlist really drove home <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the city\u2019s new status.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>According to\u00a0<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Krista Jones, Managing Director of Enterprise at MaRS Discovery District, it&#8217;s a been a bit of a perfect storm.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cYou\u2019re starting to see a pull from the global world in, where we used to have to push out,\u201d she said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Money Keeps Coming In<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2018 was also a big year on the funding and acquisitions front.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Retail AI company <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rubikloud Technologies Inc., for example,<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0raised $37 million in a Series B financing round. The round was led by Intel Capital with iNovia Capital, OTEAF, Horizons Ventures, and Access Industries also participating. Rubikloud plans to expand into Europe and Asia to meet the demand for retail AI solutions in the global market.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_7920\" style=\"width: 230px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7920\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-7920\" src=\"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/mainnav_ecobee4_us.png\" alt=\"ecobee smart thermostat\" width=\"220\" height=\"160\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-7920\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ecobee smart thermostat | Source: Ecobee<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Elsewhere, smart thermostat company Ecobee raised $36 million in 2018, bringing its total Series C funding to just over $94 million (USD). The latest round included participation from the Amazon Alexa Fund, and for good reason: the funding will allow the company to keep up with its rival Nest, the smart home company purchased by Google in 2014. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.touchbistro.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">TouchBistro<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, an iPad POS built to streamline restaurant operations, announced it had raised $72 million in Series D financing. The round was led by OMERS Ventures and JPMorgan Chase, with participation from Napier Park Financial Partners, Recruit Holdings Co, Ltd, BDC IT Venture Fund, and Relay Ventures. This round brought TouchBistro\u2019s total funding to date $117 million (CAD).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Meanwhile, Ritual Technologies Inc., an online ordering service, raised $70-million in financing led by Canadian venture capital firm Georgian Partners. Georgian\u2019s investment is first Canadian funding for the company, which has raised $57.5-million in previous financing rounds from U.S. VC funds Greylock and Insight Ventures.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_7928\" style=\"width: 480px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7928\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-7928\" src=\"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/ritual-Cofounders5_336455.jpg\" alt=\"Ritual Cofounders\" width=\"470\" height=\"218\" srcset=\"https:\/\/d2re7sjnpekmig.cloudfront.net\/prod\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/ritual-Cofounders5_336455.jpg 970w, https:\/\/d2re7sjnpekmig.cloudfront.net\/prod\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/ritual-Cofounders5_336455-300x139.jpg 300w, https:\/\/d2re7sjnpekmig.cloudfront.net\/prod\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/ritual-Cofounders5_336455-768x356.jpg 768w, https:\/\/d2re7sjnpekmig.cloudfront.net\/prod\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/ritual-Cofounders5_336455-960x445.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 470px) 100vw, 470px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-7928\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ritual co-founders | Source: Inc.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With the financing, Ritual is aiming to expand into Europe and Asia, and increase its North American presence. The company\u2019s goals are ambitious: it wants to be in the top 25 cities in all three continents within five years. To get there, it plans to double its 150-person staff by next year.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On the acquisitions front, the year began with news that Visual China Group had acquired 500px, one of the leading online visual creative communities in the world. Since its founding in 2009, 500px has grown to include more than 13 million professionals and amateur photographers from over 195 countries.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A few months later, McAfee announced that it had acquired VPN provider <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">TunnelBear<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The security giant intends to integrate <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">TunnelBear\u2019s <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">technologies into the company\u2019s own VPN product, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Safe Connect<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Around the same time, L\u2019Oreal announced it had acquired <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Modiface<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, an augmented reality beauty company that has helped create apps for companies like Sephora, Est\u00e9e Lauder, and L&#8217;Oreal itself.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And just a week ago, Nasdaq completed the acquisition of <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Quandl<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a provider of alternative and core financial data. Quandl\u2019s platform will be combined with Nasdaq\u2019s existing Analytics Hub business within Global Information Services. <\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Local Organizations Build Stronger Foundations<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All this activity on the financial side was matched by a number of initiatives that should encourage local innovation. First, the much-maligned Bombardier agreed to set up an aerospace hub in Downsview Park with the Downsview Aerospace Innovation and Research Consortium (DAIR).<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_7927\" style=\"width: 1009px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7927\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-7927 \" src=\"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/DAIR-1280x701.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"999\" height=\"547\" srcset=\"https:\/\/d2re7sjnpekmig.cloudfront.net\/prod\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/DAIR-1280x701.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/d2re7sjnpekmig.cloudfront.net\/prod\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/DAIR-1280x701-300x164.jpg 300w, https:\/\/d2re7sjnpekmig.cloudfront.net\/prod\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/DAIR-1280x701-768x421.jpg 768w, https:\/\/d2re7sjnpekmig.cloudfront.net\/prod\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/DAIR-1280x701-1024x561.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/d2re7sjnpekmig.cloudfront.net\/prod\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/DAIR-1280x701-960x526.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 999px) 100vw, 999px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-7927\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rendering of DAIR | Source: Techvibes<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bombardier has committed to invest $4.5 million, which will go towards academic opportunities and operational costs, including the preservation of aerospace heritage at the site.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThrough this partnership with Bombardier, DAIR will be uniquely positioned to play a leading role in the development of tomorrow\u2019s aviation solutions,\u201d said Andrew Petrou, Executive Director for DAIR.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Two months later, the University of Toronto revealed plans for a new, 14-story tower, 250,000-square-foot innovation center. Located across the street from the <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">MaRS Discovery District<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the new space will eventually house the aforementioned Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_7913\" style=\"width: 1088px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7913\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-7913 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/U-of-T-plans-to-build-new-innovation-centre-to-house-the-Vector-Institute-Source-University-of-Toronto-.png\" alt=\"U of T Innovation Centre\" width=\"1078\" height=\"566\" srcset=\"https:\/\/d2re7sjnpekmig.cloudfront.net\/prod\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/U-of-T-plans-to-build-new-innovation-centre-to-house-the-Vector-Institute-Source-University-of-Toronto-.png 1078w, https:\/\/d2re7sjnpekmig.cloudfront.net\/prod\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/U-of-T-plans-to-build-new-innovation-centre-to-house-the-Vector-Institute-Source-University-of-Toronto--300x158.png 300w, https:\/\/d2re7sjnpekmig.cloudfront.net\/prod\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/U-of-T-plans-to-build-new-innovation-centre-to-house-the-Vector-Institute-Source-University-of-Toronto--768x403.png 768w, https:\/\/d2re7sjnpekmig.cloudfront.net\/prod\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/U-of-T-plans-to-build-new-innovation-centre-to-house-the-Vector-Institute-Source-University-of-Toronto--1024x538.png 1024w, https:\/\/d2re7sjnpekmig.cloudfront.net\/prod\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/U-of-T-plans-to-build-new-innovation-centre-to-house-the-Vector-Institute-Source-University-of-Toronto--960x504.png 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1078px) 100vw, 1078px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-7913\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">U of T Innovation Centre | Source: University of Toronto<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The University of Toronto also announced a five-year, multimillion-dollar research partnership with LG. The partnership includes the development of a research center in the city, which will aim to solve fundamental problems surrounding deep learning.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Elsewhere, Artscape Daniels Launchpad, a hub for creative entrepreneurship, opened in November on the waterfront. The non-profit organization aims to provide makers, visual artists, media creators, and designers with a creative space that supports experimentation, connection, and collaboration. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To help these local professionals and creatives, BrainStation offered a number of new\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/courses\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">certificate courses<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in 2018, including Design Thinking, Digital Marketing, Agile, and Google Analytics, among many others. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We also launched the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/course\/online\/remote-data-science-bootcamp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Data Science Diploma Program,<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the first full-time data science diploma program of its kind in Canada, and hosted a range of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/events\/toronto\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">keynotes and panel discussions<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with industry leaders from across the region. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Over the course of the last few years, our campus has become a unique community gathering point, and much like Toronto\u2019s burgeoning tech scene, we feel the best is yet to come.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Inspired? Find out more about our <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/courses#on-campus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">certificate courses and diploma programs in Toronto<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With the holidays approaching, we take a look back at the (big) year that was.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":7907,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[84,685],"tags":[686],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v18.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Toronto 2018: A Huge Year for the Tech Market<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"2018 was a big year for the Toronto tech scene. 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We take a look back at some of the year&#039;s biggest tech stories, including expansions, new offices, funding rounds, acquisitions, and more.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/toronto-2018-a-huge-year-for-the-tech-market\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"BrainStation\u00ae Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-12-11T22:56:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-05-20T22:13:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/d2re7sjnpekmig.cloudfront.net\/prod\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Zachary_Monteiro_TORONTO_Review.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2221\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"766\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"BrainStation\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"11 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"BrainStation\u00ae Blog\",\"description\":\"The Digital Learning Company\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/toronto-2018-a-huge-year-for-the-tech-market#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/d2re7sjnpekmig.cloudfront.net\/prod\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Zachary_Monteiro_TORONTO_Review.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/d2re7sjnpekmig.cloudfront.net\/prod\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Zachary_Monteiro_TORONTO_Review.png\",\"width\":2221,\"height\":766,\"caption\":\"2018 was a big year for Toronto Tech\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/toronto-2018-a-huge-year-for-the-tech-market#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/toronto-2018-a-huge-year-for-the-tech-market\",\"name\":\"Toronto 2018: A Huge Year for the Tech Market\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/toronto-2018-a-huge-year-for-the-tech-market#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2018-12-11T22:56:05+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-05-20T22:13:26+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/9f37983a6c4da6cf5dd422481ac8cf11\"},\"description\":\"2018 was a big year for the Toronto tech scene. 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