Cindicates Blog

Why Your Mattress Might Be the Real Problem—and How Fawcett Is Fixing It

Cindicates — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 18:00:00 GMT

You know that feeling when you wake up tired… even after a full night’s sleep?

Or when your back hurts, your shoulders feel off, and you just assume it’s stress, work, or getting older?

For most people, the answer is simpler… and more frustrating:

It’s your mattress.

The problem is, the mattress industry hasn’t really been built around you.
It’s built around mass production, markups, and one-size-fits-all products.

And that’s exactly what Fawcett Mattress is trying to change.

Fawcett is a Canadian mattress manufacturer based on Vancouver Island, building personalized, natural latex mattresses designed to improve sleep quality.

What Makes Fawcett Different from Other Mattress Brands in Canada

At first glance, Fawcett might sound like another direct-to-consumer mattress brand.

But when you look closer, it’s quite different.

Many modern mattress brands focus heavily on marketing. They often outsource manufacturing, compete on discounts, and rely on paid ads to drive growth.

Fawcett does things differently.

They manufacture their own mattresses in Canada
Use natural, non-toxic materials like latex, wool, and cotton
Offer customized firmness for each side of the bed
Operate with no middlemen and no discount-driven pricing

This means their mattresses are built around how people actually sleep, rather than being designed primarily for mass production and marketing.

Why mattress personalization actually matters

Here’s the real problem most people don’t think about:

One person sleeps on their back.
The other sleeps on their side.
One weighs 260 lbs.
The other weighs 120 lbs.

And yet… they’re expected to sleep on the same mattress.

That’s where most mattresses fall short.

Because in reality, different body types need different support, and different sleep positions need different firmness.

That’s why people search for things like:

best mattress for back pain Canada
mattress for side sleepers Canada
custom mattress firmness

…but still end up compromising.

Fawcett solves this by offering side-specific personalization, meaning each side of the bed can be adjusted to fit each person, at no extra cost.

This leads to better spinal support, less pressure on joints, and overall better sleep quality.

And ultimately, customers actually feel the difference.

It shows in their numbers too. Fawcett sees a ~39% returning customer rate, which is unusually high for this category.

Because when people finally sleep better, they come back.

Online + Retail: A smarter mattress buying experience

Buying a mattress is one of the few purchases people still want to experience in person.

You don’t just click “add to cart”. You want to lie down, feel it, and know it’s right.

Fawcett understands that.

They combine e-commerce (direct-to-consumer) with flagship retail stores, giving customers both convenience and confidence.

Their stores don’t just showcase products. They help:

Build trust
Improve conversion
Act as service and fulfillment hubs

This kind of hybrid model is becoming more common in the Canadian mattress market, especially for premium and personalized products.

But what’s even more interesting is how they’re growing.

Instead of relying heavily on ads, Fawcett has built a strong organic search presence, ranking for high-intent keywords like:

latex mattress
organic mattress Canada
non-toxic mattress

This means customers are finding them when they’re already looking for better sleep solutions, not just being targeted by ads.

At the same time, their retail stores help build trust and convert those high-intent customers.

It’s a simple but effective model, combining digital discovery with physical experience, and it’s something they’ve executed well.

And it’s working. You can see it in their growth.

Fawcett has already grown to 18,000+ customers, driven by both strong product demand and increasing online visibility.

But behind all of this growth is a team that has been building this business for over a decade.

Built by operators who know the industry

The company was founded byRoss Taylor, Duane Franklin, andAmber Leask in 2012, originally as a furniture manufacturing business. After seeing strong demand for better sleep products, they leveraged Duane’s expertise as a 30 year mattress manufacturing expert and shifted their focus to mattresses.

Over time, they brought on Jim Pearson as a partner to help grow and scale the business, with Jim joining full-time in 2020.

Since then, the team has stayed very close to the product, not just the brand.

They’ve built their own manufacturing processes, worked directly with materials, and continuously improved how their mattresses are designed and delivered.

That experience shows in how they operate today.

This isn’t a team experimenting with an idea.
It’s a group of operators who understand:

How to build products
How to manage production
And how to grow a business sustainably

They’ve also built a culture around craftsmanship, discipline, and long-term thinking — which is reflected in both their product quality and customer experience.

Over the years, the team has evolved the business from a local manufacturer into a growing national brand.

A different kind of investment

At Cindicates, we usually look for companies that combine:

Real traction
Clear customer demand
Strong fundamentals
And thoughtful execution

Fawcett stood out because it’s not just a brand. It’s a real operating business.

While it’s not a traditional technology company, it brings together the qualities we look for:

A clear and relatable customer problem
A differentiated product with real usage and repeat customers
Strong execution in go-to-market, especially through organic search and retail
A brand that aligns with growing demand for natural, non-toxic, and sustainable products

It also fits with our broader focus on supporting companies that create real value for customers, while contributing positively to the community and environment.

The future of sleep in Canada

Fawcett is aiming to:

Expand into major Canadian cities
Improve manufacturing efficiency
Continue owning high-intent search channels
And build a stronger national brand

As more consumers prioritize health, non-toxic materials, and personalized comfort, the demand for better sleep products will only grow.

If you’ve ever blamed your stress, your job, or your routine for feeling tired…

There’s a good chance it’s just your mattress.

And companies like Fawcett are starting to prove that fixing something simple can actually make a meaningful difference… every single night.

When Farming Becomes Smarter (Not Harder) with Geco

Cindicates — Fri, 03 Oct 2025 16:30:00 GMT

Farming has always been a balancing act: pushing for better yields, managing costs, and protecting the land that keeps everything going.

For generations, farmers have always managed weeds through a mix of experience, intuition, long days in the field, and a deep feel for their soil and seasons.

That knowledge is still the foundation of good weed control, but today, the job is getting tougher. The weather is less predictable. Herbicide costs are rising. Herbicide resistance is growing. And at the same time, there’s more pressure than ever to farm sustainably.

That’s where Geco comes in. They give farmers better information so they can predict weed growth before it happens.

The Problem: Uniform Spraying in a Non-Uniform World

Ask almost any grain farmer and they’ll tell you: herbicides are a big line item.

But here’s the thing, much of that spraying happens without truly knowing where it’s needed the most.

Weeds rarely show up evenly across a field. Most farms deal with patches that return in roughly the same spots year after year. Yet, the current norm is to spray the entire field the same way (wall to wall), because missing a patch can create bigger problems later.

So farmers end up spraying “just in case”, treating everything the same. That approach is safe though, but not always efficient:

Some areas get treated when weeds aren’t really there yet
Other areas might already be building herbicide resistance
And the amount of chemical going into soils and groundwater keeps rising

From the farmer’s point of view, it’s not about never spraying… It’s about using herbicides smarter: at the right time, in the right place, and in just the right amount.

How Geco Helps

Geco focuses on what they call strategic weed management, helping farmers know where to focus and how to adapt.

By combining several years of satellite imagery with field information, they uncover how weed patches move, fade, and reappear from year to year. Understanding those dynamics allows Geco to estimate where next season’s pressure is most likely to form.

From that analysis, Geco produces a map before the growing season showing where weeds are most likely to show up (long before you’d spot them from a truck, quad, or drone), and where pressure is expected to stay low.

Resource: Geco

Here’s the simple version of how it works:

Look back – Geco pulls in several years of satellite imagery and crop data for a farm
Learn the patterns – Their models identify consistent “hot spots” where weeds tend to show up and how they spread over time
Predict ahead – A preseason map highlights where weeds are most likely to show up and where they won’t.
Plug into existing tools – Farmers receive that map as a prescription file that works with equipment they already use. No new hardware. No cameras. No drones.

Just insights that save time, money, and product.

What Farmers Can Do With This Information

With a predictive weed map in hand, farmers can make more intentional decisions across the field. That might mean targeting residual products only in the areas where weeds are expected to break through, instead of applying them everywhere.

It can also mean increasing seeding rates in high-pressure zones to help the crop establish early and outcompete weeds.

Because Geco tracks recurring patches over multiple seasons, farmers can also take a more coordinated, multi-year approach: combining seeding, residuals, and targeted follow-up passes so those persistent zones steadily decline rather than cycle back.

In short, it’s a bit like having a weather forecast… but for weeds, and planning the season with far more clarity.

From a Handful of Fields to 100,000 Acres

Geco’s progress has been fast, especially for an agtech company working in such a complex, seasonal industry.

Back in 2023, they were running pilots on just a handful of fields in Alberta. Fast forward to today, and the picture looks very different:

Geco has now analyzed 360+ fields, supporting weed management decisions on roughly 100,000 acres of farmland in Western Canada.
Farmers are applying the tool across a wide mix of rotations, soil types, and herbicide programs, and the early results have been consistently promising.

Geco is also strengthening their place in the industry. They recently partnered with Gowan Canada to bring predictive weed mapping into multi-season weed management programs: combining digital insight with practical, product-backed recommendations farmers can actually use.

Reference: https://ca.gowanco.com/news/gowan-and-geco-partner-bring-strategic-weed-management-canadian-growers)

And the momentum doesn’t stop here. Beyond Canada, Geco is running pilot work in Australia, the United States, South America, and Europe, helping tailor the model to different crops, geographies, and weed pressures around the world.

For us, this combination of real farm adoption, international pilots, and meaningful partnerships reinforces something important: Geco isn’t a research concept, it’s a practical, farmer-ready tool that’s already making an impact.

The Team Behind the Tech

Geco is led by founder and CEO Greg Stewart, who brings nearly 25 years of experience building digital and data products across industries including pulp and paper, diesel engine control, oil and gas refining, and manufacturing. Over time, it became clear to him that agriculture was still early in its digital journey compared to other industries.

Greg saw an opportunity to take proven digital tools and apply them to a sector where even small improvements can create meaningful value across millions of acres.

And just as importantly, he understood that farmers don’t have time to become data scientists or deal with complicated technology, which is why Geco is intentionally software-only, easy to adopt, and designed to fit seamlessly into existing workflows.

Supporting Greg is a small, focused team based in British Columbia. The technical work is led by Senior Data Scientist Devin Kirk, who specializes in modeling biological systems and understanding how patterns emerge and spread over time. The team also collaborates closely with weed scientists and agronomy experts to ensure the models reflect real field conditions.

Together, they’re building something farmers can trust: technology that respects their time, fits the realities of their day-to-day work, and helps them make better decisions season after season.

Why We Invested

At Cindicates, we look for companies that bring together:

real, grounded value for the people they serve
meaningful traction and the potential to grow
and a positive long-term impact on communities, industries, and the planet

Geco brings all of that… and more.

What stood out to us wasn’t just the technology, but how practical and farmer-firstit is. It fits the way growers actually work, and it solves a problem they feel every season.

At its core, Geco helps farmers make smarter decisions, save money where they can, and protect yield where it matters most. It’s simple, thoughtful, and built with real respect for the people who work the land.

This is exactly the kind of grounded innovation we love to support: created locally, shaped by real farmer needs, and ready to scale far beyond our region.

Looking Ahead

Farming will always rely on the experience and judgment of the people who work the land. But as climate pressures rise and margins get tighter, “farming the way we’ve always done it” just isn’t enough anymore. Information becomes just as important as intuition… especially when every pass, every input, and every acre matters.

Tools like Geco help bridge that future. By giving farmers a clearer picture of where challenges are likely to appear, they can operate with more confidence, more precision, and more control over one of the most persistent pressures in crop production.

We’re proud to support a company that’s helping farms make smarter decisions, not harder ones, and we’re excited to see where they go next, from Prairie fields to farms around the world.

If you’d like to learn more about how we invest in B.C.-grown innovation with global impact, visit cindicates.com. We’d love to connect.

WikiSleep: Stories That Help You Drift Off

Cindicates — Wed, 17 Sep 2025 13:45:00 GMT

There’s a special kind of panic that hits when you’re exhausted but your mind refuses to be quiet. You’re tired, you want to sleep, but your brain is running a full-day recap, tomorrow’s to-do list and three random memories from 2008.

Most sleep apps tell you to “relax” or “clear your mind,” but if clearing your mind were that easy, we’d all be asleep by now.

WikiSleep takes a different approach: one that doesn’t demand calm, but creates it.

So how did a simple storytelling idea turn into one of the most-loved sleep tools we’ve seen? Let’s take a closer look.

From Sleepless Nights to an Idea That Stuck

Founder Adrien Sala knows that restless feeling firsthand. A writer, radio documentary producer and longtime storyteller, he spent years creating podcasts and audio pieces… and many, many nights trying to turn off his own racing mind. As he put it:

“I built WikiSleep for myself. I have suffered with sleep issues for years. I was listening to podcasts to help me sleep, but they weren’t designed for rest and the ads kept jolting me awake. So I thought: I can make something for myself.”

Leaning on his audio production and storytelling experience, his original concept was simple: he’d read Wikipedia pages over meditation music and release it as a sleep podcast. It was project he built just for himself, but WikiSleep Podcast soon found an audience and within long, it was getting roughly 30,000 listens a month.

But even then, it wasn’t the perfect fit. “I couldn’t put ads in it because people were trying to sleep,” Adrien explained. “So that’s why I built the app.”

What began as a personal solution became WikiSleep… now a growing app that helps thousands of people fall asleep more easily each night.

What Makes WikiSleep Different

Most sleep tools ask you to do something before you rest: breathe deeply, meditate, clear your thoughts. WikiSleep flips that script. It works by distraction with purpose: giving you a gentle but engaging story that holds just enough of your attention to keep you from spiraling through late-night thoughts.

Adrien calls it “Cognitive Diversion,” but also says “that’s just a fancy way of saying we give you something better to think about than whatever is keeping you up at night.”

Each episode follows a few quiet rules:

The pacing slows down gradually so the rhythm itself becomes soothing.
No sharp inhales or sudden volume changes that could wake you.
A calm tone from start to finish, without the spikes of normal conversation.
And of course, no ads.

The topics are delightfully random yet comforting: from The History of Dogs to a peaceful retelling of the life of Notorious B.I.G., even curious stories about Scientology, Sriracha Hot Sauce and Agatha Christie. They’re just intriguing enough to make your brain listen, but soft enough that you’ll likely never hear the ending.

In fact, one of the most common user messages Adrien gets is:

“I’ve listened to the history of dogs five times and still don’t know how it ends.”

That’s the perfect review.

Proof That It Works

Since launching, WikiSleep has quietly built real traction. The app is live on both iOS and Android, with more than 230 episodes available to subscribers. Reviews are consistently five stars, and churn (the rate at which people cancel) is impressively low, often below five percent.

When Adrien tested an App Store Optimization campaign, WikiSleep shot to the top 10 for dozens of key sleep-related searches, ranking just behind Calm in some categories. Growth was steady and organic, and trial-to-paid conversions were strong; in some months, more than 40 percent of users who tried the app became subscribers.

Resource: WikiSleep

But the most convincing proof comes from users themselves. Many say they now fall asleep faster than ever, using the same episodes night after night because they never make it to the end.

As Adrien likes to say, “When people don’t finish your stories, that’s how you know you’re winning.”

Building the Team and the Road Ahead

For a long time, Adrien did everything himself: writing scripts, recording, editing and maintaining the app. It was rewarding but isolating. Now, he’s surrounded by a small but talented team who share his passion for building a calmer, kinder sleep experience.

New advisors and partners are helping him grow WikiSleep in three main directions:

Product stability and polish. Cleaning up legacy code, improving speed, and making the app smoother to use.
New content and creativity. Expanding the library with more diverse stories and light educational themes that still feel restful.
Smart growth. Restarting marketing efforts, improving App Store presence, and introducing new features that help users understand their own sleep patterns, without turning rest into homework.

Adrien’s vision for the next year is simple: make the experience effortless, beautiful and truly helpful. Long term, he wants WikiSleep to define and lead the “cognitive diversion” category… the place people think of when they want to fall asleep to something gentle and human.

Why We Backed WikiSleep

When we first met Adrien and tried WikiSleep ourselves, we instantly understood the appeal. It wasn’t just another sleep app; it was a carefully crafted tool born from lived experience, with results you could literally feel overnight.

At Cindicates, we look for founders who build from personal need, show clear traction with limited resources, and create products that genuinely help people. WikiSleep checked all of those boxes. The simplicity of the idea, the quality of execution, and the deep user connection made it stand out immediately.

What impressed us most was Adrien’s combination of craft and clarity, the way he balances creativity with data and storytelling with science. It’s rare to find a founder who can produce content that feels both emotionally resonant and measurable in its results.

That’s why we’re proud to welcome WikiSleep as the newest addition to the Cindicates portfolio, and we’re excited to help Adrien scale his vision for a world that sleeps a little easier.

The Bigger Picture

Sleep is universal, but good sleep has become a luxury. Between busy schedules, constant screens and endless noise, finding calm feels harder than ever. What WikiSleep offers is something refreshingly simple: not another task or technique, but a moment of softness at the end of the day.

It’s storytelling with purpose: something gentle to hold onto while you let go.

And for us, that’s exactly the kind of innovation worth backing… thoughtful, human, and built to make life just a little better.

If you’re an investor who believes in backing thoughtful founders building real, human-centered solutions, we’d love to connect.

Meet Ontoly: Where Energy Upgrades Create Carbon Credits and Cash Flow

Cindicates — Wed, 20 Aug 2025 20:07:34 GMT

Buildings are everywhere. They’re where we live, work, shop, and learn.

They’re also one of the biggest sources of greenhouse gas emissions in cities and one of the biggest opportunities to change the math on climate change.

The problem? Even when property owners invest in big upgrades—swapping old boilers for electric heat pumps, improving insulation, or adding smart controls—the financial payoff stops at lower utility bills. There’s no extra revenue. No public recognition.

Ontoly is here to change that.

Third Time’s a Yes: Why We Keep Backing RetreatsAndVenues

Cindicates — Tue, 10 Jun 2025 15:45:00 GMT

Some companies just get it, and when they do, we stay in their corner.

This is our third time investing in RetreatsAndVenues, and for a good reason. We first joined their journey in April 2024, backed them again in October, and now we’re in once more this June 2025.

Why the repeat conviction? Because the problem they’re solving hasn’t gone away, and they keep proving they’re the best ones to solve it.

Planning team offsites still feels way harder than it should be. RetreatsAndVenues is fixing that. Their platform makes it easy (and even a little fun) to bring people together in person without the usual headaches.

And clearly, it’s working:

$600K+ in Monthly Bookings

Over the past year, RetreatsAndVenues has gone from early traction to serious momentum. The platform has now processed over $11.6 million in total bookings, with over $600K coming in every month.

It’s not just startups testing it out. Teams at Amazon, Epic Games, Deel, and VistaPrint are planning their offsites through the platform.

What started as a niche solution is fast becoming the go-to resource for distributed teams who need face time.

$1.4M Raised to Fuel the Next Chapter

Following an oversubscribed pre-seed round, RetreatsAndVenues raised $1.4 million to double down on product development, build deeper integrations, and expand their reach across North America, Europe, and Asia.

They’re scaling with discipline and a sharp focus on long-term value.

20,000+ Curated Venues (and Counting)

The platform now features over 20,000 vetted, high-quality venues, carefully selected to support everything from leadership retreats to full-team offsites.

And demand isn’t slowing down. More teams are recognizing the value of bringing people together, and they want a better, faster way to do it.

They’ve also begun expanding beyond just venues, introducing add-ons like team activities, ground transport, and other retreat essentials to make the planning process even more seamless.

Why It Matters

Remote and hybrid teams still need real-world connection. But no one wants to waste time chasing quotes or searching “best offsite venues near downtown” at 2 a.m.

RetreatsAndVenues is solving that. By simplifying the entire offsite planning process, from discovery to booking, they’re removing friction from one of the hardest and most meaningful parts of remote work.

What's Next

RetreatsAndVenues is continuing to level up their platform. On the horizon:

AI-powered planning tools that help teams go from idea to booked in minutes
New venue partners globally, including emerging retreat markets
A faster, smarter booking flow built for growing, distributed teams

It’s all focused on one thing: helping companies bring their people together, with less stress and more intention.

At Cindicates, we back startups solving real problems in fast-moving markets. This is our third time investing in RetreatsAndVenues and we’re as confident now as we were from the start.

What a Clean-Tech Moonshot Looks Like—Right Here in Victoria

Cindicates — Thu, 22 May 2025 14:00:00 GMT

There’s something really special about watching a local company you believe in get the recognition they deserve.

Last May 14, 2025, Open Ocean Robotics was named one of Canada’s Top 20 Moonshot Ventures of 2025. And to be honest, we’re still smiling.

It’s not just a list. It’s a spotlight on Canada’s most ambitious, impact-driven startups—companies tackling big problems with bold ideas. And seeing Open Ocean there made us feel proud in a different kind of way.

Because they’re not just one of the top startups in the country right now. They’re from right here, in Victoria. And they’re building something that matters deeply—to our environment, our future, and our coastal communities.

What makes Open Ocean Robotics a “moonshot”?

When you hear “moonshot,” you probably think of massive goals and breakthrough technology. But what we love most about Open Ocean Robotics is how practical their vision is—and how big it feels once you understand it.

They design and build autonomous, solar-powered boats that roam the ocean collecting data. No crew, no fuel, and no emissions. Just sunlight, sensors, and smart software doing the job of a traditional research vessel—without the environmental or financial cost.

These boats are equipped with:

Satellite communication, radar, and sonar
360° and thermal cameras
AI navigation and towed hydrophones
Real-time data transmission

They’ve already been deployed to help track endangered whales, monitor marine traffic, support enforcement in protected zones, and contribute to climate research.

It’s not a moonshot in the sense of being out of reach. It’s a moonshot because it changes what’s possible.

Why it hits home for us

At Cindicates, we invest in early-stage BC companies solving real problems. And we have a special place in our hearts for founders who are quietly doing big things.

Open Ocean Robotics was co-founded by Julie Angus, a scientist and ocean rower (yes, she literally rowed across the Atlantic). Her lived experience on the water gave her a firsthand look at just how outdated and dangerous ocean monitoring could be.

So she did what all great founders do: she questioned the status quo and built a better alternative.

That kind of founder story—the kind that starts with a personal challenge and turns into something global—is why we love doing what we do.

Recognition that’s been a long time coming

This “moonshot” recognition follows a streak of major wins for Open Ocean Robotics:

Each of these milestones tells the same story: a team that’s quietly gaining momentum, driven by purpose and powered by innovation.

What this means for Victoria and for all of us

It’s easy to assume that global breakthroughs happen somewhere else. Silicon Valley. Toronto. Europe. But Open Ocean Robotics reminds us that some of the most meaningful innovation is happening right here on the West Coast.

They’re showing the world that Victoria isn’t just a beautiful place to live—it’s a place where world-class innovation can thrive. Where clean tech isn’t a dream—it’s already in the water.

As investors, moments like this matter. Not because of the headlines, but because they confirm what we’ve always believed: that supporting early-stage, BC-based startups isn’t just good for our portfolio—it’s good for our communities, our ecosystems, and our future.

To the Open Ocean Robotics team, congratulations!

You’ve earned this. And we’re proud to be on this journey with you.

Keep sailing forward. The world is watching.

Tenzr Health is Redefining Rehab with Gamified Therapy

Cindicates — Fri, 13 Dec 2024 22:15:00 GMT

For anyone recovering from an injury or managing a chronic condition, physical therapy can feel like a slow, repetitive, and sometimes frustrating process. Sticking to a rehab plan requires dedication, but let’s be honest—it’s not always easy.

Bringing Artisan Bread Home: How Atome Bakery is Changing the Game

Cindicates — Tue, 05 Nov 2024 18:45:00 GMT

For most North Americans, enjoying fresh, artisan-quality bread means making a trip to a specialty bakery—if they’re lucky enough to have one nearby. But what if bakery-quality sourdough and pastries could come straight to your door, ready to bake whenever you want?

Streamlining Retreat Planning, RetreatsAndVenues

Cindicates — Tue, 16 Apr 2024 19:30:00 GMT

Founded by Cory Sivell (CEO), Matthew Oakes, and Mike Tan, a team passionate about creating memorable corporate experiences, RetreatsAndVenues aims to streamline the often-stressful process of finding the perfect retreat venue.

Kinitics is Leading the Industrial Automation with Shape Memory Alloy

Cindicates — Wed, 31 Jan 2024 16:26:00 GMT

Cindicates has invested into Kinitics Automation, a Vancouver based cleantech company who are creating an industrial world where valves respond instantly, emissions shrink, and maintenance headaches become a thing of the past. Their solution is to take full advantage of a special material with the potential to transform entire industries—the shape memory alloys (SMAs).