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Posts Tagged: minuum keyboard

Dango: The emoji predicting app

Emojis are widely used among several social networking platforms. Choosing the right emoji can sometimes be a challenge. With Dango, the choices are generated for you. Thinking is no longer necessary. Whirlscape, the creator of Minuum (the one-row keyboard) and a graduate of the UTEST program, has created this messaging app that associates words with corresponding emojis and GIFS through the use neural networks. Dango has been featured on Android Police. Dango is a floating assistant that runs on your phone and predicts emoji, stickers, ... Read more

Portfolio round-up: UTEST, Nvest and Whirlscape news

Sometimes there's so much happening with the MaRS Innovation portfolio that it's hard to stay on top of all the news. Here are a few UTEST program stories that we missed in February. UTEST was named to FundThrough.com's list of "6 Exciting Canadian Startup Accelerators to Watch in 2015." Program co-directors Mike Betts and Kurtis Scissons point out that UTEST does take an equity position in the incubated companies and does not run on a grant basis as mentioned in the ... Read more

MaRS Innovation’s top 10 portfolio stories for 2014

MaRS Innovation enjoyed an exceptional year in 2014. Our team continues to collaborate with researchers within our membership to help bridge the commercialization gap between their world-leading research and creating successful start-up companies or licenses. Here are our picks for the top 10 news stories from MaRS Innovation's portfolio. 1. Triphase Accelerator Corporation, in which MaRS Innovation is an investor, started the year with a bang by signing a collaboration and option agreement with Celgene Corporation. In October, Triphase initiated a Phase I clinical study ... Read more

Whirlscape develops predictive keyboard for Will.i.am’s wearable Puls cuff

Whirlscape, makers of the Minuum keyboard, have developed a small, predictive keyboard for Will.i.am's wearable Puls cuff. The company is a graduate of the UTEST program's first cohort. The Puls, announced by the musician and entrepreneur on Wednesday, October 15, 2014 at the Salesforce.com's Dreamforce conference in San Francisco, is expected to be released in time for the 2014 holiday season. The Puls announcement and Whirlscape's involvement were covered by Mashable. Mashable's Karissa Bell describes how Whirlscape's keyboard integrates with the Puls: Puls uses a ... Read more

Toronto Star features Minuum keyboard’s successful iPhone product launch

UTEST graduate Whirlscape was featured in Raju Mudhar's Toronto Star article, "Toronto’s Whirlscape debuts tiny Minuum keyboard on iPhone," which examines the company's successful launch of their innovative, one-line keyboard for Apple's iOS 8. The UTEST program, co-directed by MaRS Innovation and the University of Toronto's Innovations & Partnerships Office, gives nascent software companies start-up funding, office space, mentoring and business strategy support. Whirlscape was among the program's first cohort. The article was published October 6, 2014. Here's an excerpt: An Indiegogo success 18 ... Read more

The Varsity on UTEST and start-up culture at U of T; Whirlscape launches new Minuum smartwatch demo

"Start-up culture is fast taking hold at U of T, with an array of incubators and accelerators providing student entrepreneurs the resources and mentorships required to get their businesses up and running," writes Ameya Charnalia of The Varsity, the University of Toronto's student newspaper. Charnalia's article focuses on new student-focused incubators, such as the UTEST program, which provide entrepreneurs cash, access to in-house expertise, working space and mentorship to advice their ideas. It appeared in the same week that recent UTEST graduate Whirlscape released ... Read more

Whirlscape releases demo of Minuum keyboard on the Moto 360 circular smartwatch

As part of their ongoing efforts to explore the future of wearable typing, UTEST grad Whirlscape released a demo of the Minuum keyboard working on a Moto 360 smartwatch. This news builds upon Whirlscape's activities in the wearables space; the company had previously announced a partnership with Omate Smartwatches that was covered in TechVibes. This news was covered in the Los Angeles Times, Tech Crunch, Droid Life, Mobile Syrup, Digital Trends, SlashGear, Android Community and GigaOM. See also this article speculating on possibilities ... Read more

Globe and Mail: Strong incubators are key to driving innovation

Jeff Cates' op-ed in the Globe and Mail's Small Business/Digital Innovation section on June 19, 2014 argues that incubators have a key role to play in fostering innovation, entrepreneurship and growing new industries in Ontario. Cates states this is particularly true when incubators when they provide programs and services to help young entrepreneurs succeed. The University of Toronto Early-Stage Technology program (UTEST), co-managed with MaRS Innovation, is one such program. UTEST is set to announce its third cohort within the next month. (more…) Read more

Whirlscape exits beta, launches version 2.0 of the Minuum keyboard

Whirlscape Inc., a graduate of the University of Toronto Early-Stage Technology (UTEST) program's cohort graduate, exits beta with the version 2.0 release of Minuum, their hit "small keyboard for big fingers." Whirlscape Inc. graduated from the University of Toronto Early-Stage Technology (UTEST) program's first cohort. UTEST is accepting applications for its third cohort until April 17. Click here to apply.  Version 2.0's release is already a popular download for Android Apps in the Google Play store. Users can get a 30-day free trial of Minuum and ... Read more

Y Combinator-backed Whirlscape closes $500,000 seed funding round

Minuum keyboard creators accelerate wearable device input technology development TORONTO, Canada (February 6, 2014) — Whirlscape Inc., creators of Minuum, “the little keyboard for big fingers,” have closed an investment seed round for just over $500,000 (USD). Y Combinator, FundersClub, BDC Venture Capital, and a dozen other prominent angel investors have contributed to the round. Whirlscape’s plans for the capital involve innovating beyond its participation in Silicon Valley’s start-up accelerator Y Combinator. Whirlscape also aims to consolidate the success of its Minuum keyboard ... Read more