Dessa

Toronto, Canada Founded: 2015 • Age: 11 yrs Acquired By Square
Custom solutions based on deep learning are provided by Dessa.

About Dessa

Dessa is a Technology company based in Toronto (Canada) founded in 2015 by Stephen Piron, Ragavan Thurairatnam, Vincent F Wong, and Eric Kin-Ho Lee, and was acquired by Square in February 2020. Custom solutions based on deep learning are provided by Dessa. Dessa has raised $9 million across 2 funding rounds from investors including Square. The company has 18 employees. Its chief executive, as recorded, is Stephen Piron. The company was acqui-hired. Its focus areas include High Tech, AI Infrastructure, Machine Intelligence Systems and Custom Services.

Company details

Dessa was established in 2015 in Toronto, Canada, by co-founders Stephen Piron, Ragavan Thurairatnam, Vincent F Wong, and Eric Kin-Ho Lee. Deep learning-based custom solutions are offered within the artificial intelligence sector. Operations focus on tailored implementations for clients across industries. Services encompass development and deployment of AI technologies, with a base in North American geography. Leadership is shared between Piron and Lee as co-CEOs.

  • Headquarters Toronto, Canada
  • Employees 18
  • Founders Stephen Piron, Ragavan Thurairatnam, Vincent F Wong, Eric Kin-Ho Lee
  • Stage Acquired
  • Sectors
    Technology
  • Website dessa.com
  • Social LinkedIn X
  • Acquired by Square (Feb 2020)
Key Metrics
  • Total Equity Funding
    $9M (USD)

    in 2 rounds

  • Latest Funding Round
    $9M (USD), Series A

    Sep 2017

  • Investors
  • Employee Count
    18
  • Acquired by
    Square

    (Feb 2020)

Funding Insights of Dessa

Dessa has successfully raised a total of $9M across 2 strategic funding rounds. The most recent funding activity was a Series A round of $9 million completed in September 2017. This substantial capital infusion reflects strong investor confidence in the company's business model, growth potential, and market opportunities. The funding enables strategic expansion, product development, market penetration, and operational scaling to drive long-term value creation and competitive advantage.

  • Total Funding $9M
  • Total Rounds 2
  • Last Round Series A β€” $9M

All 2 funding rounds of Dessa with amounts and investors; the two latest post-money valuations are shown, the rest are part of the premium plan.

DateAmountTransaction NameValuationLead InvestorsInvestors
Sep 2017$9MSeries A––
–
Sep 2017Series A––
–
Valuation history

1 investors in total: 1 institutional.

Investors in Dessa

Dessa has secured backing from 1 investor, including institutional investors. Prominent investors backing the company include Square.

All
Institutional
InvestorDescriptionFounded YearDomainLocation
POS solutions are provided for retail businesses.
2009squareup.comSan Francisco, United States
Premium access

Investor details for Dessa

The complete investor list, round-by-round participation and investor portfolios require an active premium plan.

  • Complete investor list
  • Round participation
  • Investor portfolios
  • Co-investor network

Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.

People of Dessa

4 people are tracked at Dessa (4 in leadership); the tracked headcount is 18.

NameRoleGroup
Stephen Piron
Co-Founder & Co-CEOLeadership
Ragavan Thurairatnam
Co-FounderLeadership
Vincent F Wong
Co-FounderLeadership
Eric Kin-Ho Lee
Co-Founder & Co-CEOLeadership
Premium access

Complete people profiles for Dessa

Full employee and board profiles, team structure, tenure and professional contact details require an active premium plan.

  • Full employee list
  • Team structure
  • Board tenure
  • Professional contacts

Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.

Timeline of Dessa

4 dated milestones of Dessa across 5 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.

  1. Founded Dessa is founded.
  2. Funding First funding round.
  3. Funding Latest funding round, Series A, of $9.0M.
  4. Exit Acquired by Square.

Web traffic of Dessa

Websites that share an audience with Dessa (dessa.com).

Similar websites

Websites whose visitors overlap most with Dessa. Affinity shows how closely the audiences match.

WebsiteDomainAudience affinityMonthly visitsGlobal rankProfile
facebook.com
100%
12.1B#3View details
Upgrade to premium

Unlock complete access to The Company Check

Get unrestricted viewing across everything we track β€” from companies and brands to investors, funding rounds, acquisitions, financials, and more.

Upgrade to Premium No viewing limits. Your plan controls exports and screening usage.
Included in your Premium account
  • βœ“
    Unlimited viewing on all profiles Companies, investors, financials, funding, acquisitions & directors
  • βœ“
    Full access to every database India & global coverage, advanced filters and rich profile details
  • βœ“
    Always-on access from your team account Single premium plan for everything you see on the portal

Related news about Dessa

Premium access

Complete news archive for Dessa

Full article history, source details, and older brand coverage require an active premium plan.

  • Full article archive
  • Source and publication date
  • Older coverage
  • Brand-specific news history

Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.

Frequently Asked Questions about Dessa

Dessa was founded in 2015 and raised its 1st funding round 2 years after it was founded.

Dessa is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. It is registered at Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Stephen Piron is the CEO of Dessa, as recorded in our data. They have also founded this company.

Dessa is a funded company, having raised a total of $9M across 2 funding rounds to date.

Dessa has 18 employees.

Dessa was established in 2015 in Toronto, Canada, by co-founders Stephen Piron, Ragavan Thurairatnam, Vincent F Wong, and Eric Kin-Ho Lee. Deep learning-based custom solutions are offered within the artificial intelligence sector. Operations focus on tailored implementations for clients across industries. Services encompass development and deployment of AI technologies, with a base in North American geography. Leadership is shared between Piron and Lee as co-CEOs.

Dessa has 1 investor. Key investors include Square.

Yes. Dessa was acquired by Square in February 2020.

Explore millions of companies β€” effortlessly

Access structured, verified intelligence on 7M+ companies across industries, sectors, and global markets. From early-stage startups to large enterprises, discover ownership, leadership, funding, financials, acquisitions, and market signals β€” all in one powerful platform.

Free account with essential features Instant access to company reports Enterprise solutions available