Given that some of these companies are quite small and higher risk, we just want to reiterate that this is a review of what we saw at the conference and not any actual opinion on the merits of these firms as an investment.

First up was Nanotech Security (NTS):

NTS is involved in anti-counterfeiting and authentication processes through a nano-film that is able to etch detailed designs.  NTS holds a patent on the technology and is looking to apply it to areas such as tax stamps, passports and currency.  NTS is on a growth path, adding 54 employees for a total of 62. The presentation focused on the new thin-film technology they have developed.

Next up was QHR Corp (QHR):

QHR offers software solutions for the healthcare industry and the presentation focused on three subsidiaries: Accuro, Medeo and SoftCare. SoftCare is part of QHRs US strategy while Accuro is the major ‘breadwinner’ making up 90% of revenues.  Accuro offers a patient-doctor online service that makes doctors more accessible.  The Medeo system has potential to centralize large amounts of patient data but it looks as though confidentiality and privacy will be a major hurdle.  QHR already holds one of the largest healthcare databases in the world and reinvests 12% of revenues into R&D.

Amaya Inc. (AYA), one of our favourite coverage companies, took the stage next:

The presentation focused on the impressive history of the company, the growth story and the purchase of PokerStars. A note on the recent trading investigation was made and the company reaffirmed their belief that AYA employees have done nothing wrong and that the company is fully complying with investigations. Looking forward, Amaya is transitioning their focus onto PokerStars as their primary service platform. The PokerStars platform has better operating leverage, customer lifetime value and a larger customer base. Since last year, AYA has grown from 25 to 2,500 employees.

 ARHT Media (ART) probably gets the nod as the most ‘interesting’ company at the conference:

ART is focused on creating hologram advertisements to catch the attention of customers and even provide an ability to interact with a showcase or ad. The general steps in the ad cycle for ART follow:

Scan – Look for potential customers in passing by crowd

Engage – Hologram creates eye contact with the individual who stops

Conversion – They will try to convert individuals into customers by offering customer specific discounts or products

End – The hologram will close the conversation once the consumer decides to either enter the store or leave

ART performed a paid test with Harry Rosen and the test showed that 1 in 4 people stopped and engaged the test hologram ‘Vincent’.  The biggest hurdle for ART appears to be two-fold: First, as (or if) the technology becomes ubiquitous, the novelty could wear off, limiting the efficacy of the advertising tool. Second, the holograms only seem to interact with one person at a time, opposed to all passersby. Definitely interesting but ART still likely has a lot of work to do to prove the value of the service. Kevin O’Leary has also recently joined the board at ART, which might bring more attention to the company.

The second last presenter we attended was TIO Networks Corp (TIO):

TIO processes bill payment transactions through a secure Internet platform.  TIO processes over $6 billion annually and has over 68,000 payment locations. TIO expects to be profitable in the 2015 fiscal year and sees gross margins approaching 40%.  The growth strategy for TIO is to concentrate on large-customer development and to continue with M&A to expand the services offered and scale the operations. Roughly 98% of revenues are recurring revenues.

Finally, GuestloLogix (GXI) came to the stage:

GXI offers merchandising and payment technology to the travel industry as well as offering business intelligence to their customers.  GXI took a bit of a different approach in the presentation, with a focus on the companies valuation (10.5 times forward P/E at the time of writing) compared to a close competitor Datalex (DLE.I).  GXI also touched on the recent OpenJaw acquisition and how it allows the company to cover more verticals and make the payment experience enclosed into one application.

Overall it was a good conference that really helps to showcase some of the high potential tech companies within Canada and show investors that there is more to the TSX than oil, resources and big banks.