Company:Giatec Scientific

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Giatec Scientific Inc.
TypePrivate
IndustryMeasuring and testing device manufacturing
Founded2010; 16 years ago (2010)
Founders
  • Aali R. Alizadeh
  • Pouria Ghods
Headquarters
Ottawa, Ontario
,
Canada
Area served
Worldwide
Products
Number of employees
100-150
Websitegiatec.ca

Giatec Scientific Inc. (commonly referred to as Giatec) is a Canadian technology company headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario. Founded in 2010, the company develops and manufactures intelligent concrete testing technologies, IoT sensors, and AI-powered software platforms for the global construction and concrete industries. Giatec's integrated hardware and software solutions enable real-time data collection and analysis across the entire concrete lifecycle, from production and delivery to placement and long-term durability assessment, with the aim of improving quality, reducing costs, and lowering the concrete industry's carbon footprint.

History

Founding (2010)

Giatec was co-founded in September 2010 by Pouria Ghods, a researcher at Carleton University, and Aali R. Alizadeh, a researcher at the University of Ottawa. Both founders held doctoral degrees in civil engineering with specializations in concrete. Motivated by a perceived gap between academic advancements in concrete science and the outdated practices still common in field construction, the two set out to apply modern technology to concrete testing and quality control.

The founders began working with advisers at Invest Ottawa, which helped arrange early funding and resources. The company's first product was a device designed to detect the corrosion rate of steel rebar embedded within concrete structures, a significant improvement over the non-destructive testing methods available at the time, incorporating mobile applications and wireless connectivity.[1]

In 2012, the company's equipment was used in the forensic structural examination following the collapse of the Algo Centre Mall in Elliot Lake, Ontario.[2][3][4]

Growth and Product Expansion (2013–2018)

In 2014, Giatec won the Rio Info 2013 Innovation Award and was included in the Ottawa Business Journal's annual list of "Startups to Watch." The company was also later recognized as one of Ottawa's Top 10 Fastest Growing Companies and was named to Canada's Top 500 Fastest Growing Companies in 2018.[5][6]

In March 2015, Giatec released a new electrical resistivity monitoring device capable of transmitting data directly to a smartphone via a downloadable application. In 2016, Giatec launched a new IoT-based solution for ready-mix concrete producers, SmartRock®.

During this period, Giatec expanded its product portfolio to include devices for measuring concrete permeability, electrical resistivity, half-cell corrosion potential, corrosion rate, concrete temperature, and concrete maturity, delivered through a range of laboratory, hand-held, and embedded wireless sensor formats.[7][8]

AI, IoT, and Platform Era (2019–Present)

In 2019, Giatec launched Roxi, described as the first AI program purpose-built for concrete testing.[7] Trained on data collected from SmartRock sensors deployed across thousands of job sites in hundreds of countries, Roxi's machine learning algorithms were designed to minimize human error, reduce cement usage, and analyze concrete mix performance.[9]

In May 2022, Giatec received strategic investment from HeidelbergCement (now Heidelberg Materials), one of the world's largest building materials companies, followed by $5 million from BDC Capital's Cleantech Practice to further develop and commercialize new software and sensor technologies for concrete monitoring and AI-based mix optimization.[10][11]

In October 2024, the Government of Canada announced a $17.5 million investment through the Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) to support Giatec's $65.8 million project to develop an AI-driven concrete demonstration plant in Ottawa. The initiative is projected to create approximately 160 jobs and aims to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of concrete manufacturing by up to 20% through optimized cement usage.[12]

In January 2025, Giatec launched MixPilot™, described as the market's first non-invasive, in-transit concrete slump sensor, providing real-time visibility into slump, temperature, and volume from the plant to the point of pour.[13]

In January 2026, Giatec was included in Command Alkon's Connected Partner program, integrating with the leading software provider for the heavy building materials industry to enhance ready-mix producer quality control.[14]

Leadership

Pouria Ghods serves as Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Giatec Scientific Inc. Ghods has been a vocal advocate for using technology to decarbonize the construction industry and has represented the company in major announcements, including the Government of Canada's Strategic Innovation Fund investment.[15]

Products and Technology

Giatec's product portfolio is organized across three primary categories:

Concrete Production and Delivery

  • SmartMix™: An AI-powered software platform for ready-mix concrete producers. SmartMix enables quality control management, engineer-ready submittals, and mix optimization, and incorporates Roxi's AI capabilities to help producers reduce variability, improve quality, and achieve measurable cost savings.
  • MixPilot™: Launched in 2025, MixPilot is the first non-invasive in-transit concrete slump sensor. The device provides real-time monitoring of slump, temperature, and volume while concrete is in transit, enabling producers to maintain quality from plant to pour. It was developed through collaboration with leading concrete producers across North America.
  • Roxi™: An AI program trained on the world's largest dataset of concrete performance data. Roxi analyzes mix performance and provides recommendations to minimize cement overuse and human error in concrete quality control.

On-Site Monitoring and Real-Time Pour Insights

  • SmartRock®: A wireless sensor embedded in fresh concrete to monitor temperature and compressive strength in real time during the curing process. SmartRock sensors communicate wirelessly with mobile devices and the Giatec 360™ dashboard.
  • SmartRock Long Range: An extended-range variant of SmartRock designed for large or complex construction sites, including data center construction projects.
  • SmartRock Pro: A self-calibrating version of the SmartRock sensor that eliminates the need for manual calibration, reducing setup time and potential for human error.
  • Giatec 360™: A web-based dashboard for monitoring and managing concrete pours across job sites. The platform provides data analytics, reporting, thermal modeling for mass concrete, and user management capabilities.

Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) and Laboratory Devices

  • iCOR®: An advanced, wireless, non-destructive testing device for measuring corrosion potential, corrosion rate, and in-situ electrical resistivity of reinforced concrete structures. iCOR® is used for field inspection of infrastructure such as bridges and parking structures.
  • Perma™: A laboratory device for testing the chloride ion permeability of concrete specimens, following standard rapid chloride permeability test (RCPT) protocols.
  • RCON™: A non-destructive testing device for measuring the bulk electrical resistivity of concrete.
  • Surf™: A laboratory device for measuring the surface electrical resistivity of concrete specimens.[16]

Mission and Sustainability

Giatec's stated mission is to bring disruptive, knowledge-based, and sustainable technologies to the concrete industry. The company positions its products as tools to help reduce the environmental impact of concrete production, one of the world's largest sources of industrial carbon dioxide emissions, by enabling more precise use of cement and supplementary cementitious materials.

Giatec's AI and IoT-powered technologies are available through Microsoft Azure, and the company has established partnerships with providers across the concrete supply chain, including Command Alkon, Sysdyne Technologies, alterBiota, and Climate Earth.

Giatec annually recognizes academic contributions through the Giatec Best Paper Award for Sustainability in Construction, awarded to civil engineering students, researchers, and faculty in Canada and the United States.[17]

Recognition and Awards

  • 2024 HRD Canada Innovative HR Teams 2024 Award
  • 2024 World of Concrete 2024 Innovative Product Awards - SmartRock Pro (Experts' Choice Award): Selected by World of Concrete editors and industry experts for its innovation in "Sustainable Innovation in Business & Technology Software & Services".
  • 2024 World of Concrete 2024 Innovative Product Awards - SmartMix (People's Choice Award): Voted by industry professionals as the favorite in the "Concrete Production & Delivery" category.
  • 2023 NRMCA Concrete Innovation Awards - Innovative Product or Service Award
  • 2023 CCA Environmental Achievement Award
  • 2023 Employer Excellence Award
  • 2022 Employer Excellence Award
  • 2022 Finalist for the Canadian SME Small Business Awards 2022– Diversity and Inclusion Award
  • 2022 BOBs - Best Leader for Diversity
  • No. 389 on 2022 Report on Business Canada’s Top Growing Companies
  • 2021 Ottawa Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. (IEEE) – Outstanding Clean Technology Company Recognition Award
  • 2020 Best Ottawa Business Awards (BOB) – Best Ottawa Business
  • 2020 Best Ottawa Business Awards (BOB) – Best Performance in Customer Service
  • 2020 Canada’s Fastest Growing Companies – Canada Business
  • 2020 Canada’s Top Growing Companies – The Globe and Mail
  • 2020 Best of the Best Awards – Toronto Construction Association
  • 2019 Best Ottawa Business Awards (BOB) – Best in Sustainability
  • 2019 Canada’s Top Growing Companies – The Globe and Mail
  • 2019 Canada’s Fastest Growing Companies – Canadian Business and Macleans
  • 2019 Most Innovative Product – Concrete Construction
  • 2019 Canadian Business Excellence Award – CBEA
  • 2019 Corrosion Innovation Award – National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE)
  • 2018 Canada’s Fastest Growing Companies – Canadian Business
  • 2018 Ottawa’s Fastest Growing Companies – Ottawa Chamber of Commerce
  • 2017 Best Ottawa Business Awards (BOB) – Best Performance Sales
  • 2016 Best Ottawa Business Awards (BOB) – Best Performance Export
  • 2012 Exploriem Bootstrap Awards – Bronze Medal in Engineering and Technology[18]

References

  1. ↑ "Buried wireless sensors cement Giatec's reputation for concrete solutions". Vito Pilieci, Ottawa Citizen, 2015-10-02
  2. ↑ "Engineer charged in Algo Centre Mall collapse" . OHS Canada, 2014-02-10
  3. ↑ "Forensic engineering report on mall collapse recommends systematic inspection regime". Engineering Dimensions (Professional Engineers Ontario). May–June 2013. http://www.peo.on.ca/index.php/ci_id/26490/la_id/1.htm. Retrieved 2016-03-02. 
  4. ↑ "Growth 500: The Complete Ranking of Canada's Fastest-Growing Companies". September 2018. https://www.canadianbusiness.com/lists-and-rankings/growth-500/2018-ranking-g500/. 
  5. ↑ "Startups to Watch: Concrete solutions at Giatec Scientific". Ottawa Business Journal. 2014-03-19. http://www.obj.ca/Other/Special-Reports/2014-03-19/article-3649592/Startups-to-Watch%3A-Concrete-solutions-at-Giatec-Scientific/1. 
  6. ↑ "Fastest Growing Companies: Giatec brings Internet of Things to concrete". May 2018. http://www.obj.ca/article/ottawas-fastest-growing-companies-giatec-brings-internet-things-concrete. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "About Giatec Scientific Inc." (in en-US). https://www.giatecscientific.com/company/about-us/. 
  8. ↑ "A concrete solution to crumbling structures". Ottawa Citizen. 2011-11-18. 
  9. ↑ "Roxi" (in en-US). https://www.giatecscientific.com/products/concrete-sensors/roxi/. 
  10. ↑ "HeidelbergCement invests in concrete technology company Giatec Scientific" (in en). https://www.heidelbergcement.com/en/pr-10-05-2022. 
  11. ↑ "Giatec receives $5 million from BDC Capital's Cleantech Practice to bolster concrete testing tech" (in en-CA). 2022-09-26. https://betakit.com/giatec-receives-5-million-from-bdc-capitals-cleantech-practice-to-bolster-concrete-testing-tech/. 
  12. ↑ Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (2024-10-08). "Government of Canada invests in Giatec® Scientific Inc. and its AI-driven concrete demonstration plant". https://www.canada.ca/en/innovation-science-economic-development/news/2024/10/government-of-canada-invests-in-giatec-scientific-inc-and-its-ai-driven-concrete-demonstration-plant.html. 
  13. ↑ "Giatec® Unveils MixPilot™: The In-Transit Concrete Monitoring Game Changer" (in en-US). https://www.giatecscientific.com/company-news/giatec-unveils-mixpilot-the-in-transit-concrete-monitoring-game-changer/. 
  14. ↑ "Giatec Latest to Join Command Alkon’s Connected Partner Program" (in en-US). https://www.giatecscientific.com/company-news/giatec-latest-to-join-command-alkons-connected-partner-program/. 
  15. ↑ "Leadership Team" (in en-US). https://www.giatecscientific.com/company/leadership-team/. 
  16. ↑ "Giatec Smart Construction Testing Products" (in en-US). https://www.giatecscientific.com/products/. 
  17. ↑ "Giatec Award for Best Paper 2025" (in en-US). https://www.giatecscientific.com/giatec-award-for-best-paper/. 
  18. ↑ "Media Kit" (in en-US). https://www.giatecscientific.com/company/media-kit/. 



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