The original FixMeStick virus removal device was developed in 2011. Veterans of the computer security industry, Marty Algire and Corey Velan created a product that simplified the problem so many of their family and friends were facing: removing computer viruses!
2011
The FixMeStick was developed in 2011.
2012
FixMeStick was launched online.
Our office was tiny, just enough space for a couple of desks, some computers, a small inventory of FixMeSticks and boxes to ship them in. We did interviews, product reviews, and met with anyone who could help us get the FixMeStick to people in need.
2013
FixMeStick earned its way into major retail in Canada in 2013. We’re proud of our Canadian roots. Canadians were our first customers, our first retail partners, and where our head office remains today. We’re happy to call the beautiful city of Montreal in Quebec our home.
2014
2014 was a huge year for us! We earned a spot on one of our favourite CBC programs - Dragons' Den! (Shark Tank is the American equivalent) Dragons' Den gave amazing exposure. To this day, customers tell us about how neat it is to be able to purchase a product from their favourite show.
We had been getting requests for a product for Mac since we launched. Kickstarter was a great platform to see if there was sufficient interest to warrant building the FixMeStick for Mac, and, there was! Over 1000 backers pledged to hit our goal of 50K and we launched the FixMeStick for Mac in the fall of 2014.
2015
FixMeStick grew by leaps and bounds in 2015: We were added to most major US retailers including Best Buy, Walmart, Target, Staples, Office Depot, and Sam’s Club. We also launched an exclusive Lifetime edition on The Home Shopping Network.
2016
2016 was a banner year. Five-year revenue growth of 2,372% landed us the 33rd ranking in Canada's PROFIT 500 ranking. Our exclusive Lifetime Edition also became available on Canada's Today's Shopping Choice as well as QVC UK. We added a new and improved FixMeStick for Mac to our product line up with increased compatibility across newer models and greater usability for older computers.
2017
The FixMeStick received
this four stars review from PC Mag,and was added to ASDA and Maplin stores in the UK.
Later this year, Canadian Business and PROFIT ranked us 9th in the 29th annual PROFIT 500 list of Canada’s fastest growing companies. FixMeStick also ranked 15th in the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 award program.
2018
In 2018, the FixMeStick had many great achievements. For starters, the FixMeStick was made available in France on QVC, and FixMeStick was featured again on Dragons' Den for an update show on January 18th.
We replaced Kaspersky's antivirus engine with McAfee's anti-virus engine. With McAfee, we also started using the Global Threat Information system which gives the FixMeStick faster response to file reputation information.
FixMeStick ranked 23rd in the 2018 Growth 500, the definitive ranking of Canada's fastest-growing companies. And for the second year in a row, FixMeStick ranked in the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 award program. This year we came in 21st.
2019
2019 marks another exciting year for FixMeStick. For the third year in a row, we ranked in the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 award program. Our most exciting achievement this year was launching a new product, StartMeStick. Learn more here.
2020
2020 was a difficult year for everyone due to the pandemic. Our team members worked from home, several of our retailers closed or partially closed, our supply chain was disrupted at multiple points, and many of our customers were impacted by the corresponding economy downturn. Some good things came out of this year: we watched our newest product, StartMeStick, grow and turn 1 year old; and our founders, Corey and Marty successfully pitched StartMeStick on CBC's Dragons' Den. Overall, 2020 has been horrible. We're looking forward to 2021.
2021
This year our team learned to work together while we worked from home. Not everyone worked remotely. Our warehouse/shipping team kept our products moving out the door and for that they needed to physically be in the warehouse and we appreciate them a great deal for it. Our products (the FixMeStick and the StartMeStick) proved popular in 2021 because they helped people to save money by fixing their computers themselves AND minimizing their time in stores and repair shops. The inflationary environment provided another reason for people to use our products: to postpone big-ticket purchases like a new computer until prices go back down. A FixMeStick can remove pesky, difficult to identify infections. A StartMeStick can breathe a new life into a computer that you might be leaving for dead or think is not worth the cost of the repairs to refurbish.
We love our customers! We created our product for our customers and we're dedicated to helping them through the entire process. We want our customers to be happy with our product and we're willing to do whatever we can do accomplish this.
We love our people. We keep everyone healthy and happy with health benefits, tuition payment opportunities, as well as quarterly staff nights out. We believe strongly in inclusiveness, providing opportunities for growth as well as living a healthy work-life balance.
Giving back to and supporting our community is hugely important to us! Without them, we wouldn't be here. We've taken part in numerous events to support at-risk and homeless youth and local cancer research initiatives.
