UTEST

Crowdmark announces new partnership with Ricoh Canada Inc.

January 23, 2014
Susanne Staer
Crowdmark

Crowdmark, a MaRS Innovation and University of Toronto start-up incubated through the UTEST program, has reached a deal with Ricoh Canada Inc.

Announced January 20, 2014, the deal outlines national printing and scanning service for Crowdmark customers, with U.S. discussions coming up in the future, to improve the start-up’s online marking process for teachers.

Here’s an excerpt from the release (emphasis ours):

Toronto, Ontario (January 20, 2014) – Crowdmark Inc., a software company that delivers an ultra-scalable collaborative assessment platform to educators worldwide, announced today that it has entered into an agreement with Ricoh Canada Inc., to support Crowdmark’s customers, and with plans to explore additional enhancements to the relationship that will deliver additional client benefits.

Today’s announcement covers standardized terms and pricing from Ricoh Canada to provide a national printing and scanning service to Crowdmark’s customers in post-secondary institutions and K-12 school systems across Canada. Discussions about a similar service for USA-based Crowdmark customers are next on the agenda.

Whirlscape releases Minuum demo on a Smart Watch

January 22, 2014
Susanne Staer
Media Coverage

Whirlscape continues to build momentum for the Minuum keyboard. On January 21, the UTEST grad launched a demo of their keyboard on a Galaxy Gear Smart Watch.

The remarkably accurate keyboard that encourages sloppy typing for smartphones and wearable technology uses a disambiguation algorithm to make sense of any letter combination, so it’s been proven perfect for big fingers.

Xavier Snelgrove, Minuum’s co-founder and CTO, wrote a detailed explanation on the creation of the keyboard in Input, a blog by Minuum’s creators. From language models to algorithm descriptions, the post offers fans of Minuum an inside look at the science that makes the technology so user-friendly.

The Toronto-based start-up was covered by TechCrunch, TechCrunch Japan, Mobile Syrup and Android Police within hours of the demo’s release.

Financial Post lists Whirlscape as Canadian Start-Up to Watch

January 17, 2014
Susanne Staer
Media Coverage

2014 set to be big year for the start-up and UTEST grad

Whirlscape’s Minuum keyboard leads the way in Matthew Braga‘s January 5 Financial Post article highlighting promising start-ups from across Canada.

In 2013, Whirlscape’s Minuum keyboard app debuted at number 2 on Google’s Top New Paid Apps List after raising over $87,000 on an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign. They’ve also been accepted into Y Combinator, a prestigious U.S. accelerator program.

Here’s an excerpt from the article:

Minuum’s potential goes far beyond improved touchscreen typing. The company’s so-called “one-dimensional” keyboard approach can actually be applied to a wide range of scenarios, in particular, highly touted new wearable technologies like Google Glass, and motion-sensing technologies such as Microsoft’s Kinect and the Leap Motion 3D controller, enabling users to type “anywhere.”

MaRS Innovation’s 2013 Top 10 List

2013 was an exceptional year for MaRS Innovation. Here are the top 10 news stories from our commercialization portfolio. 1. MaRS Innovation secures a $15 million CECR funding extension In January,…

CBC News’ “The National” Features Granata Decision Systems

Amanda Lang interviews U of T prof and co-founder Craig Boutilier in segment on innovative start-ups and Canada’s future

Following an appearance on the CBC’s “Lang and O’Leary Exchange” on November 28, MaRS Innovation UTEST company, Granata Decision Systems, appeared on CBC news “The National.” The segment included an interview with Amanda Lang.

Watch Boutilier’s interview with Lang for “The National” on CBC’s website.

Screen Shot 2013-12-02 at 4.49.56 PM — **Granata Decision Systems’** Co-Founder and University of Toronto Professor **Craig Boutilier** gives his pitch at a OneEleven investor session. Boutilier and Granata were featured on CBC News’ “The National.”

Founded by Craig Boutilier and Tyler Lu, Granata Decision Systems is one of the first six companies incubated through the UTEST program for early-stage technologies, jointly administered by MaRS Innovation and the University of Toronto.

Granata is one of eight companies to join OneEleven’s accelerator program for companies tackling big data problems.

Their software allows marketers to optimize the effectiveness of their campaigns.

The segment features co-founder Craig Boutilier’s pitch at an invitation-only investor gathering at OneEleven to secure funding to further the success of Granata Decision Systems.

Lang & O’Leary Exchange features Granata Decision Systems

UTEST company makes cameo through launch of OneEleven, Toronto’s new data-driven accelerator for entrepreneurs

CBC’s Lang & O’Leary Exchange featured Granata Decision Systems, one of the first UTEST companies incubated through that program for early-stage technologies by MaRS Innovation and the University of Toronto, in their program on Wednesday, November 28, 2013.

Granata founders Tyler Lu (left) and Craig Boutilier on the Lang & O'Leary Exchange — Granata founders Tyler Lu (left) and **Craig Boutilier** made a cameo on CBC’s *Lang & O’Leary Exchange* November 28, 2013.

The data-driven company is one of eight to join the inaugural cohort for OneEleven, a new accelerator funded by OMERS Ventures, the Ontario Centres of Excellence, Ryerson University and other industry partners to support mature, sophisticated entrepreneurs tackling big data problems.

Thotra Receives National Post and Hindustan Times Coverage for Speech Transformation Technology

October 11, 2013
Susanne Staer
Media Coverage

Thotra’s speech transformation technology to improve comprehension in call centres and transcription services worldwide

On October 11, 2013, The Hindustan Times covered a technology developed by UTEST start-up graduate Thotra (invented by Frank Rudzicz) for its speech-transformation software.

The article commends Thotra for recognizing the communications gap surrounding accents, hailing the technology as the solution to “put an end to all accent problems.”

On October 2, 2013, Thotra’s technology was also covered in the National Post:

The software, which filters out aspects of speech that can hinder comprehension, is put to the test by processing lines from Colin Firth in the movie The King’s Speech. The results showcase the potential of the software and how it can assist comprehension of accents.

ChipCare, UTEST and MaRS Innovation profiled in Nature journal article on commercialization programs in Canada

Canadian commercialization and entrepreneurial programs helping scientists and researchers bring their products to market are the focus of a recent article in Nature Journal and on nature.com.

Posted online on October 2, 2013, the article explains how the Centres of Excellence in Commercialization and Research (CECR) programme, and specifically MaRS Innovation, develop research and put it into practice:

MaRS Innovation's commercialization process — MaRS Innovation’s commercialization process: Bridging the gap between brilliant research and successful start-up companies or licensable technologies.

“MARS Innovation and its sister organization MARS Discovery District are not-for-profit organizations that are tightly integrated in Canadian research commercialization. They are based in a heritage building that once belonged to the Toronto University Hospital, in the heart of the city’s ‘discovery district’ — the inner-city conglomeration of universities, institutes and hospitals which has a reputation as a research hotbed. “Here, all the different actors in the commercialization sphere come together in one space,” says Ilse Treurnicht, CEO of MARS Discovery District.

Whirlscape’s Minuum keyboard debuts at #2 on Google’s Top New Paid Apps list

Minuum #2 top paid new Android App on Google Play store — **Minuum** (icon second from left) is the #2 Top Paid New Android App on the Google Play store. Graphic courtesy of Whirlscape Inc.

The Minuum keyboard, which made its public debut in the Google Play Store on August 21, 2013, has already reached #2 position in Google’s “Top New Paid Android Apps” list. The keyboard is the only non-game currently in that list’s top 10.

In the “Top Paid in Android Apps” general category, Minuum is already #9. The keyboard, made by Whirlscape Inc., has a four-star rating among users.

Portfolio Update: OtoSim on Healthy Sim blog; UTEST grads Whirlscape and Crowdmark launch betas

August 21, 2013
Susanne Staer
Crowdmark

Here’s a snapshot of some MI start-up news that you may have missed over the last week: OtoSim Inc.'s medical training simulators, which teach otoscopy and otolargyngology skills in an…

Crowdmark announces new partnership with Ricoh Canada Inc.

Whirlscape releases Minuum demo on a Smart Watch

Financial Post lists Whirlscape as Canadian Start-Up to Watch

2014 set to be big year for the start-up and UTEST grad

MaRS Innovation’s 2013 Top 10 List

CBC News’ “The National” Features Granata Decision Systems

Amanda Lang interviews U of T prof and co-founder Craig Boutilier in segment on innovative start-ups and Canada’s future

Lang & O’Leary Exchange features Granata Decision Systems

UTEST company makes cameo through launch of OneEleven, Toronto’s new data-driven accelerator for entrepreneurs

Thotra Receives National Post and Hindustan Times Coverage for Speech Transformation Technology

Thotra’s speech transformation technology to improve comprehension in call centres and transcription services worldwide

ChipCare, UTEST and MaRS Innovation profiled in Nature journal article on commercialization programs in Canada

Canadian commercialization and entrepreneurial programs helping scientists and researchers bring their products to market are the focus of a recent article in Nature Journal and on nature.com.

Whirlscape’s Minuum keyboard debuts at #2 on Google’s Top New Paid Apps list

Portfolio Update: OtoSim on Healthy Sim blog; UTEST grads Whirlscape and Crowdmark launch betas

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