Discovery Lab assists spin-outs, start-ups, and companies find the support and expertise needed to launch, grow or rethink their plans
The day was like a Dragon’s Den for clinical scientists. Most of the nine presenters to a recent Discovery Lab advisory panel devoted decades to their investigations for the betterment of society. The forum for academics, start-ups, and entrepreneurs was co-founded by Michael Overduin and Cameron Smithers from the University of Alberta where 150 companies present…
Stephanie Florio is co-founder of Swob, a different kind of job board that responds to the needs and trends of a changing workforce. She shares with us why she and her brother Alexander started the business. Swob is a social recruiting platform to help employers and HR professionals in high turnover industries find local talent, using…
The resource price crash of 2014 forced Horizon North to turn its old business model on its head
[smartslider3 slider=69] A high-end home built by an oil-and-gas logistics company? Now, that’s disruptive technology at work. Disruption is a way of life now for Horizon North, a company that has had to be exceptionally nimble after the resource price crash of 2014 turned its old business model on its head. Created as a spinoff…
Technology company ZayZoon's Early Wages On-Demand is taking off across North America, with more than 80,000 businesses participating
Imagine, as an employee, being able to access money as you earn it. Technology company ZayZoon, based in Calgary, has created a platform, Early Wages On-Demand, that allows people to access their paycheque before payday. The concept has taken off across North America. The platform is now available to more than two million employees by…
Patrick Lor of Panache Ventures talks about investing in, coaching and supporting Calgary's visionaries
Patrick Lor is managing partner at Panache Ventures, a seed-stage venture capital firm that will invest in more than 100 Canadian startups over the next three years. He is also partner at 500 Startups Canada. What is Panache and what do you do? Lor: Panache Ventures is a $50-million founder-first, angel-power venture capital fund. We…
Rohit Joshi talks about how Brightsquid’s patient information technology helps protect the viability of the health-care system
Rohit Joshi is chief executive officer at Brightsquid. What is Brightsquid and how did it start? Joshi: Brightsquid Secure Communications Corp. is a Calgary-based communications software company that has developed technology to transfer patient information between doctors and between doctors and their patients. Clinics that use Brightsquid Secure Mail see improved patient safety and a reduction in wait times for…
Co-founder Stephanie Florio talks about plans to expand the concept, which runs through an app
Stephanie Florio is co-founder of Swob. It operates in the Toronto area but has plans to expand the concept to other areas. What is Swob and how did it come about? Florio: Swob is designed to make job searching for students easy and recruitment even easier. Using their smartphone, students looking for a job can…
Calgary company meeting a growing demographic need in the community with a transparent, interconnected service
Calgary-based Vytality At Home is launching an app-based home care service that offers seniors new options to remain in their homes. With Calgary’s senior population growing three times faster than any other demographic, and with limited choices for personalized care in their homes, Vytality is providing on-demand technology to connect families with a range of…
It’s opening up the financial sector, serving acute needs and transforming how businesses raise capital
When fundraising garnered leftover crumbs, the gatekeepers of finance barely cared to notice. Now digitized, it’s drawing a growing portion of the financial pie, running into regulatory barriers and legal limbo in Canada. The critics of crowdfunding, particularly regarding private equity, make many accurate claims. Open-access financial intermediation dislodges state social services and favours savvy…
Dan Harper of Harper’s Tire tells us what it takes to compete against huge operations. And why getting good service when it comes to tires is important
Dan Harper is co-owner of Harper’s Tire in Calgary. What’s the history behind Harper’s Tire and how it began in Calgary? Harper: My grandfather, J.M. Harper, opened the original store on 12th Avenue S.W. in 1931. During the war years, tires were rationed so repairs and custom retreading was a large part of the business.…
The day was like a Dragon’s Den for clinical scientists. Most of the nine presenters to a recent Discovery Lab advisory panel devoted decades to their investigations for the betterment of society. The forum for academics, start-ups, and entrepreneurs was co-founded by Michael Overduin and Cameron Smithers from the University of Alberta where 150 companies present…
