Research and Innovation : Innovation + Job News

Recently, the Twitter feed of Idee  Inc. founder Leila Boujnane read, "Reviewing resumes. Nice way to finish a working day." For many techies hungry to be on the cutting edge, reading those words would be a nice way to start the next phase of their working career. Idee, now hiring, is one of the most interesting and perhaps most unsung Toronto innovation success stories around.

"We are image search pioneers," says Boujnane. "Our image search innovations have been quite substantial. That said, it has not always resulted in immediate corporate acceptance. But that has been changing as we gain a better understanding of our potential clients' needs and how to introduce them to technology they have never seen before or even thought was possible."

Founded in 1999, the company works on visual search technology, and so far every picture technology it has created is worth a thousand words of praise. Piximilar can search for images that share attributes (colour, content, composition) with an image. PixID is a print image monitoring technology that can track the use of images to cut down on piracy. Most recently it introduced TinEye, a visual search engine that can take an image and find out where it's being used online -- even if it's been modified.

The company has attracted such high-profile clients as Adobe Photoshop, Associated Press and Getty Images. "We just landed eBay as a customer and that's a true testimonial to the capabilities of our image search technologies (and our team)," Boujnane says. "Suffice it to say that I am looking at increasing the size of my team by 50 per cent in the coming months, ideally before the year end."


Writer: Edward Keenan
Source: Leila Boujnane, Co-founder and CEO, Idee Inc.

From the Mozilla internet browser to the Linux-based Red Hat operating system, open source software development has been one of the biggest technologies stories of the millennium. Along the way, Toronto's Seneca College has been an academic leader in teaching and research on the subject -- indeed, the school has worked with both companies mentioned above to get their students involved in innovating on real-world open-source projects.

Late last month, the federal government announced $2.3 million in funding over five years aimed at helping that research benefit local businesses by taking "innovations from the campus into the marketplace," in the words of the government. The funding is part of $15 million in grants announced under the federal government's Community Innovation Program -- Centennial College, another local school, was also among those receiving grants.

Although the number of jobs that could be created by the investment was unclear at this stage -- jobs will flow from businesses bringing innovations to market, which is a difficult process to predict -- employment was the driving motivation indicated by federal cabinet minister Gary Goodyear in announcing the grants. "Our government supports innovation because it creates jobs, improves the quality of life of Canadians and strengthens the economy," he said. "We are supporting this project at Seneca College to strengthen the competitiveness of ... businesses and enable young Canadians to prepare for the jobs of the future."

Writer: Edward Keenan
Source: Martine Perreault, Media and Public Affairs Officer, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada

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Students working at the Ryerson Digital Media Zone (DMZ) have developed an app for the Google Android that will revolutionize travel in the Paris Metro -- especially for those passengers with special needs such as vision and hearing loss.

The application, called "Mobile Transit Companion," will provide passengers on the Metro system with real-time updates and information contextualized to their location. Among its functions are service availability notices, elevator locations and other station navigation information and alerts from operators directly to the passengers. The app relies heavily on the visual, touch, sound and vibration capabilities of smartphones to serve passengers with various special needs. You can check out a video demonstration here.

According to a statement by Ryerson post-grad student and DMZ member Hossein Rahnama, the team that developed the application at the DMZ focused on passengers with special needs because they believed "those communities could really benefit from such applications, even though they are often not considered when [people are] developing apps." The DMZ is working on other, similar projects for airports and other transportation hubs, and is working with regional transit authority Metrolinx on a project for GO Transit to be launched in the fall. Plans also call for the application to be developed for other smartphones such as the Apple iPhone.

Writer: Edward Keenan
Source: Heather Kearney, Public Affairs Officer, Ryerson University

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The holy grail of the international traffic industry is eliminating gridlock. With a technology that Wired magazine recently named as key to accomplishing that lofty goal, Toronto start-up Skymeter Corporation recently won the top prize for innovation at the prestigious Intertraffic Innovation Awards in Amsterdam.

The company's Skymeter product is a GPS-based road-use meter that is currently used in Winnipeg to bill drivers for parking (on a no-tag-necessary, by-the-minute system that eliminates the risk of parking tickets). Similar applications are in the works elsewhere, but the application of the technology that's really turning heads is its possible use for congestion charging: its GPS technology would allow accurate, hassle-free billing for different streets or zones at different times of day.

According to Skymeter CEO Kamal Hassan, the use of Skymeter for congestion charging has already been tested and proved effective (in a commissioned project for Cisco Korea. He says that such uses are among "about six groups in our pipeline" that are ready to place large orders.

The company was founded in 2006 -- the realization of an idea founder Bern Grush had after getting a parking ticket and wondering why his car wasn't smart enough to know when its time was up and feed the meter itself. Together with Hassan and company CTO Preet Khalsa, Grush developed a metering technology based on GPS that, according to Hassan, "takes readings from the car and turns them into financial transactions, while protecting the privacy of the driver." Since launching in 2006, the company has grown from the three founders to employ 12 people.

In addition to the contract in Winnipeg, Skymeter notably has an R&D contract with the European Union. Expecting large orders to begin coming in this year, the company is currently seeking financing to ramp up production.

Writer: Edward Keenan
Source: Kamal Hassan, CEO, Skymeter Corporation

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In the words of Nic Sulsky, CEO of InGamer Sports, his technology takes fantasy-league sports players from "being general managers to being head coaches." His innovative technology -- launched in partnership with The Hockey News and the NHLPA May 27 in time for game one of the Stanley Cup Finals -- does so by allowing gamers to interact with the games in real-time, while they are being played, using their computer or mobile device, and to interact with other gamers at the same time through social media apps. Will this do for fantasy league sports what sabermetrics did for baseball? "We think so," Sulsky says.

Sulsky and his business partner Simon deBoer have been working on the InGamer concept for about 10 years, he says. "I've been obsessed with fantasy sports, and I wanted to know why I couldn't play live while watching a game." The pair realized there was a hole in the market, obsessive fans who laboured over fantasy-league teams day and night but were powerless to do anything while games were in action.

According to Sulsky, they began building their platform before the technology to support it existed. It's only in the past two years that real-time statistical information has begun to become available for major sports.  But now that it is, it opens up a new level of fantasy sports. "This is not just goals and assists � our points system is about everything: passes, hits, saves, blocked shots. The average NHL game has six [goal] scoring plays, our system counts over 200 scoring plays per game."

For now, the startup based at MaRS is still a two-person operation, but Sulsky anticipates hiring five or six new staff members by the fall.

Writer: Edward Keenan
Source: Nic Sulsky, CEO, InGamer Sports

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In a recent study conducted by PhoCusWright & Experian Hitwise, FlightNetwork.com ranked second among online travel sales organizations, with 6 per cent of the market (second to expedia.ca's 18 per cent share).

For the Oakville-based FlightNetwork.com, it was a welcome confirmation of their success. According to General Manager Suri Pillai, the company was founded in 1998, but really only took off in 2006 when it settled on a business plan and set up shop online. In the four years since, Pillai says, the company has seen 200-300 per cent growth, and now boasts 145 employees in the GTA.

Pillai attributes his company's success to a number of factors, but traces many of them to a single source: "One of our key assets is our technology," he says, "we build our technology in house. We're innovating and evolving every day -- we make changes to our website every week, and that gives us a very powerful advantage."

Pillai says that he expects continued growth in the immediate future as the company begins to fully exploit the new business potential offered by social media.

Writer: Edward Keenan
Source: Suri Pillai, General Manager, FlightNetwork.com

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Just a few weeks ago, we reported on the launch of Cavet Technologies and its new LumiSmart Intelligent Lighting Controller, and already it's seeing accolades roll in and business lining up.

At the Canadian Advanced Technological Alliance Innovation Awards on May 19, Cavet received the award for Technology Commercialization. "What this means is we're getting traction," says company co-founder and Executive VP David Berg. "It means that we've brought a product to market that's going to mean something."

Berg says that in the weeks since the LumiSmart lighting system launched, they have received expressions of interest from potential buyers in more than 20 countries. "I can't get into specific numbers right now... but we expect this is going to result in substantial orders that will result in hundreds of jobs here in Toronto." Berg says that the environmentally friendly, energy-saving technology has the advantage of saving any company that implements it money. "People fundamentally understand that saving power is something that effects your bottom line."

Berg emphasizes that the company is proud to be local. "This is Canadian technology, designed in Canada and manufactured in Canada for the rest of the world."

Writer: Edward Keenan
Source: David Berg, Executive vice President of Product Management and Engineering, Cavet Technologies

Therapure Biopharma Inc of Mississauga is one of the only Canadian companies to do large-scale protein purification, so their services are in high demand. That demand, according to company President and CEO Tomas Wellner, has led to a $27.9 million retrofitting and expansion of Therapure's Mississauga bio-manufacturing facility that will create 100 new jobs at the company.

"We're adding jobs that are high-value," Wellner said, noting that the company's work is subject to the "highest end of regulatory controls" and that new hires are and will be made up of the cream of the PhD crop and well-trained skilled operators.

Wellner says the expansion will take about 18 months to complete, after which production will be ramped up to serve expected global demand for the protein-based bioproducts the company manufactures. Such products are used to treat illnesses such as infectious diseases, cancer and anemia.

Part of the project will be financed through a $4.2 million grant from the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation. The remaining money will be a private investment by the company's owners.

Author: Edward Keenan
Source: Thomas Wellner, President and CEO, Therapure Biopharma Inc.

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Christian Burks, Ontario Genomics Institute president and CEO, says it will be a "shot heard 'round the world": an investment by the provincial government of $86 million in genomics research projects in the GTA intended to cement the region's place as a leader in this branch of life sciences and environmental sustainability.

"When it comes to recruiting the best researchers from around the world, the knowledge bases and tools (that will result from this investment) are great attractors," Burks says.

The investment comes through the Ontario government's Global Leadership Round in Genomics & Life Sciences -- GL2 for short -- and is part of a total of $114.6 million in grants given province-wide. Funding in the GTA will support 14 high-profile projects led by the Hospital for Sick Children, Mount Sinai Hospital, the University Health Network and the University of Toronto. In all, 168 researchers will have their efforts funded by these grants.

The GTA is currently the third-largest centre for genomics research in North America, after the Bay Area and Boston, according to Burks. In announcing the funding, Ontario Minister of Research and Innovation said these grants intend to exploit that status. "Through GL2, our government is helping turn our world-class research capacity into breakthroughs that will lead to new business and jobs," he said.

Writer: Edward Keenan
Source: Christian Burks, President and CEO, Ontario Genomics Institute; Office of John Milloy, Ontario Minister of Research and Innovation

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Two metal-coating processes commonly in use today -- applying cadmium and chrome -- produce toxic effects for workers applying them and, in the case of cadmium, for its entire lifespan. Etobicoke-based Integran Technologies is exploring nanotechnology solutions to produce alternative high-strength, high-performance metals that are non-toxic to workers and the environment to replace these products.

Late last month, the federal government announced it would fund this nanotech research at Integran with a $1.1 million repayable investment over the next two years.  "This funding will allow Integran to offer viable and environmentally sustainable alternatives to the production of metals for the aerospace industry," said federal Minister of Industry Tony Clement.

Integran was founded 10 years ago as the evolution of a former branch of Ontario Hydro. Now a privately held company, Integran has grown from five to 35 employees over the course of the past five years. Rich Emrich, VP of business development at Integran, says that while these research projects will not lead to direct hiring, the company is constantly growing its workforce, adding researchers with advanced degrees.

Writer: Edward Keenan
Source: Rich Emrich, VP of Business Development, Integran Technologies Inc.

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Hy-Drive Technologies Ltd, based in Mississauga, announced last week that it was to raise $5 million in equity through a private placement -- the news came just a month after the company was listed as the small-cap clean tech stock of the week by TMXmoney and as one of the Earth Day penny stock picks at Stockhouse.

The company is growing rapidly as it markets its proprietary innovation -- a patented hydrogen generating system that injects hydrogen gas into a regular fuel injection system that allows fuel to burn cleaner and more efficiently. The Stockhouse report explains, "The enriched air/fuel mixture burns more efficiently, extracting more clean energy from the fuel while reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions. Further, independent tests show that the Hy-Drive Hydrogen Generating System increases fuel economy by more than 10 per cent."

According to a company release, it has recently been engaged in a large marketing drive that it is happy with -- and has resulted in 150 expressions of interest in its product. "We are very pleased with the initial results..." said Fred Florence, Hy-Drive CFO and COO, in a release, "and we expect to add many more fleets to trial HGS and prove to themselves the savings and emission reductions that can be realized."

The company has been around in various forms since 1996, but first launched it's hydrogen generating product -- which it calls the result of "over 100 person-years of research" -- in 2004. Now headquartered in Mississauga, the company employs approximately 30 people.

Writer: Edward Keenan
Sources: Fred Florence, COO, Hy-Drive Technologies Ltd.; Stockhouse; TMXmoney

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Before it constructed a new manufacturing facility, Chief Business Officer Mark Cochran says Microbix was operating at capacity. Now that the facility is operational, the company is reporting record sales, showing a 17 per cent increase in the second quarter of this year. Cochran says the  20-year-old company has been seeing growth of about 20 per cent per year, and expects to continue that trend for the next three to four years until they reach capacity again.

Microbix is a biotechnology company headquartered in Etobicoke, Ontario, focusing on virology and biological technologies. In a news release announcing its quarterly results, the company attributed its sales growth to the new facility as well as to a newly release diagnostic product used in US hospitals and to higher royalties from the company's rabies vaccine.

Cochran says the company is growing its staff to keep up. He estimates that Microbix has hired "three or four" new employees in the past quarter, and may "add another 10 positions in the next year."

Writer: Edward Keenan
Source: Mark Cochran, Chief Business Officer, Microbix

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According to Jobtac president and founder Satraj Bambra, the days of job hunters scrambling to find out where they put their resume are over. His startup allows people to store, organize and sort their professional files online, for access anywhere with a web connection.

Based in the financial district, the company was originally founded with a single employee in 2008 as an online job board, Bambra says. That original mandate quickly gave way to the innovative cloud-based file-storage concept, which has taken off. Bambra says the company has grown to seven employees and has seen rapid expansion with its Institution Management program, which allows universities and other large institutions to show off their talent.

Bambra elaborates that his company is guided by "Our belief and passion" for "creating a world where people don't need to waste time applying to jobs." He says Jobtac has created "a system where people can effortlessly store, bundle and share their career files (resumes, media, portfolios and references) with their education institutions, referral networks or directly with potential employers."

Bambra expects more growth in the near future, as the company is working on several new innovations and projects it expects to announce soon.

Writer: Edward Keenan
Source: Satraj Bambra, President and founder, Jobtac

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Fifth Light, an Oakville-based company that helps companies conserve energy by automatically dimming lights, will invest $25 million to advance its technology over the next five years, an investment that is expected to create 86 new jobs.

The company's innovative "dimmable ballast for fluorescent light bulbs" automatically dims indoor lighting depending on the amount of exterior light available. The company says its technology helps businesses with fluorescent lighting conserve energy, generate revenue, increase productivity and reduce waste.

"This investment gives us a heightened ability to deliver on upcoming contracts using a groundbreaking system we wholeheartedly believe in," says Dr. Joseph Dableh, CEO and president of Fifth Light Technology. His comments came after last month's announcement by the provincial government that the Ministry of Economic Development would provide a grant of $3.75 million to the company as part of the $25 million total investment.

Author: Edward Keenan
Sources: Dr. Joseph Dableh, CEO and president, Fifth Light Technology; Leigh-Ann Popek, Minister of Economic Development and Trade's Office

Got an Innovation & Job News tip? Email [email protected].

Unlike many web startups, Shape Collage was profitable from its launch in 2009. Founded by University of Toronto PhD student Vincent Cheung to, as he says, "solve my own problem of what to do with the hundreds and thousands of digital photos that I was taking with my camera. because he realized other collage-making programs. I didn't like what the existing collage makers did, so I made my own." The company has since racked up six figure revenue (and 25% month-over-month revenue growth), 1.5 million downloads and multiple awards.

Cheung designed the program for his own use and then offered it for free online. He racked up 90,000 downloads in one month. As he continued to work on his graduate studies in computer and electrical engineering, he launched Shape Collage as a business with help from the school's Innovation and Partnerships program, to great accolades. Most recently, he won the Ontario division of the Advancing Canadian Entrepreneurship award. His business model involves giving away his product free but offering an enhanced professional version for sale.

Cheung says he expects the size of the business to double over the next year. As for staff, until now it's just been him, "Founder, CEO, and Janitor" as his web profile says. But Cheung reports he's looking into hiring four support staff soon -- a student intern developer, a sales rep, a marketing person and a graphic designer.

Writer: Edward Keenan
Sources: Vincent Cheung, President, Shape Collage; Charles Lim on the MaRS blog; News @ University of Toronto

Got an Innovation & Job News tip? Email [email protected].