Innovation + Job News

A grant from the Trillium Foundation announced earlier this month will help the Greater Toronto Chapter of the Canada Green Building Council train an estimated 4,700 building professionals in green building technologies.

The funding of $393,100 is part of the Ontario provincial government foundation's Future Fund, created with the mildly vague mandate to "invest in Ontario's future," and the CGBC was one of four 2010 recipients of grants totaling $2 million.

In a vignette on the Trillium Foundation's website, CGBC Greater Toronto Chapter Executive Director Lyle Shipley says, "Buildings have been constructed pretty much in the same way for the last 40 years. We will be offering primer courses in integrated building design that will lead to a reduction in construction waste, less time lost (to deliver a greener building), fewer cost overruns and change orders." The techniques taught will include increasing capacity in energy and water conservation and efficiency.

Writer: Edward Keenan
Source: Angela Kooij, Senior Communications Officer, Trillium Foundation

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A program at the University Health Network will provide 12 nurses the opportunity to pursue research projects starting this September. The Nurses for Tomorrow Innovation and Research Fellowships will give nurses in the program two paid days per week to attend seminars and pursue their research -- projects are to support the UHN's strategic directions.

"We are one of the few hospitals that make an effort to involve nurses at the bedside in research and innovaion," says Carolyn Plummer, the innovation project manager for UHN. "It takes some real creativity and innovation to do that, and we're committed to doing it."

The University Health Network is made up of Toronto General Hospital, Toronto Western Hospital and the Princess Margaret Hospital. The fellowship program is part of the UHN's commitment to pursuing a research culture among nurses to drive innovation in improving patient outcomes. Along similar lines, a program in place since 2004 called 80-20 allows nurses to devote 20 per cent of their work week to professional development.

Author: Edward Keenan
Source: Carolyn Plummer, Innovation Project Manager, University Health Network

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Richmond Hill-based Intertainment Media has had a busy month announcing rapid growth, including new investment, increased revenue and a series of new product launches.

On July 15, the company announced that it had secured $5 million in equity investment from GEM Global Yield Fund, to be used to enhance existing product lines and create new ones. The announcement of new capital comes alongside a slew of new product announcements this month for its application itiBitti: an app for web personality Toby "TOBUSCUS" Turner, an app the "Hip Hop Bible," and a partnership with major sports and entertainment venue representative Ballena Technologies.

Most recently, they announced just this week the launch of Ortsbo, the world's first "multi-client, multi-conversation real-time translation platform for social media and email," which will allow translation of online conversations instantly in over 50 languages.

All of this comes on the heels of already encouraging growth. In a letter to stakeholders dated July 5, company CEO David Lucatch reported that quarterly revenue in 2010 was up more than 300 per cent over the same quarter of 2009. On the phone, Lucatch says that in the past year, the company has opened new offices in New York, Los Angeles and Silicon Valley, and roughly doubled the size of its staff to just over 40 employees.

"We've been putting our plan in place for three years now, our products are exceptional, and that's given us the foundation to start growing as we execute the plan to commercialize the products we have," he says.


Writer: Edward Keenan
Source: David Lucatch, CEO, Intertainment Media

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When the Village of Downers Grove, near Chicago, sought a cost estimate for 25 lampposts for the new subdivision of Prentiss Creek, they were quoted a price around $3 million. Instead of going ahead with it, they found an innovative, environmentally friendly solution from North York company Efston Science -- self-powering hybrid solar-and-wind-fueled streetlights that did not require digging trenches to bury power lines and would cost nothing to operate once they were installed. As a bonus, they would lower the carbon footprint of the village -- and all for a comparatively low cost of $282,500.

The ePole was developed by Efston Science a year ago, according to company owner Nick Efston, and is manufactured in the GTA in partnership with a pole maker in Burlington and a wind turbine company in Mississauga. The poles use a small wind turbine and a small solar panel in conjunction, and can store electricity for days at a time. According to Efsotn, the ePole business supports roughly a dozen jobs in the area.

Efston says that the Chicago-area project was the first major contract for the company -- and now that there's a precedent, he expects orders to start picking up. "We're now being spec-ed into a lot of projects. People are more responsive now that there's a working example to look at," he says. Among those impressed, reportedly, is the Queen, who viewed a pilot installation ePole at Woodbine racetrack on her recent visit.

Writer: Edward Keenan
Source: Nick Efston, owner, Efston Science

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A licensing deal for a potential treatment for ALS singed last week gives a boost to Amorfix Life Sciences' quest to develop diagnostics and treatments for such diseases as ALS, Alzheimer's and cancer, according to Amorfix CEO Dr. Robert Gundel.

The deal gives global biotech giant Biogen Idec the right to, at its own expense, pursue testing and regulatory approvals for antibodies developed by Amorfix to treat ALS. The Mississauga-based Amorfix gets $1 million up front, as well as potential milestone payments and royalties in the future. "This is excellent news for us because the deal represents the best way forward for developing this treatment," Gundel says. He added that the cash and the commitment by Biogen frees up Amorfix's staff of 16 to pursue other applications of their innovative health sciences technologies.

The company was founded in 2004 by Dr. Neil Cashman, and has an exclusive license on a technology called ProMIS. This innovative computer algorythm maps "misfolded proteins" that are characteristic of such diseases as ALS, Alzheimer's and cancer and identifies specific areas on the misfolded protein which can serve as targets for novel therapeutic intervention. Originally the process was used to develop diagnostic tools, but recently Amorfix has expanded its development into antibodies and vaccines that can attack only misfolded proteins cells (unlike conventional treatments for cancer, for example, which are not specific for tumor cells and have adverse side effects which may threaten the health of patients by attacking all cells in an area). These antibodies hold the potential to cease the progress of and cure the diseases.


Gundel says that licensing agreements with much larger companies such as Biogen Idec are part of the business plan for Amorfix. He says that "realistically" the company's products could bring effective vaccines and cures for such diseases to market within eight to 10 years.

Writer: Edward Keenan
Source: Dr. Robert Gundel, CEO, Amorfix Life Sciences

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On July 8, the TTC introduced a new service on streetcar lines that uses GPS positioning to allow riders to have next-vehicle arrival times sent to their mobile devices by text message.

The technological task of "text-messaging integration" was handled by the new GTA office of Montreal-based LIPSO. The company has, in the past, developed text-messaging innovations for Vancouver's Translink and the boarding-pass bar code scanner for Air Canada. According to LIPSO Director of Business Development Ross Noble, the TTC contract represented a "great opportunity" for the Mississauga office of the company, which was set up last fall.

Noble, currently the only GTA-based employee of the company, says a big part of his job in the immediate future will be to "build out" the Toronto office. He envisions adding at least three to four employees in the coming year, possibly more.

Writer: Edward Keenan
Source: Ross Noble, Director of Business Development, LIPSO

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Starting August 1, Dr. Darin Graham, a global innovation leader who has headed up research and innovation projects across Ontario and in Scotland and New Zealand, will take over as President and CEO of the Ontario Research and Innovation Optical Network (ORION). He replaces the network's retiring founder, Phil Baker.

Maxim Jean-Louis, chair of ORION's board of directors, notes that they "set out to get the very best and did get the very best" and says the the appointment represents a shift into a higher gear for the organization. "What it means for us is that we're going square into supporting the innovation agenda for the province," he says. "It means we've completed the building phase of our organization's development and we're preparing to get into the implementation phase. We know that based on Darin's experience he will be able to help us leapfrog into the forefront of innovation in Ontario."

ORION is an "ultra high-speed research and education network" that links 1.7 million Ontario researchers, scientists, students, teachers and staff to enable research collaborations and discoveries in physics, cancer research, environmental science and technologies, social sciences and the humanities and other disciplines.

Graham served most recently as head of New Zealand's ICT Innovation Institute and was formerly in charge of the Communications and Information Technology Ontario.

Jean-Louis says that in recruiting a "young man with an international record," the location in the GTA was a pivotal plus. "It was a huge asset," he says. "[Graham] told us that the government of Ontario's commitment to transforming the province into a hub of innovation interested him greatly."

Writer: Edward Keenan
Source: Maxim Jean-Louis, Chair, Board of Directors, ORION

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In what a company executive calls a "significant milestone" for the evolution of cloud computing, Mississauga-based information systems provider CentriLogic has signed its first customer to its recently-launched US cloud.

That client, Cookie Jar Entertainment, will be familiar to many parents: they are among the world's largest children's television programming companies, creating shows such as The Doodlebops, Arthur and Caillou, and licensing agencies (representing Richard Scarry and Strawberry Shortcake, among others). The company is in the process of moving its consumer websites to CentriLogic's on-demand cloud service.

Launched in 2007, CentriLogic has grown steadily, constructing servers for its cloud, managed hosting and data centre services in Rochester, Buffalo, downtown Toronto and Mississauga. According to CentriLogic VP Jim Latimer, having multiple facilities in both Canada and the US gives the company a competitive edge. Latimer says that with "failover" locations on each side of the border, clients in the US and Canada can be sure their data will stay in its county of origin.

CentriLogic currently has between 30 and 50 employees, Latimer says. As a veteran of the dot-com boom and the industry ups and downs since then, he says he's comfortable with CentriLogic's manageable rate of growth. But he says that the company has the infrastructure to scale up quickly, and the Cookie Jar contract represents a milestone in industry's warming up to cloud computing. "I expect our growth to accelerate rapidly," he says. "A lot of organizations to date haven't been rushing to put their data on the cloud, even with all the hype about cloud computing. It's new and the water still looked pretty chilly. But now the water is warming up and a lot of startups and other businesses are looking to the cloud ... the trepidation is gone, for the most part."

Writer: Edward Keenan
Source: Jim Latimer, Vice President of Client Solutions, CentriLogic

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A new City of Toronto pilot program with give enterprising young people in some of the west end's poorest neighbourhoods access to business capital and support.

The Youth Micro Loan pilot, announced earlier this month, will provide life skills coaching, business mentorship and loans of up to $5,000 to unemployed, out-of-school entrepreneurs aged 18 to 24 who live in the neighbourhoods of Jane and Finch, Weston-Mt. Dennis, Jamestown-Rexdale, Lawrence Heights and Westminster Branson. In addition to the capital, the youth will also qualify for support in the form of things like childcare and TTC tickets.

City of Toronto spokesperson Claudia Coore says that 15 young entrepreneurs are expected to participate in the pilot project.

"Together, we have created a culturally relevant, real-world form of business development support that will help these young entrepreneurs generate prosperity," Mayor David Miller said in a release announcing the program. "We are committed -- through the Youth Micro Loan Pilot project -- to helping our youth develop the skills, capital, access and networks needed to successfully launch their own businesses."

The program will be run in conjunction with the Toronto Community Foundation, Toronto Community Housing, Alterna Savings, UrbanArts Community Arts Council, Knowledge Equals Youth Success, Dixon Hall, Urban Financial Services Coalition and Money Minds & Common Cents.

Writer: Edward Keenan
Source: Cher Jones, Senior Coordinator, Promotions and Communications, City of Toronto

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QA Consultants, the Toronto-based software quality assurance company that has grown to be the largest of its kind in North America, has opened a new 20,000-square-foot software testing facility in North York that it says will be a cost effective alternative to overseas outsourcing.

"We are responding to market demand," the company's Managing Director Alex Rodov said in a statement announcing the opening. "Many Canadian businesses are looking to use on-shore facilities but in the past have been put off by the price.... the size of this operation means that we are talking about massive economies of scale, allowing us to offer prices that are competitive with off-shore facilities but at the same time can remove the difficulties often associated with off-shore work -- such as language problems and time-zone delays."

The facility, to be located in the building at 1 Sparks Avenue that was the former home of Hummingbird Communications (now Open Text), will employ roughly 250-300 employees, according to QA VP Harvey Dawson, the "vast majority" of which will be newly created positions.

Writer: Edward Keenan
Source: Harvey Dawson, VP Client Services, QA Consultants

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Two City of Toronto agencies who aim to help prepare more than 1,000 youth overcome barriers to entering the labour market were on the receiving end of $1.9 million in federal funding this week. Federal MP Mike Wallace announced the funding on behalf of the Ministry of Human Resources and Skills Development July 8, saying, "in today's environment, it is more important than ever that youth develop the skills they need to participate and succeed in the job market."

The funding will go to two programs: the Toronto Youth Job Corps, which helps unemployed, out-of-school youth with a combination of training and job placement (while paying them for participating); and Youth Employment Toronto, an outreach program that sees workers find youth in places they congregate and refer them to appropriate resources to help them find employment and training.

Mayor David Miller said in a statement that the funding will "provide young people with the resources and work experience they require to get started on their chosen path."

Both of the programs aim to serve youth who are, in the words of the federal government, "facing barriers to employment, such as single parents, Aboriginal youth, young persons with disabilities, recent immigrants ... youth who have dropped out of high school."

Writer: Edward Keenan
Source: Michelle Bakos, Press Secretary, Office of Minister Daine Finley

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In Toronto -- and in cities across Canada and North America -- a growing concern about healthy eating and a craze for juice cleanses presents many opportunities for starting a business. For Toronto entrepreneur Rebecca Malen, a particular aspect of juice cleanses stood out. "Juicing sucks. It's difficult, annoying, makes a mess, and when you do it yourself it's hard to get much juice out of a piece of fruit."

A year ago, she started Total Cleanse out of her home, offering enthusiasts the chance to have detoxifying drinks delivered to their door first thing in the morning. She found a ready market. "People love it," Malen says. "They're obsessed with it." Since launching by herself in July 2009, she's grown Total Cleanse to employ three full-time staff and moved the business from her home to a professional office and kitchen space. Last month, the business took its delivery network national -- in an age of overnight national couriers and online ordering, Malen says a business like hers is able to scale up in short order without investing in much infrastructure.

And Malen sees huge growth ahead. She says that aside from some social media marketing, the business has been built almost exclusively on word of mouth -- and one year in, she feels Total Cleanse has just scratched the surface of the potential national market.

Writer: Edward Keenan
Source: Rebecca Malen, Founder and CEO, Total Cleanse

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Residents of 48 low-income housing cooperatives in the GTA (pdf list) will see improvements to their living conditions in the near future after an announced $6 million in investment from the federal government to be delivered by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). But according to federal Member of Parliament Mike Wallace, who announced the investment on behalf of the Ministry of Human Resources and Skills Development, residents aren't the only ones who will benefit. "It will also help stimulate the local economy and create local jobs," he said.

According to CMHC spokesperson Dean D'Souza, there is no specific estimate yet of how many jobs the specific program will create in the GTA, though he notes that the total number of jobs created by the "Economic Action Plan" -- of which this is a part -- is 130,000 so far, and is expected to reach 220,000 by the end of this year.

The announcement was part of $1 billion in nationwide spending on social housing renovation and retrofitting.

Writer: Edward Keenan
Source: Dean D'Souza, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

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Biosign Technologies, a Vaughan-based company that makes online medical monitoring devices and has created an innovative diabetes monitoring device, has announced distribution agreements for Europe and the Middle East and Africa that are expected to produce more than $100 million in sales by the end of 2011.

The UFIT TEN-20, the company's latest innovation, which will now launch in Europe in September of this year, takes a measurement at the wrist that gives blood glucose and blood pressure reading, which are stored on the company's servers. As the company materials say, the process is "indirect, non-invasive and passive."

The biggest advance in the product's launch is the signing of a deal with Swiss-based DynamiCARE AG to distribute UFIT TEN-20 across Europe -- an area which represents one third of Biosign's expected global market for the product. A DynamiCARE spokesperson said the product represents "the next evolution of testing and diagnostics for personal medicine," and expects it to have "momentous impact." As part of the deal, DunamiCARE will pay an initial fee of $2.5 million to Biosign, and has committed to achieving sales of more than US$100 million by the end of next year.

A further deal announced this month sees distribution for the Middle East and North Africa handled by Dubai-based ALQAEM International. That contract carries a commitment to sell more than US$14 million by the end of 2011.

Writer: Edward Keenan
Source: Radu Leca, President & CEO, Biosign Technologies

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When Xtreme Labs announced this week that it had reached the milestone of 10 million downloads for their BlackBerry apps, it came as no surprise to anyone who's been following the explosive growth of the local mobile-phone application innovation business. Founded in 2007 by Sundeep Madra and Amar Varma as the largest company in the portfolio of their $10 million venture capital fund Extreme Venture Capital, the company has already developed over 100 mobile apps.

In that time too, the company has also gone from the original two to 50 employees, an astonishing 2500 per cent growth in their staff. The company has what it calls a "dynamic work environment" designed to foster innovation, in which developers work in pairs together in a large room with all the company's other developers. It counts Microsoft, NBA Digital, Accuweather and Urban Spoon among its client list.

Company founder Sundeep Madra says that popularity for mobile devices and the apps that go with them is only increasing, and his company sees further growth on the horizon -- especially as it sets its sights on the latest development in mobile computing, the iPad. "We see the iPad as a growth platform not just for Apple, but for us as well," he said in a statement.

Writer: Edward Keenan
Source: Sundeep Madra, Xtreme Labs

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