In a new report, MaRS details companies across Canada that are changing consumer habits, as well as the top three emerging tech sectors.
The report lists companies that are impacting how people are consuming and communicating. It also analyzes capital raised in 2015 to understand which consumer and commerce verticals are seeing the most activity in Canada and which B2B companies are getting the most traction.
The report separates companies by verticals like retail, big data and analytics, and media and entertainment. Turo, which entered Canada in April, as the top company impacting the marketplace landscape. Varagesale and Shop.ca, were named as the second and third marketplace startups making an impact, though the latter has recently filed for bankruptcy.
Toronto-based Bitstrips, which was acquired by Snapchat for a reported $100 million, dominated the media and entertainment sector in 2015.
MaRS also looked at emerging technology and industries across the world, naming augmented reality — which is currently enjoying a sharp rise in popularity thanks to Pokemon Go — artificial intelligence and IoT as three major sectors that will see market growth by 2025. According to MaRS, artificial intelligence is “simplifying” the shopping experience of customers thanks to digital personal assistants, while IoT is paving the way for an “era of deep personalization” by allowing interconnectivity between people and their surroundings.
“The convergence of sensors, data and connected devices has enabled a new breed of self-aware networks and inspired a new set of consumer needs, wants and experiences,” the report said. “As these innovations advance our interactions with both the digital and physical worlds, and as they create real-time feedback systems between our bodies and the environment, the opportunities for advertisers to reach, influence and persuade us will be more pervasive than ever.”