Waterloo is one of three cities that make up the Region of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. Home to universities known for their computer science and other STEM programs, Waterloo and the surrounding area attracts graduates looking for employment in the tech sector. Here’s a roundup of some of the top companies in Waterloo that are helping to grow the region’s tech community.
Top Tech Companies in Waterloo
- EPAM Systems
- Cash App
- Toast
- Dropbox
- OpenText
- BlackBerry
- Arctic Wolf
- Faire
Top Tech Companies in Waterloo
SAP makes and markets software for businesses that helps them manage operations, finances and spends, customers relationships, supply chain and other critical business processes. SAP Canada, based in Waterloo, employs about 3,000 people.
Turntide Technologies designs and produces energy storage solutions, electric motors and electronics, with a focus on sustainability. Turntide, based in Sunnyvale, California, opened its Waterloo office during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Teledyne FLIR specializes in products that, in its words, “enhance perception and awareness” via thermal imaging, video analytics and advanced threat detection systems, among others. Its factory in Waterloo builds high-tech cameras and drones.
Arctic Wolf is a cybersecurity firm that combines its security operations platform with its concierge delivery model to allow clients to specify exactly how they want their security risks managed. Arctic Wolf’s solutions for client companies include managed risk, cloud security posture management and Incident Response.
Enlighted uses tech, including IT, data and location intelligence, to make the most out of workspaces. It opened its Waterloo office, which employs technical product development teams, in 2022. Enlighted is owned by Siemens.
Ansys is a global designer and maker of autonomous systems and engineering simulation software, used in cars, airplanes, computers and other everyday objects. Ansys Canada Ltd., its Canadian arm, is based in Waterloo.
EPAM provides digital transformation services to clients around the world. Its offerings cover areas such as product development, quality engineering, digital risk management, responsible AI design and data technology consulting. The company’s work touches industries ranging from media and gaming to energy and life sciences.
Once known for its signature mobile devices, today BlackBerry is a cybersecurity company that makes secure tech and software for mobile and IoT devices. Its software protects over 500 million devices, including smartphones, computers, tablets and IoT devices, working to prevent cyber threats within that network. The company also secures software in over 200 million connected cars.
ApplyBoard, an edtech company, helps students find and apply to educational opportunities in other countries, and creates tools to help educational institutions make the application process more efficient. The company is based in Waterloo and achieved unicorn status in 2020.
OpenText provides business process management and information management for enterprise clients. Its products and solutions allow organizations to manage their data and content and handle regulatory compliance requirements around data and information security. Working with a range of industries from insurance and banking to oil and gas, OpenText can digitize supply chains and improve communication across channels.
Faire is a wholesale e-commerce platform that small businesses can use to sell their goods through local retailers. It is, essentially, a marketplace that pairs makers with stores that will sell their products, in categories that include home décor, beauty and wellness, jewelry, pets, and food and drink.
Carta, a fintech company, helps organizations with all things finance, from valuations and cap table management to equity options for employees. Carta opened an R&D (research and development) office in Waterloo in 2019, staffing it with 51 employees from Kik, which it had recently acquired.
Dropbox is a software company that operates a suite of cloud-based file hosting services. It also provides synchronization and secure storage for large documents and files, and its products integrate with Slack, Zoom and other popular communications and productivity programs.
MasterClass, the edtech company offering online classes taught by famous people (Helen Mirren on acting, for example), opened an engineering center in Waterloo in 2023. The center hires engineers, designers, product managers, data scientists and other key tech roles.
Toast supports thousands of restaurants and other food establishments with products like point-of-sale systems, self-ordering kiosks, online ordering solutions, gift card programs and reservation systems. The company offers solutions and pricing models for eateries of all sizes, from small, single-location businesses to enterprise brands with operations across several locations.
Cash App allows users to instantly conduct peer-to-peer money transfers by using its mobile app. It also offers features like debit cards, direct deposits, stock buying and selling and free tax filing. The company also unveiled a savings feature, as well as capacity for Bitcoin sales and transfers.
McAfee, the global digital security company, researches, produces and innovates on products designed to keep computers and their users safe. The company’s Waterloo office, on Philip Street, employs about 200 people.
Chainlink Labs focuses on developing technology that facilitates connections between software applications and blockchains. Developers, startups and enterprise organizations representing a variety of industries use Chainlink Labs’ solutions to support their shift toward embracing Web3 innovation. The company is fully distributed and hires in Waterloo.
Square, the e-commerce company based in San Francisco, opened a Waterloo office in 2013. Square offers payment systems as well as POS (point of sale) tools and the Square Reader for credit-card payments. Max Rhodes, founder of Faire, is a graduate of Square’s Waterloo office.
Oracle NetSuite put down roots in Waterloo in 2013, when NetSuite bought a Waterloo company, TribeHR. In 2016, Oracle bought NetSuite to create Oracle NetSuite, and kept its presence in Waterloo. Its office is in downtown Kitchener.
