When you consider the GTA has more than 5.5-million people, keeping track of the growth of our economy—new companies, new jobs, new innovations—is a challenge. From storefront
bakeries to the invention of new
toys, the array of sectors that are bringing new ideas to Toronto and the world are mind-bending.
Green tech and medical tech continue to be booming sectors. The one big trend in 2011, though, was in digital. In particular, apps of all kinds and the software and infrastructure that tie them together and make them work across multiple platforms. Part of the credit has to go to the Ontario government's
push into the digital domain. But the boom also stems from the ability of entrepreneurs in the GTA to sense today's consumer demands—and anticipate what we'll be looking for in the future.
In 2011, it seemed like there is no experience that couldn't be digitalized. There's culture:
Wattpad nearly doubles its staff in 2011, with its app for sharing stories. There's transportation information: Entrepreneur
Adam Schwabe first produced a TTC schedule app that uses the TTC's platform to outperformed the TTC's own scheduling information system. Then he rolled the idea out to US cities. Meanwhile, Ryerson
released a scheduling app for the GO Transit system.
There's charity:
Artez Interactive developed a Facebook app that helps not-for-profits fundraise online. There's an app for wine lovers from
Natalie MacLean. And for those with less refined tastes, there's an app for
pizza.
Maybe 2012 will bring us an app for keeping track of all the apps being produced in the GTA.