Sidetrade: French AI company expands to Calgary
Global software vendor, Sidetrade, with headquarters in France chose Calgary as its home for its North American expansion.
Offering a tech solution for the digital age, Sidetrade combines artificial intelligence (AI) with customer data to digitize the order to cash process. With a large data lake and next-gen software, the company helps business owners track, manage and predict trends for unpaid invoices.
Frédéric Dupont, Chief Services Officer, Sidetrade
"Sidetrade helps businesses with cash flow securitization – thanks to its AI, Aimie. This is what sets us apart and caused us to be recognized as a Leader by Gartner in its Magic Quadrant,” said Frédéric Dupont, Chief Services Officer, Sidetrade.
Cash flow can be a challenge, particularly in the current economic climate. To provide a solution to this sticking point, Sidetrade’s software empowers businesses to leverage digital transformation and improve everyday order-to-cash processes.
“Digital transformation is not only merely a shift in technology. To truly experience digital transformation, companies are now making more data-informed decisions. As a data-oriented company with trillions of data points, Sidetrade is well-equipped to help businesses grow in the evolving economy,” said Dupont.
With a new approach to solve a common business challenge, Sidetrade is a prime example of firms driving innovation in Calgary, a priority in the economic strategy, Calgary in the New Economy.
CHOOSING CALGARY
Sidetrade’s Chief Services Officer sees the company well-positioned to thrive in Calgary and bring cash collection solutions to businesses across the continent.
“For us, Calgary is the ideal location to crack the North American market. The people there possess an open-mindedness and determination to engage in mutually beneficial business endeavors,” said Dupont.
Similar to other European firms looking to expand west, Sidetrade considered L.A., Silicon Valley, San Francisco, New York and Toronto. But Calgary’s collaborative business environment and livability ultimately put the city at the top of its list.
“Unlike other cities that we explored, there is a culture of innovation in Calgary that we feel will really support our growth,” said Dupont.
“Unlike other cities that we explored, there is a culture of innovation in Calgary that we feel will really support our growth. Not only is Calgary a great place for our staff to build a life, but the people of Calgary are welcoming and skilled.”
In 2023, Calgary remained at the top of the Economist Intelligence Unit’s livable city list and ranked the seventh most livable city in the world. With top marks in stability, healthcare, education and infrastructure, several Sidetrade team members who were working remotely in Calgary encouraged the company to choose the city as its North American hub.
“Not only is Calgary a great place for our staff to build a life, but the people of Calgary are welcoming and skilled. The city has excellent post-secondary institutions, and we are confident that with Calgary’s tech talent pipeline we can easily build a strong team,” said Dupont.
Sidetrade has hired many graduates from the University of Calgary – recently named a Top 5 Research University – due to the highly skilled talent it produces.
Daniel Lefebvre, Director of Business Development, Sidetrade
“It’s easy to find the people we need in Calgary. We’ve hired many business development representatives, software engineers, HR leads, project managers and cloud experts in the last few months,” said Dupont.
Daniel Lefebvre is Sidetrade’s Director of Business Development in Calgary and agrees with Dupont’s stance on the possibilities for tech firms in the city.
“Calgary’s talent pool, especially recent grads, are looking for a fast-paced environment. They want to work for an organization that is doing catalytic work and disrupting the industry. There’s a real appetite for tech in Calgary.”
OPPORTUNITY ACROSS SECTORS
Construction, financial services, transportation and logistics, life sciences, manufacturing and retail are sectors of focus for Sidetrade, which align with many of Calgary’s key sectors.
With Calgary companies forecast to lead the $20 billion spend on digital transformation in Alberta, Sidetrade joins a growing roster of technology firms in the community. In fact, Calgary is home to the majority – 58 per cent – of technology firms in the province.
“A big reason why Calgary was a smart place to break into the North American market was due to the concentration of head offices across a variety of sectors,” said Lefebvre. “Here, we’re able to bring working capital back to companies in agriculture, energy, manufacturing and other sectors, to help them increase their productivity.”
As Sidetrade’s new office in Calgary cements the company’s position in the North American market, Calgary’s business-friendly environment sets the city apart from other jurisdictions.
“It’s the people in Calgary that make this city special. The tech ecosystem – particularly for startups and scaleups – is collaborative, and I’ve experienced leaders in tech startups coming together to share lessons and learnings over a meal,” said Lefebvre.
“I have optimism for Calgary. It was the third most livable city in the world in 2022 and among the Top 10 in 2023. Tech talent is moving here. Companies are scaling here. The time is now, and our momentum will only continue.”
“I have optimism for Calgary. It was the third most livable city in the world in 2022 and among the Top 10 in 2023. Tech talent is moving here. Companies are scaling here. The time is now, and our momentum will only continue.”
WHAT’S NEXT FOR SIDETRADE
With a new home in the Ampersand building in Calgary, Sidetrade is set on growing its team and North American customer base.
In 2021 alone, more than 50 per cent of Sidetrade’s customers were based in North America, a number expected to grow as the Calgary office is now up and running. At its Calgary office opening in October 2022, the company announced plans to create 110 jobs as part of its North American expansion strategy.
“The culture at Sidetrade is very team oriented,” said Lefebvre. “We prioritize building a sense of belonging and purpose, which fuels the passion our team has for the work they’re doing.”
As a multinational firm with offices in Paris, London, Birmingham (UK) and Dublin the team culture is felt worldwide.
“No matter what office Sidetrade employees work from, they all have one thing in common – they're passionate about the work they do, they have strong, collaborative relationships with one another,” said Lefebvre. “We celebrate one another’s successes – both personal and professionally.”
Sidetrade is looking to hire more tech talent to expand its service offering and currently has a variety of open positions posted.
“If you’re looking to do something disruptive in tech, you can do it with Sidetrade and you can do it in Calgary.”
Sidetrade team celebrating the opening of its Calgary office in the Ampersand building.
Are you ready to make your mark in Calgary’s tech scene, working with forward-thinking companies like Sidetrade? Head to our Live Tech Love Life careers page and see what opportunities might be out there for you.