Speaking as a "seasoned" engineer (I've experienced everything from IBM mainframes to the advent of PCs to web-based systems) I wouldn't consider this to be an "unsexy space" at all. You're solving a useful and challenging problem, and the opportunity to work on interfacing hardware and software seems interesting. If I were currently looking for a job in the Toronto area, I'd consider this to be a very interesting opportunity.

My biggest reservation about working for a company that's struggling to get established would be the risk of having the company fail in a couple of years and then having to look for a new job as a middle-aged developer. I'd guess that a lot of older developers have this kind of inertia.