February 28, 2024
Waterloo-based digital investigation software company Magnet Forensics has chosen Halifax for its second Canadian expansion after raising $115 million through an IPO on the Toronto Stock Exchange last month.
Magnet Forensics was attracted to Halifax by its rich talent pool, strong post-secondary institutions and growing tech scene. The company plans to start small and grow quickly. They have begun recruiting for positions in Halifax and are looking to tap into all levels of talent, including new graduates and students.
“We chose Halifax because we want to build on the city’s emerging national and international tech hub,” said Adam Belsher, CEO of Magnet Forensics. “The high-quality technology professionals and the post-secondary institutions developing them are already among Canada’s best. We see an opportunity to work with the city’s universities and colleges to help cultivate the next generation of engineers and developers and to help keep that talent in Halifax.
Recognized as one of the fastest-growing companies in Canada, Magnet Forensics was founded by former Waterloo police officer Jad Saliba. After being diagnosed with cancer, Saliba was taken off the front-line and reassigned to the agency’s digital forensic unit, where he investigated cyber-enabled crimes such as child sexual exploitation. It was there that Saliba quickly learned that the tools police agencies had at their disposal were insufficient.
With a background in software design, Saliba took it upon himself to improve justice by modernizing digital investigations. In his spare time, he developed software that would allow investigators to lawfully recover relevant data, including what was thought to be lost or hidden, and present it as evidence that could withstand the scrutiny of the justice system.
In 2011, he left policing to launch Magnet Forensics with Belsher, a Canadian tech executive who led business teams in Europe and the U.S. for BlackBerry.
Learn more about Magnet Forensics
For more information on Magnet Forensics and on hiring opportunities in Halifax visit their website and follow them on Twitter.
“From day one at Magnet Forensics, it’s been our mission to seek justice and help protect vulnerable and innocent lives by using technology for good,” said Belsher. “As we’ve grown over the past decade into a company with more than 300 employees and offices in Waterloo, Ottawa, the Greater Washington D.C. area and Singapore, we’ve never once lost sight of that mission. It’s this collective drive to do good that helps us recruit some of the top talent in Canada and, more importantly, retain it. In Halifax, we will continue to prioritize finding employees who are as passionate about improving justice as they are talented.”
Today, the company serves more than 4,000 customers in over 90 countries, helping corporations and law enforcement agencies fight cyber and cyber-enabled crimes such as ransomware, child exploitation, human trafficking and terrorism.
“Innovation has been and must continue to be at the core of our company in order to help our partners combat the growing cybercrime and cyber-enabled crime challenge,” said Belsher. “In the past year alone, we’ve seen historic increases in child sexual exploitation, fraud and ransomware attacks. The criminals perpetrating these crimes aren’t just becoming more active, their methods are becoming more complex. We continue to innovate so our customers can deploy the most advanced and effective tools to protect their communities, countries, and companies.”
Why Companies Choose Halifax?
More and more companies are looking to Halifax to expand or move their growing business. With strategic access to global markets, highly skilled talent, and a close-knit and collaborative business community, Halifax offers a unique competitive edge.