As many Canadian founders will tell you, Canada’s supportive startup ecosystem and community is a point of pride. Between big moves like 500 Startups moving in to get a sneak peek on Canadian companies and homegrown Canadians working to foster senior talent, it will be exciting to see how much our ecosystem will grow in the next five years.
Fittingly, on Canada Day, the Apple App Store is featuring a special collection of Canadian-made apps people might not even realize are Canadian-made — but are loved around the world.
The full list of top Canadian apps (by platform) includes:
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iPhone
Flipp
Hyperspektiv
Transit App
1Password
Fit Brains Trainer
iPad
Wattpad
FreshBooks
Sago Mini Friends
Cinemagraph Pro
Apple Watch
WealthSimple
Fit Brains Trainer
1Password
Timeline
XE Currency
Transit 360
Quick Fit – 7 Minute Workout
ecobee 3
Apple TV
Shopify
Sago Mini Superhero TV
500px – Discover photos
Slice Fractions
Fit Brains Trainer
Mac App Store
Capo 3
Mactracker
Cinemagraph Pro
1Password
“Paying through a messaging channel is not a smooth experience. We often require the customer to fill out a form on a webpage to complete a transaction,” said Brandon Chu, senior product manager at Shopify, about the value of creating apps in a world where chat bots are taking over. “Although we expect messaging platforms to improve payment options in the near future, today, only apps can offer businesses high converting payment flows like saved credit cards and Apple Pay.”
For Vancouver-based Mark Baxter, the general manager at Rosetta Stone Fit Brains, Canada’s supportive startup community has been an “essential ingredient” to their success.
“The app was initially very well received, with an average 4.5 star rating, but after earning a coveted ‘Editor’s Choice’ in the iTunes App Store, the app quickly jumped into the top 10 in education, where it has largely remained over its lifetime. To date, since the launch of the app, Fit Brains has reached more than 20 million users,” said Baxter. “The best part of the local startup community is that there are a lot of networking events and experienced mentors who enjoy sharing their knowledge.”