MAKE Digital

What MAKE Digital does

MAKE Digital Inc. is a privately held, founder-led Canadian creative digital agency headquartered in Barrie, Ontario, with operational presence in Toronto, Calgary, and Vancouver and a remote-first operating model in place since 2003. The firm delivers multidisciplinary services spanning strategy, branding, design, digital experiences (UX/UI, wireframing, prototyping), web development (Webflow, Shopify, custom builds), custom software engineering (C#, .NET, ASP.NET, SQL Server, AngularJS, AWS, headless CMS), video production (documentary, motion graphics), and digital marketing (content, PPC, analytics) to enterprise, government, education, and nonprofit clients in Canada and select international markets. Notable client engagements include the Government of Singapore's ExacList hiring system, the Accutrac Fuel Portal (processing tens of thousands of transactions daily across 16,000+ North American fuel stops), the PEN global knowledge translation platform for dietitians in 15+ countries, the FoodFlip mobile application with a 15,000+ item nutrition database, and brand campaigns for Holt Renfrew, Tennis Canada, Tyndale University, and the Government of Ontario Ministry of Education.

The agency's revenue model is professional-services project-based: engagements are scoped into custom proposals with defined deliverables, timelines, and terms, with disclosed multi-year contracts for major clients such as Dietitians of Canada (annual Nutrition Month campaign, six-plus years). Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is sales-led via the company website — through project inquiry forms and a meeting booking system — supplemented by content marketing through a blog (Perspectives), LinkedIn and Instagram channels, and SEO. No external funding, parent company, M&A activity, or institutional investment has been disclosed; the company is founder-led by CEO Michael Fess and operates with a small senior team of 11-50 employees distributed across Canadian cities.

Name

MAKE Digital

Legal name

MAKE Digital Inc.

Website

https://makedigital.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

MAKE Digital is a Canadian creative digital agency delivering strategy, branding, design, web and custom software development, video, and digital marketing to enterprise, government, education, and nonprofit clients across Canada and select international markets via a remote-first senior team.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Creative Agency Services

NAICS

Graphic Design Services (541430)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Creative & Experience Design Agencies (Web/App/UX) (MPAAAAAD)

Keywords

• Creative agency services
• Web development
• Digital experience design
• Brand strategy
• Custom software development

Headquarters

HQ city

Barrie

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Creative Agency Services: MAKE Digital generates revenue through providing creative agency services including strategy, branding, design, digital experiences, engineering, and marketing campaigns to enterprise and mid-market clients. Services are delivered project-based with custom proposals outlining deliverables, timelines, and terms.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

MAKE Digital is a Canadian creative digital agency that designs and builds brand-aware digital products for enterprise, government, education, and nonprofit clients. The firm delivers strategy, branding, design, digital experience, engineering (web, mobile, enterprise software), and marketing campaign services on a project basis with custom proposals outlining deliverables, timelines, and terms. It operates a remote-first model out of Barrie, Ontario with offices in Toronto, Calgary, and Vancouver.

Product overview

MAKE Digital operates as a creative digital agency offering a comprehensive suite of services rather than a singular product or platform. Their service portfolio encompasses brand awareness campaigns, web development (including Webflow and Shopify builds), digital experiences (UX/UI design, wireframing, prototyping), software development (custom applications using C#, .NET, SQL Server), branding services (naming, visual systems, brand strategy), graphic design, video production, discovery and research, and marketing services (content strategy, copywriting, PPC advertising). The company delivers these services through collaborative project engagements across multiple sectors including healthcare, education, government, and nonprofit organizations throughout Canada.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Brand Awareness Campaigns Strategic marketing campaign service for organizations seeking to increase brand visibility and recognition among target audiences, including research, positioning, and multi-channel campaign development delivered through project-based engagements.
• Web Development Custom website design and development service building responsive, accessible websites and web applications using modern frameworks and platforms including Webflow and Shopify, for clients needing marketing sites, e-commerce, and web apps.
• Digital Experiences User experience and interface design service creating wireframes, prototypes, design systems, and interactive digital products across web and mobile platforms, for organizations seeking purpose-built digital experiences.
• Software Development Custom software application development service covering web applications, mobile apps, and enterprise systems built with C#, .NET, ASP.NET, SQL Server, and AngularJS, for enterprises and governments requiring bespoke platform builds.
• Branding Services Brand identity development service covering naming, visual systems, brand strategy, voice and tone guidelines, and comprehensive brand guidelines, for organizations establishing or refreshing their brand.
• Graphic Design Visual design service including illustration, motion graphics, marketing materials, and visual identity assets, delivered to clients needing design support for campaigns, brand work, or content.
• Video Production Video content creation service including documentary production, social media content, motion graphics, storyboarding, and post-production editing, for organizations producing brand and campaign video assets.
• Discovery & Research Strategic research and discovery service including user research, user stories and flows, buyer journeys, and market analysis, used by clients to scope engagements and inform downstream design and development.
• Marketing Services Digital marketing service including content strategy, copywriting, pay-per-click advertising, and analytics implementation, for clients needing ongoing or campaign-based digital marketing execution.

Quantifiable outcome

• PEN platform serves thousands of users across 15+ countries including U.S., U.K., Australia, Japan, and Canada
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• MomentuumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMAKE Digital partnered with Momentuum to redesign the frontend UI/UX of CivicTrack, a web-based application for constituency offices and nonprofits. The project was a success, leading Momentuum to request MAKE's assistance on their other products.
• Principle PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrinciple Partners, an Asia-focused executive search firm specializing in financial services and emerging technologies, partnered with MAKE Digital to build the ExacList hiring system for the Government of Singapore. MAKE worked with both Principle Partners and the Government of Singapore on this project.
• Dietitians of CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMAKE Digital developed and maintains PEN (Practice-based Evidence in Nutrition), a global knowledge translation tool. They collaborate with Dietitians of Canada as part of the global governance framework alongside partners in Canada, U.K., and Australia.
• DesignRushminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMAKE Digital collaborated with DesignRush to bring insights on app modernization, with DesignRush providing a referenced blog post on app development guidance.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Valtech: Global digital transformation agency with strategy, design, technology, and marketing capabilities. Comparable to MAKE Digital's multidisciplinary model but operating across multiple continents with larger teams.
• Huge Inc. Global digital agency providing strategy, design, marketing, and technology services to enterprise clients. Overlaps significantly with MAKE Digital's offerings but operates at much greater scale across multiple geographies.
• Critical Mass: Large Canadian-founded digital experience agency with global offices serving enterprise clients. Comparable service portfolio (strategy, design, technology, marketing) but materially larger scale than MAKE Digital.
• R/GA: Global digital agency known for combining brand, design, technology, and communications. Competes with MAKE Digital for enterprise digital transformation mandates but with significantly broader capabilities and global footprint.

Direct peers

• Work & Co: Global digital product agency focused on designing and engineering digital products for enterprise and consumer brands. Comparable to MAKE Digital in its integrated design + engineering delivery model for high-value clients.
• Jam3: Canadian multidisciplinary digital creative agency in Toronto offering design, development, and interactive experiences. Directly comparable to MAKE Digital in service portfolio, Canadian roots, and enterprise/government client orientation.
• Ueno: Boutique creative and engineering agency offering branding, design, and software development for tech-forward clients. Comparable as a smaller, senior-team agency competing in similar enterprise branding/digital experience engagements.
• Plastic Mobile: Toronto-based digital agency specializing in mobile and web app development, UX/UI design, and digital strategy. Closely aligned with MAKE Digital's mobile app, UX, and software engineering offerings.
• Metalab: Design and development agency building digital products and brand experiences for leading companies. Comparable to MAKE Digital in its emphasis on pairing design craft with engineering execution.

Emerging players

• Pixel Union: Canadian digital agency with strong Shopify e-commerce design and development focus. Overlaps with MAKE Digital's Shopify and Webflow capabilities but is more narrowly focused on commerce platform builds.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/makedigitalca
• Instagraminstagram.com/makedigital.ca

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

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 MAKE Digital