Now that we’re well into 2025, it’s time for the February edition of our Ottawa Business Success Snapshots blog series.
From companies working to develop new and innovative tech solutions to mainstreet businesses in the heart of Ottawa’s communities, each company is on a unique journey as part of Ottawa’s business community.
Continue below to learn more about companies that are finding success here in Ottawa, including Plantaform, Cyphercor, and Code for a Cause.
Plantaform’s Rapid Growth in 2025
It has already been an incredible start to 2025 for Ottawa-based company Plantaform.
After a month-long showcase of their innovative indoor gardening technology at Costco Roadshows throughout February, the company recently announced that it has secured a major deal through CBC’s Dragons’ Den.
As a client company within Invest Ottawa’s IO Accelerator Program, Plantaform is rapidly expanding, proving itself as a key player in sustainable in-home gardening solutions.
A Game-Changing Dragons’ Den Deal
The pivotal partnership agreement with Dragons’ Den investor Michele Romanow marks a significant milestone for the company, providing the strategic guidance and funding needed to propel Plantaform to new heights.
“We are thrilled to have Michele on board as a strategic partner. Her expertise in manufacturing and distribution will be invaluable as we scale our operations and expand into new markets,” CEO of Plantaform Alberto Aguilar said on the company’s website.
With this investment boost and added mentorship firepower, the company is well-positioned to scale and strengthen its market presence across North America.
Industry Accolades at CES 2025 in Las Vegas
Also part of its incredible start to 2025, Plantaform launched into the U.S. market on January 7th at CES 2025 in Las Vegas.
The launch earned the company dozens of media hits, including product roundups and standalone features in major publications such as Digital Trends, Mashable, CNET, France TV, PC Mag, Tomorrow’s World Today, TechRadar, The Times, The Food Institute, Popular Science, Homes & Gardens, CBC News Montreal, and CBC Radio Ottawa.
Additionally, Plantaform won six Best of Show awards: the CES Innovation Awards® Best of Innovation in the Food and AgTech category for 2025, Digital Trends’ Best of Show in the Smart Home category, House Digest’s Best of CES, CNET’s Best of CES, and PCWorld’s Best of CES, further solidifying its position as an innovator in the indoor gardening industry.
Costco Roadshows: Bringing Innovation to Consumers
The Dragons’ Den announcement comes on the heels of an already busy February for Plantaform, as the company has spent the majority of the month engaging with consumers through Costco Roadshows across multiple Ottawa locations.
In the roadshow event, the company made on-site appearances at the Kanata Costco Warehouse from January 21 to February 2nd, followed by the Gloucester Costco Warehouse from February 4-16, and a third roadshow in the Costco Nepean Warehouse – happening February 18 to March 2nd.
These exclusive in-store showcases provided customers with a chance to get hands-on experience with Plantaform’s Rejuvenate indoor garden—an innovative hydroponic system that uses NASA-inspired Fogponics technology, which requires 98% less water than traditional methods while delivering nutrient-rich, pesticide-free greens with minimal effort.
The roadshows provided a valuable opportunity to connect directly with consumers, answer questions, and demonstrate the benefits of Plantaform’s eco-friendly and soil-free technology.
Scaling with Invest Ottawa’s IO Accelerator Program
As a client company of Invest Ottawa’s IO Accelerator Program, Plantaform is leveraging a strong network of mentors, resources, and business development tools to scale effectively. The program supports high-potential startups – offering expert guidance on funding, commercialization, and strategies to help them scale.
Looking Ahead
With the momentum from its busy start, Plantaform is poised for a transformative year ahead. The company is gearing up to scale production, expand its retail partnerships, and introduce new product innovations designed to make sustainable home gardening even more accessible.
Learn More & Stay Connected:
- To learn more about Plantaform, visit their website.
- Invest Ottawa’s services and programs help technology businesses by shortening their growth path. Learn more about Invest Ottawa’s Venture Path.
Cyphercor: Innovating Multi-Factor Authentication Solutions in Ottawa
Ottawa has emerged as a global cybersecurity hub and is famous for fostering cutting-edge cybersecurity innovation.
One emerging standout in Ottawa’s cybersecurity landscape is Cyphercor, a company dedicated to supporting companies by providing access to seamless, user-friendly, secure, and well-supported multi-factor authentication solutions.
Launched in 2011 and headquartered in Ottawa, Cyphercor is an ISO-27001 certified Canadian cybersecurity company, with multiple patents in authentication technology. Over the years, Cyphercor has demonstrated its commitment to authentication technology innovation.
Their flagship product, LoginTC, offers seamless and secure two-factor authentication trusted by organizations worldwide across various sectors.
One of their recent successes is the successful completion of their contract with Shared Services Canada (SSC) to test their “Anywhere MFA” solution through Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) Canada’s Innovative Solutions Canada program. This news was announced by Cyphercor on February 25, 2025.
The company is now ready to bring this patent-pending technology to the market. If you are interested in accessing a beta version of Anywhere MFA solution, you are encouraged to reach out to the Cyphercor team.
As Cyphercor continues to push boundaries in the MFA innovation, it further solidifies its position as a disruptive tech firm and contributes to strengthening our city’s reputation as a global leader in cybersecurity innovation.
- Learn more about Cyphercor on their website.
- Interested in learning more about Ottawa’s cybersecurity ecosystem? Visit whyottawa.ca.
Code for a Cause Jam: Game Developers Doing Good
At just 16 years old, recent Summer Company program graduate Dean Parsons is already making waves in the game development world with his initiative – Code for a Cause.
A passionate game programmer with six years of experience, Dean successfully combined his love for coding with a charitable mission – turning his vision into a reality that has been gaining momentum since he established it
A Game-Changing Initiative
Recently, Dean’s Code for a Cause launched its first event as a game jam — a competition where developers create games within a set timeframe and then vote on the best projects.
This jam has a philanthropic twist: half of the total prize pool goes to the winner, while the other half is donated to a charity of their choice.
With sponsorships and donations fully funding the event, the initiative has rapidly gained traction. And while the growth is great, Dean explained that the end goal is to make an enduring impact by integrating philanthropy with gaming.
“I hope to expand this into different sub-categories of game development,” Dean said. “My main wish is to become the first charitable games publisher, where we’d split revenue between ourselves, the devs and charity!”
Smashing Expectations Early
The response to Code for a Cause has exceeded even Dean’s most optimistic predictions.
“We’ve managed to raise over $1,200 for charity and secured a handful of amazing sponsors,” he says. “I had expected maybe 100 sign-ups, and we reached that in under a week! We sit at over 300 now!”
At the time of publishing, that number has climbed significantly. However, beyond the numbers, Dean’s biggest accomplishment has been the community he has built.
“Seeing people chat and just being excited about this project I started on a whim is really something else. It’s nice to have this community to turn to and remind me there are so many people here because they want to support a good cause.”
Support from Invest Ottawa and Summer Company
Dean credits much of his early success to the skills and experience he gained through the most recent cohort of the Summer Company program – a provincial government youth entrepreneurship program delivered by Invest Ottawa. Through the program, students get training and support, and the opportunity to earn up to $3,000 in funding to launch and run their own business throughout the summer break.
Dean said the program gave him the training and guidance he needed to manage the startup funding he earned through active participation in the program.
“Marketing and outreach were key lessons I learned, along with financial management,” Parsons said. “This is the first time I’ve handled a substantial amount of money, and the program really helped me navigate that.”
Looking Ahead
With his next fundraising goals set, Dean is focused on securing more sponsors and expanding his initiative.
“I’d love to find new ways to combine coding with charity and open doors for volunteer opportunities. I want to become the go-to place for volunteers interested in coding and game development.”
But for now – Dean is thrilled with the early success of his new venture and is thrilled to announce this is only the beginning for such events.
“For us to completely smash it in under three weeks is absolutely beyond me,” he beamed. “And this is really only the start. We plan to host more events of different varieties, and expand our community and our ventures.”
- For more info on how to get involved, visit the Code for a Cause Game Jam page.
- Know a student with a great business idea? Let them know about Summer Company! Applications are open until May or until spaces are filled. More info and apply at investottawa.ca/summer-company.
Are you looking to start or grow your business?
From idea to start-up to established — discover and explore Invest Ottawa programs and services that can help grow and scale your business no matter where you are in the business lifecycle. Find the right program for your business.