2019 Ready to Rocket lists Announced to Profile Growth Companies in B.C.'s Technology Sectors

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - March 12, 2019 - EntSun -- Rocket Builders today released its seventeenth (17th) annual "Ready to Rocket" lists.  These lists profile British Columbia technology companies that are best positioned to capitalize on the technology sector trends that will lead them to faster growth than their peers. Rocket Builders also released results from its 2018 lists, with strong revenue growth across all sectors. As is typical with this list, companies profiled tend to attract investment, partnerships and even get acquired. This year, the two notable acquisitions were the exits by Mazza Innovations and S2G Biochemicals.

The annual 2019 "Ready to Rocket" lists provide accurate predictions of private companies that will likely experience significant growth, venture capital investment or acquisition by a major player in the coming year. This year the lists feature 203 companies across 5 different technology sectors:

• Information and Communications Technology (ICT)  - 85 companies
• Cleantech (CT) - 39 companies
• Life Science (LS) - 20 companies
• Digital Health (DH) - 39 companies
• Agri-Food (AF) - 20 companies

The "Ready to Rocket" lists are the only predictive lists of its kind in North America, requiring many months of sector and company analysis. The 2019 Lists feature 85 "Ready to Rocket" technology growth companies and 118 "Emerging Rocket" early stage startups.

"Over the 17 years of the program, the B.C. technology sector has steadily grown each year, and presents a growing challenge to select and identify the most likely to succeed for our Ready to Rocket lists," said Geoffrey Hansen, Managing Partner at Rocket Builders. "In recent years, a startup economy has blossomed yielding a rich field of companies for our consideration, with over 450 companies reviewed to make our selections of 203 winners. Our Emerging Rocket lists enables us to profile those earlier stage companies that are well positioned for investment."

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

The 2018 Ready to Rocket list for ICT performed extremely well. The average growth rate on that list was over 40% growth, with 32 companies with double digit growth and 6 exceeding 100% growth. The list as a whole represented the creation of over 400 jobs. 39% of companies on the list received new investment in 2018. The 2018 Ready to Rocket list for ICT features 38 companies and the 2018 Emerging Rocket list for ICT features 47 companies.

"2018 was a great year for ICT in British Columbia as there was significant job creation and many breakthrough companies," said Reg Nordman, Managing Partner at Rocket Builders. "We have great ambitions for the 2019 list as many of the featured companies are maturing to the stage where they are likely to be acquired."

CLEANTECH (CT)

The 2018 Ready to Rocket list for Cleantech performed extremely well. The majority of companies on the list had in excess of 75% growth, and the lists together created over 200 jobs in 2018. The 2019 Ready to Rocket list for Cleantech features 19 companies, while the Emerging Rocket list features 20 companies.

According to Dave Thomas, Senior Partner at Rocket Builders, "The Cleantech sector in B.C. continues to see growth and diversity with noteworthy examples in waste management and in alternative energy."

LIFE SCIENCE (LS)

The 2018 Ready to Rocket list for Life Science featured many new investments (70% received new investment) and key milestones. There were over 65 jobs created among companies on the list. The 2019 Ready to Rocket list for Life Science features 10 companies, and the Emerging Rocket list features 10 companies.

DIGITAL HEALTH (DH)

2018 was the second year for the Digital Health sector list, and it continues to show growth. With over 100 jobs created, it was a great year for a developing sector. The earlier stage "Emerging Rockets" are really accelerating, with over 75% of them raising investment last year.

In 2019, a  total of 38 companies are being showcased.

AGRI-FOOD (AF)

2019 is the first year for the Agri-Food sector list -- it is a sector comprised of technology companies in the agriculture and food value chains. This inaugural lists features 20 companies in Agricultural Technology (AgTech), Food Technology (FoodTech) and Cannabis Technology (CannabisTech).

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For details on the "Ready to Rocket" lists, please visit http://www.readytorocket.com

About the Sponsors:

CBRE http://hightech.cbrevancouver.com

Garibaldi Capital http://garibaldicapital.com

Go Recruitment https://www.gorecruitment.com

McMillan http://mcmillan.ca/index.aspx

City of New Westminster https://www.newwestcity.ca

PwC https://www.pwc.com/ca/en.html

Rocket Builders http://www.rocketbuilders.com

About the Rocket Recognition Program

The Rocket Recognition Program features two branded lists of companies. The "Ready to Rocket" list profiles information technology companies with the greatest potential for revenue growth in the coming year. The "Emerging Rockets" list profiles technology companies from multiple technology sectors with great potential for investment and market breakthroughs in the coming year. Both lists are predictive of future success making them unique in approach and unique in value for our business audience. "Ready to Rocket" and "Emerging Rockets: are trademarks of Rocket Builders, a respected management consulting firm servicing the technology industry.

http://www.readytorocket.com

About Rocket Builders

Rocket Builders is a management consulting firm providing sales and marketing services. With a focus on helping technology companies to grow and prosper, Rocket Builders has a proven track record of success with its clients. Since 2000, we have been engaged in market research, market planning, business development initiatives, strategic selling, and product launches for over 350 organizations.

http://www.rocketbuilders.com