Startup Canada Social Entreprise Award

Plato Testing

The winner of the 2018 Startup Canada Social Enterprise Award is PLATO Testing a Fredericton-based company building a network of Indigenous software testers across Canada. As an Indigenous-led and staffed firm, PLATO testing is growing the opportunity for Indigenous Canadians to pursue careers in information technology and STEM. More than sixty students have graduated from PLATO’s six-month training program and seventy software testers are currently employed by the company. Over the next five years, it plans to grow its network to one thousand Indigenous software testers in twenty offices near First Nations Communities so employees can stay close to home. PLATO testing is committed to supporting job creation in Indigenous and rural communities and is an inspiration for private companies to grow with social purpose.