Ollon Partners with Vectors Defence: Building the Capability to Compete in Canada's Defence Sector

Over the past year, Ollon has been quietly doing something that doesn't always get announced with fanfare: building relationships. Not transactional ones, but the kind that start with honest conversations about where Canadian companies can go if they work together rather than separately.

One of those conversations has led to a partnership we are genuinely proud to announce. Ollon has officially partnered with Vectors Defence, a Canadian systems integrator with deep expertise in C4ISR, Arctic and northern defence, dual-use technologies, and military and autonomous vehicle systems. This partnership positions both companies to pursue defence and security opportunities that neither would be as well placed to compete for alone.

How This Started

Our Director of Marketing and Strategic Partnerships, Susan Campbell, has spent the last ten months developing a Canadian defence ecosystem, connecting companies with complementary capabilities and exploring how smaller, agile Canadian firms can credibly compete for defence procurements that have traditionally gone to large primes.

In the course of that work, she connected with Daniel O. Livvarcin, PhD, Founder and CEO of Vectors Defence. Dr. Livvarcin is a retired Navy Captain with over 25 years of experience in defence research and development, a part-time professor at the University of Ottawa and the Royal Military College of Canada/Collège militaire royal du Canada, and someone who has been building toward exactly the kind of collaborative, ecosystem-driven approach to defence procurement that Ollon has been thinking about.

The fit was clear fairly quickly. Vectors Defence brings operational credibility, systems integration expertise, and established relationships across Canada's defence and government landscape. Ollon brings technical delivery, software development, DevSecOps, and a Canadian-only engineering model that matters on sovereignty-scored procurements. Together, those capabilities cover the full range required by complex defence bids.

Why This Partnership Makes Sense

Canada is increasing its defence spending and signalling a clear preference for sovereign, Canadian-built capability. That creates real opportunity for well-positioned Canadian companies, but competing for it requires depth across both the technical and advisory dimensions of a bid.

Ollon is strong on the delivery side. We build and rescue complex applications, provide fractional technical leadership, and design the DevSecOps infrastructure that defence contracts increasingly demand. What we gain through this partnership is a credible, experienced systems integration partner who understands the operational side of defence requirements and has the relationships to navigate that world effectively.

For Vectors Defence, Ollon provides the technical execution layer for bids requiring software development, integration, or compliance-ready engineering. The arrangement is flexible: depending on the nature of an opportunity, either company can hold the prime position while the other supports as a key subcontractor.

Looking Ahead

Susan recently joined Vectors Defence as Director of Academia and Industry Relations, a role focused on developing partnerships between research institutions, industry, and government. That connection deepens the bridge between the two organizations and means that opportunities surfaced through Vectors Defence's networks will increasingly draw on Ollon's technical talent and delivery capability.

This is the kind of partnership that takes time to get right. We have spent time getting to know each other's work, understanding where the overlap is real versus convenient, and making sure this is a relationship worth formalizing. We believe it is.

If you are a Canadian company working in or adjacent to the defence sector and looking for partners who are serious about building something here, we would be glad to talk.

To learn more about Vectors Defence, visit vectorsdefence.ca. To learn more about what Ollon can bring to your next project, visit ollon.ca.