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E-commerce, manure treatment, backpacks and 3-D printed jewellery. These are just a selection of the year's most memorable companies of the year, as chosen by the editors of the Report on Small Business

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<a href="http://shopify.com"> <b>SHOPIFY</b></a>. Ottawa e-commerce software company has become the country’s first Internet startup since the dot-com crash to reach a billion-dollar valuation, thanks to one of <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/small-business/sb-money/business-funding/a-rare-startup-success-story-shopify-hits-1-billion-milestone/article15892998/">the largest venture financings in Canadian history</a>.

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<a href="http://www.herschel.com"><b>HERSCHEL</b></a>. The Vancouver backpack company <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/small-business/sb-marketing/sales/can-herschel-backpacks-go-mainstream-and-keep-their-cool/article12201755/#dashboard/follows/">made a name as a fashion brand for young adults</a> but mass-market selling requires careful steps.

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<a href="https://www.thalmic.com/en/myo/"><b>THALMIC LABS.</b></a> Since announcing Myo last February, Mr. Lake and his co-founders – Matthew Bailey and Aaron Grant – have received overwhelming response. Since June 2013, <a href="<https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/small-business/sb-growth/the-challenge/30000-orders-for-a-gadget-that-doesnt-yet-exist/article12639268/#dashboard/follows/>"> the Kitchener-based company raised $14.5-million</a>.

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<a href="http://www.hotpopfactory.com/">HOT POP FACTORY</a>. The Toronto design firm <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/video/video-hot-and-fresh-jewellery-straight-from-the-3-d-printer/article7998042/ ">specializes in the creative applications of 3D printing</a>

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<a href="http://www.alterrus.ca/"><b>ALTERRUS SYSTEMS INC.</a></b> In <a href=”https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/video/video-rooftop-parking-lot-transformed-into-vertical-farm/article7648180/">this video</a>, Christopher Ng, CEO of Alterrus, explains how VertiCrop technology - a moving conveyor system - can turn a vacant parking lot (like this one in downtown Vancouver) into a fully functional agricultural farm yielding local green vegetables.

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<a href="<a href="http://www.livestockwaterrecycling.com/"><b>LIVESTOCK WATER RECYCLING</a></b>. The Calgary company, which processes manure into nutrients and drinkable water, <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/small-business/sb-growth/the-challenge/manure-processor-comes-out-smelling-like-a-rose/article14519472/#dashboard/follows/">comes out on top</a> among the semi-finalists for the Small Business Challenge contest.

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<a href="http://www.keycafe.com/"><b>KEYCAFE</b></a>. Devising a workable system to exchange keys at a neighbourhood café may be a tall order, but <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/small-business/starting-out/startup-wants-to-turn-cafes-into-airbnb-key-swap-locations/article14333781/#dashboard/follows/?6743555">the Vancouver startup’s approach</a> may be the perfect solution.

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<a href="http://www.enterrafeed.com/"><b>ENTERRA FEED CORPORATION</b></a>. The Vancouver-based company makes creates sustainable animal feed ingredients and concentrated natural fertilizer for food production. <a href=" https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/small-business/starting-out/conversation-with-david-suzuki-leads-to-maggot-based-animal-feed/article15114182/#dashboard/follows/?6743555">The idea for the company</a> was sparked during a conversation between the company’s founder and David Suzuki.

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<a href="http://knixwear.com/ "><b>KNIX WEAR</b></a>. The Toronto-based lingerie company <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/small-business/sb-growth/day-to-day/toronto-lingerie-company-rethinks-womens-underwear/article15055052/#dashboard/follows/?6743555">specializes in women's underwear</a>, and their products are sold in Hudson Bay’s stores across Canada.

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<b><a href="http://www.wattpad.com/">WATTPAD</a></b>. Each month, <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/small-business/starting-out/his-mission-cultivate-a-youtube-for-readers/article15020377/#dashboard/follows/">the Toronto company has 20 million unique visitors who collectively spend 5 billion minutes on the site</a>, which he says is more time than people spend in public libraries in the entire U.S. The company’s co-founders have figured out how to provide value for readers and writers to keep them coming back, and in huge numbers.

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<a href="http://www.zanis.com/ "><b>ZANIS & CO.</b></a> Steve Arnold has made a career out of tracking, dealing and collecting debris from outer space. He even scored his own TV show, Meteorite Men, on Discovery Science. His latest entrepreneurial endeavour includes <A HREF="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/small-business/sb-growth/day-to-day/the-entrepreneurial-side-of-meteorite-hunting/article14627946/">a partnership with Zanis & Co.</a>, a jewellery and watch business.

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<A HREF="http://buddy-belts.com/"><b>BUDDY BELTS.</b></a> When her dachshund choked on a traditional collar, <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/small-business/starting-out/canadian-inventor-of-the-buddy-belt-broke-away-from-the-pack/article15568473/#dashboard/follows/">Roxanne Pettipas came up with a shoulder-hugging design</a> that distributed pressure more evenly

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<b><a href="https://tophat.com/">TOP HAT MONOCLE</a></b>. Instead of convincing universities to take a chance on its classroom engagement platform, <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/small-business/starting-out/firm-succeeds-by-pitching-learning-tool-directly-to-professors/article10728507/#dashboard/follows/ ">Top Hat Monocle earned top grades</a> by bringing professors and students onside

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