Lotek Wireless
Lotek Wireless, founded in 1984 and based in Newmarket, Canada, designs and manufactures wireless telemetry systems for fish and wildlife monitoring, serving researchers and conservation organizations in more than 100 countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1984
- HeadquartersNewmarket, Canada
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Lotek Wireless does
Lotek Wireless, founded in 1984 and headquartered in Newmarket, Canada, is a private for-profit company that designs and manufactures fish and wildlife monitoring systems. The company serves researchers and conservation organizations in more than 100 countries, making it one of the long-tenured specialized players in the global wildlife telemetry market. With 101-250 employees, Lotek operates as a mid-sized scientific instrumentation firm focused on a niche where the buying base is fragmented across academic institutions, government agencies, and conservation NGOs.
The company's product portfolio is built around wireless telemetry hardware — including radio, acoustic, and satellite-based transmitters and receivers — that enables biologists and ecologists to track fish, wildlife, and avian species in field conditions. These systems support research applications spanning freshwater ecology, marine biology, avian migration studies, and terrestrial wildlife management. The underlying technology combines low-power radio and acoustic engineering with species-specific attachment methods, long battery-life design, and signal detection/decoder electronics, all of which represent decades of accumulated engineering knowledge rather than commoditized off-the-shelf components.
Lotek is a founder-led enterprise: Jim Lotimer serves as CEO and founder, with co-founders Jane Lotimer and Stewart Strathearn also identified. The company has raised at least $4 million in disclosed funding, including a 2005 round led by Investeco Capital and a 2015 investment from Renewal Funds, an impact-oriented investor aligned with environmental and conservation outcomes. Specific revenue, pricing, distribution, and detailed financial performance data were not available in the source material, leaving the company's commercial model and growth economics to be inferred primarily from its longevity, headcount, and global reach rather than from disclosed metrics.
Lotek Wireless firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Lotek Wireless
- Website
- https://lotek.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1984
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Lotek Wireless, founded in 1984 and based in Newmarket, Canada, designs and manufactures wireless telemetry systems for fish and wildlife monitoring, serving researchers and conservation organizations in more than 100 countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Lotek Wireless industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Wildlife Monitoring Equipment
- NAICS
- Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (3345), Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing (334519)
- SIC
- Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Wildlife Surveys & Movement/Connectivity Studies (e.g., Avian/Bat, Telemetry) (EUAHAHAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Animal Identification & Tracking Devices (Microchips, RFID, Tags, Scanners) (HLAMAFAL), Livestock Identification, Traceability & Recordkeeping Services (Tagging, RFID) (AFAEALAF), Livestock Precision Monitoring Software (Herd/Flock Analytics, Health Alerts) (AFAAAFAM), Animal Disease Surveillance & Reporting Systems (HLAMAJAB)
Keywords
Where Lotek Wireless is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Newmarket
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Lotek Wireless business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Lotek Wireless product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Lotek Wireless designs and manufactures fish and wildlife monitoring systems, including biotelemetry and biologging equipment, used by researchers in over 100 countries worldwide to track animal movement, behavior, and physiology. The company has supplied its monitoring products to the research community since its founding in 1984.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Fish and Wildlife Monitoring Systems
Companies that use Lotek Wireless
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles1 record
Lotek Wireless technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Lotek Wireless partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Lotek Wireless competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Microwave Telemetry: Microwave Telemetry builds satellite PTT transmitters for tracking migratory birds and marine animals worldwide — a direct alternative to Lotek's satellite wildlife solutions.
- Telonics: Telonics designs and manufactures VHF and satellite-based radio telemetry collars and tags for wildlife research, overlapping Lotek's core terrestrial wildlife tracking product line.
- Innovasea (VEMCO): Headquartered in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Innovasea (parent of VEMCO) is the closest direct peer to Lotek — both sell acoustic and radio telemetry hardware, receivers, and software used by fish and wildlife researchers globally.
- Star-Oddi: Iceland-based Star-Oddi manufactures implantable and external fish telemetry/sensor tags, overlapping Lotek's fish-tagging portfolio for aquatic researchers.
- Advanced Telemetry Systems (ATS): ATS builds wildlife radio and GPS telemetry equipment (collars, transmitters, receivers) used by biologists and ecologists — a near-direct comparable to Lotek's mammalian and avian tracking offerings.
- Biotrack Ltd: UK-based Biotrack supplies radio and GPS telemetry tags for wildlife and livestock tracking; their product catalog directly parallels Lotek's small-animal and bird transmitter lines.
Emerging players
- Ornitela: European specialist in lightweight GPS-GSM tags for bird tracking; competes with Lotek in avian telemetry with a more modern cellular-network architecture.
Broad incumbents
- Allflex Livestock Intelligence (MSD Animal Health): Global livestock RFID and identification incumbent backed by Merck/MSD; overlaps with Lotek's livestock ID/traceability business at much broader scale.
- CLS Group (Argos): Operates the Argos satellite wildlife tracking system and partners with tag manufacturers; competes indirectly with Lotek at the satellite infrastructure/platform layer rather than as a tag vendor.
Regional players
- Africa Wildlife Tracking: South African provider of VHF and GPS wildlife collars and tracking systems across Africa — a regional peer with similar product mix to Lotek but a continent-specific footprint.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Lotek Wireless social profiles
Digital presenceLotek Wireless financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Lotek Wireless leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Lotek Wireless funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Lotek Wireless M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Lotek Wireless
What does Lotek Wireless do?
Lotek Wireless designs and manufactures fish and wildlife monitoring systems, including biotelemetry and biologging equipment, used by researchers in over 100 countries worldwide to track animal movement, behavior, and physiology. The company has supplied its monitoring products to the research community since its founding in 1984.
When was Lotek Wireless founded?
Lotek Wireless was founded in 1984. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Lotek Wireless based?
Lotek Wireless is headquartered in Newmarket, Canada, in the North America region.
Who are Lotek Wireless's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Microwave Telemetry, Telonics, Innovasea (VEMCO), Star-Oddi, Advanced Telemetry Systems (ATS) and Biotrack Ltd. Ornitela is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Allflex Livestock Intelligence (MSD Animal Health) and CLS Group (Argos). Africa Wildlife Tracking is listed as a regional player.
Does Lotek Wireless have an API?
No public API is recorded for Lotek Wireless.
What industry is Lotek Wireless in?
Lotek Wireless's product category is Wildlife Monitoring Equipment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAHAHAH, Wildlife Surveys & Movement/Connectivity Studies (e.g., Avian/Bat, Telemetry), with a secondary code of HLAMAFAL, Animal Identification & Tracking Devices (Microchips, RFID, Tags, Scanners). Its NAICS code is 3345 and its SIC code is 3823.