# Shamira Jaffer

> Shamira Jaffer is the founder and CEO of Signifi Solutions, a Canadian automation company established in 2005. Her work connects hardware, software and service in automated retail, smart lockers and IT asset management. An inventor and experienced exporter based in Mississauga, she received the Innovation Award at the 2023 RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards and was an EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2025 Ontario finalist.

- **Role:** Founder and CEO at Signifi Solutions Inc.
- **Organizations:** Signifi Solutions Inc., Esprida Corporation, BMS Business Management Solutions Inc.
- **Education:** Bachelor of Arts (listed in Equilar executive biography), Simon Fraser University, Bachelor of Arts (listed in Equilar executive biography), University of Alberta
- **Known for:** 2023 RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards: Innovation Award winner., 2017 OWIT-Toronto Woman Exporter of the Year., EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2025 Ontario finalist.

## Career timeline

- **Age 24; calendar year unconfirmed** — Started her first business, selling computers, teaching users and providing accounting automation.
- **Before 2005** — Her second business developed software to help photo kiosks stay operational, including alerts about paper supplies.
- **2005** — Founded Signifi Solutions.
- **2017** — Received OWIT-Toronto’s Woman Exporter of the Year Award; a Canadian trade minister highlighted Signifi’s UAE contracts.
- **2020** — Signifi received CAMSC’s Technology Innovation Award; US patent 10559157 named Jaffer and Simon Treadwell as inventors.
- **2021** — Signifi received CAMSC’s Supplier of the Year Award.
- **2022** — Graham Partners Growth announced a minority growth equity investment in Signifi on September 23.
- **2023** — Won the Innovation Award at the RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards.
- **2025** — Named an EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Ontario finalist.
- **2026** — Appeared on the March 29 episode of Chatter that Matters about women entrepreneurs and scaling businesses.

## Achievements

- 2023 RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards: Innovation Award winner.
- 2017 OWIT-Toronto Woman Exporter of the Year.
- EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2025 Ontario finalist.
- Named co-inventor on US10559157B2, Automated vending machine with tray transport system, granted February 11, 2020.
- Named co-inventor on US10968681B2, Smart locker system, granted April 6, 2021.
- Led Signifi when it received CAMSC’s 2020 Technology Innovation and 2021 Supplier of the Year awards.
- Identified a World Food Programme contract for a 40-foot food dispensing kiosk intended for refugee camps in Sudan as her proudest accomplishment in a 2023 interview.

## Latest updates

- **2026-03** — Guest on Chatter that Matters, in an episode released March 29 with Jennifer Menard-Shand and Georgette Zinaty about women entrepreneurs and business growth.
- **2025-06** — Signifi announced her selection as an EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2025 Ontario finalist; EY’s official finalist roster independently lists her.

## Links

- Website: https://www.signifi.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shamira-jaffer-signifi-solutions/

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/shamira-jaffer
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-21