Visual Lizard

What Visual Lizard does

Visual Lizard Inc. is a privately held Winnipeg, Manitoba-based web development firm founded in 1996 that designs, codes, and maintains custom websites and web applications for primarily regional clients. The company's core technical asset is Catalyst CMS, a proprietary content management system built and maintained in-house over decades, with a modular plugin suite covering staff profiles, portfolios, articles/blogs, members-only areas, and e-commerce. The stack is conventional LAMP-style (PHP, MySQL, HTML/CSS) augmented by third-party integrations with Stripe for payment processing, Google Maps and Google Places for geolocation features, and Multiple Listing Service (MLS) feeds for real-estate property data. Catalyst CMS is registered as a brand asset alongside the Visual Lizard name.

Visual Lizard monetizes through a mix of project-based professional services (custom web development, internet programming, business application development), recurring annual web-hosting subscriptions with prorated first-month billing, and incidental transaction fees via Stripe-powered online invoice payments. The firm targets a vertical-oriented customer base, with real estate (Winnipeg Real Estate News, Winnipeg REALTORS, Edison Properties, Interlake Real Estate) as the primary segment and tourism, nonprofit, entertainment, and retail engagements as secondary work. Distribution is sales-led: direct client engagement via website contact form, phone, and email, supplemented by referral partnerships with Winnipeg-area design agencies (Fusion, Guppy Design, Spacecadet Design, neuhaus) whose clients require development implementation. No public pricing tiers are disclosed; all engagements are quoted per project in Canadian Dollars under Manitoba law.

The firm operates as a small, founder-owned professional services company with no external institutional funding, no disclosed headcount, and no offices outside Winnipeg. Recent strategic activity has centered on incremental Catalyst CMS evolution (a Catalyst 5 upgrade in 2019), vertical-specific integrations for real estate (MLS, Google Maps), and operational tooling (Stripe-based online invoicing). Operating indicators — copyright spanning 1996-2026 and blog publication through May 2026 — confirm continued operation, but there are no visible signals of geographic expansion, headcount scaling, or new product verticals.

Name

Visual Lizard

Legal name

Visual Lizard Inc.

Website

https://visuallizard.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Visual Lizard is a Winnipeg-based web development firm, founded in 1996, that builds custom websites and web applications on its proprietary Catalyst CMS for primarily Manitoba clients, with a strong focus on the real-estate vertical.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Web Development Services

NAICS

Computer Systems Design Services (541512), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Graphic Design Services (541430)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373), Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Visual Identity & Brand Design Systems (BPAFAEAC)

Keywords

• Web development services
• Content management system
• Custom web applications
• Web hosting services
• Internet programming

Headquarters

HQ city

Winnipeg

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Website Programming and Application Development: Custom web development and web application development services billed on a project basis with 30-day payment terms
2. Web Hosting Services: Visual Lizard web hosting services billed annually with prorated partial month charges upon initiation
3. Catalyst CMS Development and Support: Content management system customization and support services
4. E-commerce Solutions: Online payment and invoicing solutions including Stripe integration for client invoice payments

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Visual Lizard is a Winnipeg-based web development firm that builds custom websites, internet applications, and business applications from scratch using its proprietary Catalyst CMS powered by PHP/MySQL. The company focuses on content-driven sites for real estate, tourism, and property management clients, with integrations to MLS, Google Maps, Google Places, and Stripe, and produces WCAG-compliant, web-standards-compliant outputs. It also provides web hosting and online invoice payment services to its client base.

Product overview

Visual Lizard is a Winnipeg-based web development company that operates as a single-product service provider built around their proprietary Catalyst CMS platform. Their core offering is custom website design and development using Catalyst CMS, supplemented by related services including internet programming, business application development, web hosting, and online payment processing. The Catalyst CMS is offered as a modular system with various plugins including Staff Profiles, Portfolios, Articles and Content, Blogs, and Members Only Areas. The company specializes in building projects to web standards, creating custom solutions from scratch rather than using pre-designed themes or frameworks.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Catalyst CMS: A custom-built content management system developed by Visual Lizard for website management, featuring plugins for portfolios, articles, blogs, staff profiles, members-only areas, and e-commerce functionality.

Products and services

• Custom Web Development Custom website design and development services built from scratch for businesses, using PHP, MySQL, HTML, CSS, and the proprietary Catalyst CMS. Delivers WCAG-compliant, web-standards-compliant content-managed websites for real estate, tourism, property management, and other Manitoba-based organizations.
• Catalyst CMS Proprietary content management system built on PHP/MySQL that powers Visual Lizard's client websites. Includes out-of-the-box plugin modules (Articles, Blogs, Staff Profiles, Portfolios, Members Only Areas) and supports third-party integrations such as Stripe, Google Maps, Google Places, and MLS feeds.
• Internet Programming and Business Application Development Custom internet programming and business application development services for businesses and organizations requiring tailored web-based applications beyond standard content websites.
• Web Hosting Annual web hosting service provided to clients whose websites are built and maintained by Visual Lizard, supporting ongoing site availability and infrastructure.
• Online Invoice Payment Online invoice payment capability integrated into Visual Lizard's client websites, enabled by Stripe payment processing integration, allowing clients to accept payments online.

Quantifiable outcome

• Websites built to web standards following WCAG accessibility guidelines
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FusioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign agency partner for Edison Properties project. Fusion provided graphic design for the apartment living website, with Visual Lizard implementing the Catalyst CMS backend.
• Guppy DesigncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign agency partner for Interlake Real Estate project. Guppy Design provided design work while Visual Lizard built the website on Catalyst CMS with MLS integration.
• Spacecadet DesigncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign partner for multiple projects including Winnipeg Children's Festival, Merit Motion Pictures, and collegiatemall.com. Spacecadet Design provides graphic design while Visual Lizard handles development.
• neuhausminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign haus partner for Winnipeg Children's Festival website project. neuhaus provided graphic design elements.
• WinnipegREALTORScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term client partnership for developing and maintaining Winnipeg Real Estate News and Winnipeg REALTORS websites. Visual Lizard worked with their IT department to build custom solutions leveraging existing systems.
• GooglecoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration partner for Google Maps and Google Places API usage in property search functionality across real estate client websites.
• StripecoreTechnology or IntegrationPayment processing provider for Visual Lizard's online invoice payment system. Stripe handles credit card transactions for client payments.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Tiller Digital: Winnipeg-based design and web development firm serving Manitoba businesses. Directly comparable as a regional Canadian agency offering custom web design and development in the same geography as Visual Lizard.

Broad incumbents

• WebFX: Large US-based digital marketing agency offering web design, development, and SEO services to SMB and mid-market clients. Comparable web design/development offering at meaningfully larger scale and broader geographic reach than Visual Lizard.
• Appnovation: Global digital agency headquartered in Vancouver offering web development, CMS implementation, and enterprise integrations. Comparable CMS and web development capabilities, operating at a much larger scale than Visual Lizard.

Direct peers

• Idea Rebel: Vancouver-based digital agency providing web design, development, and digital strategy. Comparable as a Canadian full-service digital agency delivering custom builds rather than templated work.
• Kinex Media: Toronto-based web design and development agency offering custom website development, e-commerce, and CMS solutions to SMBs. Comparable business model and service offering to Visual Lizard, with a broader geographic reach.
• Northern Commerce: Toronto-based digital commerce agency providing web development, e-commerce platforms, and digital marketing. Comparable as a Canadian digital agency building custom solutions for mid-market and enterprise clients.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/visuallizard
• Facebookfacebook.com/visuallizard
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/visual-lizard-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Visual Lizard