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Rocket Builders Releases 2009 Ready To Rocket List

Rocket Builders [1]Annual list highlights technology trends and those private BC companies positioned for high growth potential in 2009

Vancouver Rocket Builders [1] has released its seventh annual “Ready to Rocket 25” list naming 25 privately held BC companies that are best positioned to capitalize on the 2008 technology trends that will lead them to faster growth than their peers in a number of technology sectors. The annual “Ready to Rocket 25” list provides accurate predictions of companies that will likely experience significant revenue growth, venture capital investment or acquisition by a major player in the coming year. The “Ready to Rocket 25” list is the only predictive list of its kind in North America.

Although companies identified on this year’s “Ready to Rocket 25” did not grow at the pace of the previous year, the group still experienced a median growth rate of 50%, and an average growth rate of more than 100%. Of the identified twenty-five companies on the list:

* 76% exceeded 25% growth
* 58% exceeded 50% growth
* 44% exceeded 100% growth

The average increase in headcount for the 25 companies was 12%, with median annual revenue for 2008 benchmarked at $2.5 million dollars. Across the list of twenty-five companies:

* Aggregate revenue of over $130 million dollars
* The companies employed over 1200 employees
* Employment increased by 129 people

In terms of investment, 40% of the companies received investments in 2008, and one company from the 2008 list was acquired.

According to Geoff Hansen, Managing Partner at Rocket Builders, “Despite the poor economy last year, companies identified on the “Ready to Rocket 25” list are moving forward in their respective markets proving that leading innovations are still Ready To Rocket [2]succeeding in the marketplace. Offering the right solution to solve a market need is a successful formula in any economic climate. ”

Rocket Builders can spot the potential of these companies since it spends a great deal of time analyzing the market trends. For 2009, Rocket Builders predicts continued growth for companies leveraging a wide variety of emerging technologies and business models. Although past trends have made this list primarily an information technology list, this year CleanTech and HealthTech companies are featured prominently in the list.

Geoffrey Hansen also noted that, “Business models such as Software-as-a-Service continue to show excellent promise along with ‘green’ technologies, cloud computing, and mobile and wireless. He also said that the so-called ‘Obama Effect’ will most likely positively impact technologies that address governance, healthcare and the green economy.”

Newcomer companies on the “Ready to Rocket 25” list for the first time include Avigilon, Carbonetworks, Fit Brains, Guard RFID, Inetco, MovieSet Inc., Neoteric, RXnetworks, Sempa Power and Teradici.

According to Dave Thomas, Senior Partner at Rocket Builders, “B.C. has strong clusters of emerging technology companies that are attractive to investors. We are also profiling 66 emerging companies in the sectors of BioTech/HealthTech, Cleantech, Information Technology, New Media, Web 2.0 and Wireless that we believe have strong potential for market breakthroughs in the coming years.”

To qualify for the “Ready to Rocket 25” list, companies must have a fully commercialized technology and some customer traction with their products. Potential candidates for the list are then mapped against the key trends identified by Rocket Builders.