CIX Names Ecobee as 2018’s Innovator of the Year
Ecobee has been named CIX’s 2018 Innovator of the Year.
As one of Canada’s fastest-growing companies, the Toronto-based ecobee has been making huge moves in not only the national tech scene but the global one as well. The smart hardware company has raised $127 million this year alone to fuel its exponential growth (an $80 million round followed by a $47 million round), leading to one of the best-ever quarters for tech companies in Canada.
“Ecobee began as a few engineers on a mission—to give people a smarter way to control their homes’ energy usage in a way they had never before thought possible,” says Stuart Lombard, founder and CEO of ecobee. “That’s why we created the world’s first smart thermostat. Now, ecobee continues to transform the way people live in their homes for the better by leveraging the power of voice, advanced sensor technology and powerful AI.”
As Lombard mentions, ecobee is the creator of the world’s first ever smart thermostat. Founded in 2007, the company has launched a few products since then, including their latest flagship ecobee4. They also make smart light switches that act as sensors for a room, communicating with the central hub to make changes in temperature or lighting. This is all combined with Amazon Alexa capabilities, offering a true smart home experience.
The CIX Innovator of the Year award is given out annually to a Canadian company that tasks itself with disrupting industries in meaningful ways.
“Recognizing and celebrating Canada’s tech industry successes is hugely important and we are proud to present this award to ecobee,” says Lauren Linton, executive director of CIX. “Stuart and his team have literally invented a new category that improves people’s’ lives at the same time improving energy efficiency.”
Past recipients of the award include a who’s who of Canadian tech success stories, such as Shopify, Real Matters, Wattpad and Vision Critical.
Another reason ecobee took home this year’s award is for their philanthropic efforts. The company has given away more than $230,000 worth of smart thermostats to the city of Toronto to help save energy in low-income housing units, and also runs a donate your data campaign to let users anonymously share data to better understand and aid environmental issues. That campaign can also potentially be used to enable more independence and safety for those with special needs through low-interference home monitoring.
CIX is one of Canada’s leading innovation conferences, bringing together some of the brightest tech minds in the country. They are responsible for the CIX Top 20, a list of the country’s most innovative companies. Ecobee’s founder and CEO Stuart Lombard will deliver a keynote as CIX’s opening speaker on October 22.
