AFTIA: Stories of Survival from Canada’s Tech Innovators — CATA Series
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Background to Stories of Survival
CATA (Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance) has been sharing the stories of Canadian tech innovators weathering the COVID-19 pandemic in a series called “Stories of Survival from Canada’s Tech Innovators.” They have previously profiled Else Labs and FluroTech. This most recent article is about the Ottawa company AFTIA.
CATA has been pushing for support from the government for tech companies in Canada since thhttps://cata.ca/2020/stories-of-survival-from-canadas-tech-innovators-olivers-story/e beginning of the pandemic, including petitioning Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to release SR&ED funds and provide loans in the form of the Canada Emergency Resilience and Rebound fund.
AFTIA
AFTIA’s story of survival is what CATA calls an example of “why tech firms can help drive economic recovery.” AFTIA, a company that specializes in e-signature and workflow optimization, has enjoyed a 30-40% increase in revenue since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to CATA, AFTIA was one of the many “Unified Communications as a Service” companies that experienced a tidal wave in increased sales as the world transitioned to online and remote work. According to AFTIA co-founder and COO Rodney Waugh, this spike in sales was mostly seen in AFTIA’s e-signature service.
Pre-pandemic, AFTIA could hire more staff thanks to SR&ED funding. However, AFTIA cannot qualify for most government programs, and could only hire a few new staff during the pandemic. Waugh said that a plan like CATA’s proposed R&R fund would “make a huge difference.”
AFTIA’s experience of COVID-19 as a business provides an insightful perspective about how Canadian tech companies can find appropriate niches to help Canadians adjust to our new COVID-19 reality and survive the pandemic’s disruptions themselves.
You can read the full article about AFTIA’s story of survival here. If you want to learn more about AFTIA and their services, you can visit their website. If you’re interested in CATA’s R&R fund, please read our article to find out more and visit the CATA website directly! As always, we can’t wait to read the next installment in CATA’s stories of survival.