What criteria are used to evaluate and select winners?

Companies - public or private, large or small - must be headquartered in, and create their intellectual property in Canada. In an online application form available at www.fast50.ca, each nominee confidentially provides its revenue history for the past five years, a brief company profile, and basic information on its business.

• To qualify for the Technology Fast 50^TM ranking, companies must have been in business for at least five years have revenues of at least $5 million.
• Companies-to-Watch Awards are open to early-stage technology companies that have been in business for less than five years.
• Technology Fast 50^TM Leadership award candidates are judged on their ability to create a distinct competitive advantage in a high growth market.

Once all Technology Fast 50^TM candidates are nominated, teams of subject matter experts conduct interviews with candidates across Canada and participate in regional and national judging panels, where companies are evaluated based on the following criteria:

• competitive advantage;
• size, growth, and market attractiveness;
• management effectiveness and organization;
• and financial performance.

What type of companies make the cut?

Technology Fast 50^TM companies are diverse - large, small, public, private - and they come from a variety of industry sectors. Deloitte Technology Fast 50^TM companies are leaders in sectors such as hardware, software, telecommunications, as well as new and emerging areas, such as green technology and nanotechnology. Technology Fast 50^TM companies combine revenue growth, technological innovation and entrepreneurial spirit.

Do subsidiaries of foreign-owned companies qualify?

Subsidiaries of foreign-owned companies do not qualify for the Canadian ranking, but may qualify for one of the other Technology Fast 50^TM rankings offered by our Deloitte counterparts in the United States and around the world.

Are rankings based on fiscal or calendar year revenues?

The 2010 Deloitte Technology Fast 50^TM ranking is based on fiscal year revenue growth covering years 2005 to 2009.

How is the revenue growth calculated?

Companies are ranked based on percentage growth of fiscal year operating revenues over five years (2005 to 2009). Here's the math: 2009 revenues minus 2005 revenues divided by 2005 revenues = total percentage growth over five years.
 (2009 - 2005) / 2005 = 5 year % growth

Why are rankings based on growth of revenues rather than on profits?

Since companies have different ways of recognizing profits, Deloitte determined that a ranking based on pure revenues makes the most sense. Ranking fast-growth technology companies by revenue growth sets a level playing field for all nominated companies and makes the Technology Fast 50^TM program as fair and accurate as possible.

Will my company's revenue numbers be made public?

The Technology Fast 50^TM program only publishes the five-year revenue growth rate. However, if your company makes the North American Technology Fast 500 ranking, your revenue numbers will be published.

Why does Deloitte require copies of financial statements?

We collect copies of your audited financial documents to assist us in evaluating your application and administer the Technology Fast 50^TM awards program. Candidates are evaluated by Deloitte and its Technology Fast 50^TM sponsors according to the published awards criteria. Unless otherwise requested, candidates information is shared with sponsors and is retained by Deloitte to administer the awards program. The use of these documents is restricted to Deloitte and its program sponsors. For additional details on our Privacy policy and legal details please visit www.fast50.ca.

How can companies apply?

Nomination forms for the 2010 program will be available online at www.fast50.ca as of October, 2009. Companies can also call 1-888-6FAST50 should they require additional program related information.

How long does it take to submit an application?

With all the right information at hand, the application process should take no longer than 20 minutes.

How many companies apply to the program each year?

Each year, Deloitte receives hundreds of nominations.

What benefits do companies get from this ranking?

Being part of the Technology Fast 50^TM ranking communicates your company's great business results and strong management skills. It also provides a strong endorsement from Canada's largest professional services firm and the program's high profile sponsors. Over the last twelve years, Technology Fast 50^TM winners have garnered national media attention and publicity, industry recognition, invitations to exclusive Technology Fast 50^TM community events with industry leaders and peers, unparalleled industry recognition, and heightened employee morale.  Winning firms are proud to showcase their achievement with the coveted Technology Fast 50^TM logo on their marketing materials and business cards. Winners are also eligible for the prestigious North American Technology Fast 500 ranking, thus maximizing their exposure.

Is there an awards ceremony for Deloitte Technology Fast 50^TM winners?

Awards are presented during regional invitation-only events across the country.  For 2009 the events will held on Wednesday September 30th, 2009.

Do companies receive an actual award?

Yes they do.  Awards are provided for each winner for each of the award categories

When do companies issue their press release or publicly announce their win with the Technology Fast 50™ ranking and/or award?

This information is strictly embargoed until Deloitte makes the official announcement. 

Will the Technology Fast 50^TM ranking appear in the local or national press?

A national press release will be posted on a newswire and sent to national and business media announcing the winners and the rankings. In previous years, this press release has generated considerable media coverage.

What is Deloitte's role in the Technology Fast 50™ program?

Each year Deloitte receives hundreds of nomination forms for the Technology Fast 50^TM awards. Each nominee confidentially provides revenue details for the past five years, a brief descriptive profile, and basic information about its business. Once received, nomination forms are reviewed and verified by Deloitte for eligibility. After the entry deadline, Deloitte ranks each company according to its five-year revenue growth. Also teams from Deloitte and other Deloitte Technology Fast 50™ sponsors conduct face-to-face interviews across Canada. Companies are judged on criteria such as market attractiveness and competitive advantage.  The results of these interviews are sent to regional and national judging panels made up of Deloitte and subject matter experts from sponsors who help determine and rank the leaders in each category.

What are the eligibility criteria for the Technology Green 15^TM Awards?

The following criteria are used to evaluate Technology Green 15^TM applicants, which are judged against even more rigorous evaluation criteria than other Technology Fast 50^TM award categories:

• They must develop Canadian-based intellectual property that has the potential to achieve global leadership
• They must deliver solutions that offer a compelling return on investment for customers and encourage widespread commercialization of the technology
• They must create a measurable reduction of their customers' environmental footprint and energy usage

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What is the difference between the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 and Deloitte Technology Fast 50^TM programs?

The Deloitte Technology Fast 500 is a North American program and the Deloitte Technology Fast 50^TM is a regional program. The Deloitte Technology Fast 500 is a ranking of the 500 fastest growing companies in North America. There are 16 regional Deloitte Technology Fast 50TM programs throughout the United States and Canada, with each one ranking its region's 50 fastest growing companies.

Are all Technology Fast 50^TM-ranked companies eligible for the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 ranking?

Only Technology Fast 50^TM winners who grant permission to publish their company revenue numbers qualify for the Deloitte Technology Fast 500, which ranks North America's top 500 fastest growing technology companies.