Brand Networks, a Boston-based company that builds apps, manages social accounts and buys paid social ads for brands, announced Tuesday it has set up shop in Toronto to tap into the city’s technology talent pool.
Jamie Tedford, Brand Networks’ CEO, said graduates from the University of Waterloo and other Ontario universities are a big attraction for the company. Much of Brand Networks’ growth has been fueled by engineers, software developers and designers from the Rochester Institute of Technology and the University of Rochester, he said. He said he sees similar opportunities in Toronto and plans to “look at Canada and the addressable market” in the city.
Though it works on LinkedIn, Pinterest and other networks, Brand Network’s focus is Facebook, said Tedford. In September, Facebook selected the company as one of 12 “preferred development consultants,” which means it has access to Facebook representatives for tech, marketing and strategy consultation.
“It puts us in a deep, close alignment with Facebook,” he said. “It gives us some interesting and special access to new features, data, trials and products.”
Brand Networks is currently working on projects for TSN and American Express in Canada, while several other Canadian projects have also been planned.
