Arvizio announced earlier this month it hired Taimoor Nawab as its new CEO effective July 2.
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An Ottawa software startup that uses augmented reality to help train remote workers has brought in a new leader in a bid to tap into global markets after nearly a decade of developing its technology.
Arvizio announced earlier this month it hired Taimoor Nawab as its new CEO effective July 2.
Nawab joins Arvizio after serving in various senior executive roles at Syntronic, a multinational company headquartered in Sweden that designs and manufactures software and other technology for customers in the automotive, telecommunications, medical technology, industrial and robotics sectors.
The Dalhousie University alumnus was a key figure in Syntronic’s Ottawa office, spearheading the firm’s business development efforts in Canada as it acquired a string of companies and grew to nearly 500 employees in the National Capital Region.
Now, he hopes to help Arvizio become a global force in the emerging world of augmented reality.
“It’s a company that’s got a really good product, innovative IP and technology,” Nawab says. “Now they just need to take it to market. I think that’s where I came in with my experience … growing organizations and scaling them to the next level.”
Launched in 2016 by serial entrepreneur Alex Berlin and business partners Jonathan Reeves and Borys Vorobyov, Arvizio specializes in an augmented reality platform that generates three-dimensional “digital twins” of engines, power grids and other infrastructure.
Tapping into AI-powered workflows, the software teaches employees how to assemble or fix the item, guiding them through the process virtually. The system’s AI then checks the work and validates it.
Once a worker is ready to tackle a real job, the software creates a digital 3D overlay that provides step-by-step instructions while its AI monitors the process.
The system is “platform-agnostic,” Nawab explains, meaning it works on smartphones, tablets and laptops and doesn’t require users to strap on pricey virtual-reality headgear.
“Not everybody has headsets today,” he says. “It allows enterprises to pick and choose the tool that they want to use.”
It’s groundbreaking technology, but it has yet to translate into major sales. Arvizio, which has about 15 employees, currently sells its products to just four customers.
But Nawab, an electrical engineer by trade whose previous career stops included stints at Nortel and Ericsson, believes Arvizio could be on the verge of a breakthrough.
Changing demographics and approaches to work have created a perfect storm that makes the company's solution more relevant than ever, he argues, with baby boomers who are poised to leave their jobs in droves finding themselves mentoring a new generation of digital nomads.
“It’s actually pretty amazing how disconnected workforces are these days, especially after COVID,” Nawab explains. “Everyone’s remote, everyone’s everywhere. There is a huge contingent of people retiring, so how do you scale your processes … where you can actually train and integrate workforces more effectively?”
Arvizio has already landed a major oil and gas producer as a client, he notes. He says the company is getting more and more inbound inquiries from other potential customers in the energy space as well as industries such as medical technology, defence and manufacturing.
Nawab says his to-do list includes beefing up Arvizio’s sales and marketing and customer support teams as it sets its sights on expanding its footprint in North America and Europe.
“The pipeline is big, and it’s time to take the next step and scale,” he says.
“The opportunities that are there, they are very, very strong opportunities. The main focus here is to figure out how to scale effectively to ensure that we’re going to be able to satisfy those opportunities.”
