Sixteen years ago, Mike Matta was a young engineer who took a classmate’s suggestion to check out a new company that had just been launched by Terry Matthews.
At the time, that startup, a video surveillance software-maker called Solink, consisted of three engineers working out of a small server room at 390 March Rd.
Matta impressed the godfather of Kanata tech so much that Matthews hired him as the firm’s founding CEO. Under Matta’s guidance, Solink grew to the point that, 15 years later, the company took over space formerly occupied by Matthews himself as part of a massive expansion that doubled the size of the firm’s Kanata headquarters.
“The idea of using security cameras to be able to solve a real problem was really exciting,” Matta recently told OBJ. “At the time, ATM-skimming was a big problem. If there was any suspicious activity, we would alert the fraud teams and they would be able to act on it.
“We were looking at cameras to help proactively identify an issue and raise it instantly. That is not how cameras have historically been used. This was kind of uncharted territory. What drew me was the opportunity to do (something new) with technology that I thought was stale. I was working with people who wanted to be on the front lines of doing something different. That was the intriguing part. Over time, that’s what’s continued to excite me.”
In recognition of his inspired leadership, OBJ and the Ottawa Board of Trade have named Matta Ottawa’s CEO of the Year for 2026.
“Even though he often is the smartest person in the room, you don’t feel that when you’re sitting with Mike,” said Solink chief of staff Erin Bailey, who has worked for Matta since 2018. “He wants to learn from everybody’s opinion. Mike will often sit quietly, take in different feedback and then present what he thinks. He’s always looking for more input to create a stronger output.”
Today, Solink specializes in cloud-based software that allows businesses such as restaurants, manufacturers and property managers to quickly search footage from digital security cameras and marry it with point-of-sale data to pinpoint specific events, such as when employees dole out refunds or a coffee shop is running low on doughnuts.
The firm now employs in excess of 300 people and operates in more than 60 countries. Tim Hortons, burger chain Five Guys and clothing retailer Moose Knuckles are among its biggest customers. Backed by more than $100 million in venture capital, Solink deploys its platform in tens of thousands of businesses around the world.
While Solink has morphed into something none of its founders could have imagined, one thing hasn’t changed: Matta remains its guiding force. The 43-year-old Montreal native is as passionate about the business as ever, and believes Solink’s AI-powered platform is barely scratching the surface of what it can achieve.
“If this only becomes an Ottawa or even Canada story, we will not have done everything possible in this company,” he said. “This should be a global company that has a commanding lead and a commanding footing globally. It takes ambition to do that, it takes willpower and it takes talent and execution. You can be scared about it, but I think everyone (at Solink) takes that as … ‘Let’s go.’”
The CEO of the Year award is part of the Best Ottawa Business Awards — better known as the BOBs — which are presented annually each fall.
Matta and other notable local business leaders — including the Newsmaker of the Year recipient and the CFO of the Year — will receive their awards at a gala at The Westin Ottawa on Thursday, Nov. 26. More information on the gala can be found here.
