What Can-Explore inc does

Can-Explore inc is a Quebec-based, privately held engineering and technology firm founded in 2014 that specializes in the inspection, surveying, and data management of urban, roadway, and building infrastructure. The company serves municipalities, consulting engineering firms, construction companies, transportation and energy operators, real estate developers, industrial and mining operators, and residential property owners, with operations concentrated in Quebec and Ontario and project-based work extending into the US East Coast. Its core offering combines CCTV sewer inspection, land and construction surveying, LiDAR 3D scanning, mobile mapping (including the Leica Pegasus TRK 700 Neo and NavVis MLX systems), drone-based photogrammetry, bathymetry, and Building Information Modeling (BIM), delivered by a multidisciplinary team that includes licensed land surveyors (OAGQ members) capable of certifying geospatial data for engineering and legal use.

The firm operates a hybrid revenue model: roughly four professional services streams (infrastructure inspection, geomatics and surveying, engineering and technical consulting including urban hydraulics and flood risk management, and infrastructure data management) billed on a project basis with disclosed hourly technical rates in the CAD $22-32 range, supplemented by hardware and software product sales through wholly-owned subsidiary Can-Ex Technologies. A second subsidiary, Drains Secours, handles residential foundation drainage. The firm has approximately 150+ employees, was ranked among the Top 300 PME du Québec in 2024, and closed a CAD $13 million institutional funding round in June 2025 led by Investissement Québec with Desjardins and Fondaction, alongside a strategic partnership with Jakarto (October 2024) for 3D geospatial data dissemination. Recent moves include the divestiture of subsidiary Tensio to Canam Group and the first-in-Canada acquisition of the NavVis MLX mobile 3D scanning system, indicating both strategic refocusing and aggressive technology investment.

Name

Can-Explore inc

Legal name

Can-Explore

Website

https://can-explore.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Can-Explore inc is a Quebec-based engineering and technology firm that provides infrastructure inspection, geomatics and surveying, mobile mapping, and BIM services to municipalities, transit and energy operators, construction firms, and industrial clients across Canada. Founded in 2014, it operates through subsidiaries Can-Ex Technologies (hardware/software) and Drains Secours (residential drainage) with 150+ employees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Infrastructure Inspection and Geomatics Services

NAICS

Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (541360), Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (54136), Environmental Consulting Services (541620)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Remote Sensing & Earth Observation Analytics (Satellite/UAV/LiDAR, Image Processing) (EUAHAKAD)

Keywords

• Infrastructure inspection services
• Geomatics and surveying
• 3D laser scanning
• Sewer inspection services
• Municipal engineering consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Quebec

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Infrastructure Inspection Services: Camera inspection, cleaning, and assessment of sewer networks, water supply systems, drinking water reservoirs, and electrical networks. Includes flow measurement, cross-connection detection, and pipe reaming services.
2. Geomatics and Surveying Services: Legal land surveying, construction surveying, 3D scanning, mobile mapping, bathymetry, and drone-based surveys. Services include as-built plans, quantity calculations, and infrastructure data management.
3. Engineering and Technical Consulting: Structural studies, BIM (Building Information Modeling), legal expertise in urban hydraulics, flood risk management, and infrastructure rehabilitation recommendations.
4. Technology Products (Can-Ex Technologies): Commercialization of proprietary inspection equipment and software developed by Can-Explore, including sewer inspection equipment and analysis tools.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Can-Explore provides infrastructure inspection, land surveying, geomatics, and engineering services to municipalities, construction firms, transport/energy operators, industrial/mining operators, real estate developers, and residential property owners. Core capabilities include CCTV sewer inspection, LiDAR 3D scanning, mobile mapping, drone-based photogrammetry, bathymetry, BIM modeling, and legal/construction surveying, supported by the Can-Ex Technologies subsidiary which commercializes proprietary inspection equipment and software.

Product overview

Can-Explore operates as a unified engineering and technology firm offering a portfolio of complementary services. The core offering centers on sewer inspection services (CCTV camera inspection, pipe reaming, laser profiling, cross-connection detection, flow measurement) supported by Can-Ex Technologies, a subsidiary that commercializes the company's proprietary inspection equipment and software. The surveying and geomatics department provides land surveying, construction surveying, 3D scanning (LiDAR), mobile mapping, drone surveys, and bathymetry services. Engineering consulting encompasses urban hydraulics, flood risk management, structural studies, and BIM services. Infrastructure data management provides data collection and analysis for municipal assets. The Drains Secours subsidiary handles residential French drain services. These offerings are unified under a single company structure with shared technology platforms including the Leica Pegasus TRK 700 Neo mobile mapping system, drone technology, and AI-powered client interaction tools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Can-Ex Technologies: Subsidiary that commercializes Can-Explore's technological innovations, including equipment and software designed for sewer inspection.

Products and services

• Sewer Inspection Services Comprehensive sewer system inspection services including CCTV camera inspection, pipe reaming, laser profiling, cross-connection detection, flow measurement, plan review, and analysis/recommendations. Services for sanitary and storm water sewer networks of municipalities and industrial clients.
• Surveying and Geomatics Services Land surveying, construction surveying, 3D scanning with LiDAR, mobile mapping using Leica Pegasus TRK 700 Neo, drone surveys, orthophoto generation, and bathymetry services for municipal, construction, transport, energy, and industrial clients.
• Infrastructure Data Management Data collection, analysis, and reporting services for municipal infrastructure assets including sewer, water supply, and other utility networks, supported by a client portal at geo.can-explore.com.
• Engineering and Technical Consulting Engineering expertise including urban hydraulics, flood risk management, structural studies, and Building Information Modeling (BIM) services for municipal, real estate, and industrial clients.
• Can-Ex Technologies (Sewer Inspection Equipment and Software) A wholly-owned subsidiary of Can-Explore that commercializes the firm's proprietary technological innovations, including equipment and software designed for sewer inspection.
• Drains Secours (Residential Foundation Drainage)

Quantifiable outcome

• Railway installation accuracy of 1mm achieved for STM Côte-Vertu garage project
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• JakartocoreTechnology or Integration · 28 October 2024Strategic partnership with Jakarto, a leader in 3D mapping and geospatial data management founded in Montreal in 2017. Jakarto provides its Jakartowns web platform for Can-Explore to disseminate mobile scan data collected with Leica Pegasus TRK 700 Neo technology. Can-Explore's licensed land surveyors certify the geospatial data, adding engineering-level precision. Collaboration also opens door to data collection mandates assigned by Jakarto to Can-Explore, enhancing data collection capabilities of both companies and reaching new markets.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Stantec: Global engineering, architecture, and environmental services firm with a strong Canadian municipal infrastructure practice. Competes with Can-Explore on large municipal surveying, inspection, and water/wastewater mandates, but at much greater scale and breadth.
• WSP Global: One of the world's largest engineering professional services firms with deep Canadian municipal infrastructure, transportation, and environment capabilities. Competes for the same municipal and transport/energy mandates Can-Explore targets, but from a global platform.
• GHD: Global employee-owned engineering, architecture, and environmental services firm with strong Canadian municipal water and infrastructure practice. Competes with Can-Explore for water/sewer inspection and asset management mandates from Canadian municipalities.
• EXP Services: Canadian multi-disciplinary engineering and architecture firm serving infrastructure, environmental, and building markets. Comparable to Can-Explore in surveying, structural studies, and BIM offerings for municipal and industrial clients.
• AtkinsRéalis: Canadian-headquartered global engineering services firm with strong municipal, transportation, and infrastructure inspection capabilities. A relevant comparator for Can-Explore's engineering and inspection services, especially for Quebec-based public-sector work.
• AECOM: Global infrastructure consulting firm with significant presence in water, transportation, and environmental services across North America. Overlaps with Can-Explore on municipal water/sewer inspection and large-scale infrastructure engineering mandates.

Direct peers

• Englobe Corp. Canadian environmental and engineering services firm providing infrastructure inspection, geotechnical, and asset management services to municipalities and industrial clients. Overlaps with Can-Explore on infrastructure inspection and engineering consulting for public-sector clients.
• GeoVerra: One of Canada's largest geomatics and surveying firms, providing legal surveying, mapping, and geospatial services across Western Canada. Directly comparable to Can-Explore in offering land surveying, mobile mapping, and infrastructure data services to municipalities, energy, and construction clients.
• Tulloch Engineering: Canadian multi-disciplinary engineering and surveying firm with comparable offerings in legal surveying, construction surveying, and municipal infrastructure. Similar size and customer mix, with overlap in mobile mapping and geomatics services for Ontario municipalities.
• J.D. Barnes Limited: Established Canadian surveying and geomatics firm specializing in legal surveying, mapping, and 3D scanning for municipalities, developers, and infrastructure owners. Closely matches Can-Explore's geomatics/surveying core with comparable professional services model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/canexplore

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Can-Explore inc