eSight’s strategic relocation to the downtown core to invigorate branding and attract top talent
David Hoffman and Matthew Johnson of Colliers International represented eSight Corporation in its move from Uptown to downtown Toronto in 2015. Founded in 2006 by Canadian engineer, Conrad Lewis, eSight Corporation creates glasses allowing people with vision loss to see. The Corporation looked to open a corporate office in Toronto and called upon David and Matthew to find the perfect space.
This move corresponds to the tendency of North American high-tech companies relocating into or close to the downtown cores of major cities. According to the Colliers’ High-Tech Movement Report, this trend is fueled by competition for top talent and the desire to vivify the brand appeal. This has resulted in major top-tier high-tech companies opening new locations or entirely relocating into the downtown cores of the east and west coast hubs.
Historically, technology companies in North America have tended to settle in suburban locations due to lower rental rates and taxes, and larger available spaces. Today’s high-tech migration shift indicates a change in the industry’s priorities and needs. One of the defining factors prompting the trend today is the workforce generation shifts and dynamics. Further, as the majority of business today is conducted through the web, space requirements have shifted to reflect the new focus on employees and brand appeal.
The challenge that eSight faced in relocating was finding the right space for the value, as well as having the ability to grow without committing to a space for the long-term. Fortunately, Hoffman’s expertise of the local market helped eSight find a well-sized location at Simcoe and Front, with the option to expand at a later time.
eSight’s sophisticated technology works by adapting whatever the user is looking at (whether it’s a book 15-inches away from the user’s eyes or a bus 15-feet away) and enhancing the footage to process the image and display it onto the two near-to-eye screens. This process essentially enables sight and has no observable delay. A pair of glasses from eSight costs $9,995 USD (over $13,000 CAD).
Although the eye-wear does not work for profoundly or completely blind people, it does improve sight for a significant proportion of the legally blind population. eSight serves people from as young as four and up to 94 within Canada and the U.S. It can help legally blind people engage in virtually all activities of daily living.
Following their move to downtown Toronto, eSight now has space to grow and be more visible due to the centralized location.
“Being in the heart of downtown Toronto has not only allowed us to work collaboratively in an open and productive space, but also attract top talent, which is crucial in our work mission of helping legally blind people see. We are very appreciative of Colliers for working promptly and closely with us to help secure this space,” says Jeffrey Fenton, Director of Marketing at eSight.