The CEOs of some of Canada’s leading-edge technology firms are excited for the year ahead, but a little bit sad that Research in Motion is suffering tough times, a CBC News story reports.
In a report today, Daniel Schwartz of CBC catches up with four executives that have been identified as the broadcaster as potentially being Canada’s next tech darling. The CEOs include Mike McDerment of FreshBooks, Ryan Holmes at Hootsuite, Judy Sims at Shopcaster, and Tobias Lutke at Shopify. Overall, the group reports impressive growth over 2012 and a positive outlook for 2013.
Waterloo, Ont.-based RIM could rebound with its BlackBerry 10 launch.
The one blemish on 2012? The Canadian public’s lack of support for RIM. After seeing its stock price slide, a series of negative stories in the press, and not releasing a new product for several cycles to keep pace with the competition, some have lost faith in the firm that’s still considered Canada’s tech giant. As McDerment tells CBC, “tech companies build up quickly and they can encounter massive problems quickly as well.”
Perhaps the FreshBooks CEO is worried that even if his online invoicing service is elevated to the podium as Canada’s next tech darling, its time there could be as short lived as well. But RIM could make a come back yet, with the anticipated launch of its BlackBerry 10 platform and new smartphones Jan. 30.