2009 Press Releases
Canadian Innovation Exchange Names CognoVision as Canada’s 2009 Innovation Leader
Runners up include Aeryon Labs (Information Communication Technology) and Skymeter (Clean Tech)
Toronto, ON (December 2, 2009) The Canadian Innovation Exchange (CIX), Canada’s most important gathering place for innovative technologies, announced CognoVision as Canada’s 2009 Innovation Leader. Voted by industry peers, CognoVision was chosen out of the Top 20 Most Innovative Companies in Canada, who were carefully selected from coast-to-coast to represent the country’s most cutting-edge technology entrepreneurs and companies.
Every year, the CIX conducts an exhaustive search for the most innovative technology, products, services and companies in the country. 20 companies are then selected to present Canada’s hottest technologies to both Canadian and US high-end executives and investors at the conference. Industry peers at the event then vote on who they believe should be the year’s Innovation Leader.
“This year’s competition brought out some of the country’s most amazing companies and technologies. From super computers and unmanned aerial intelligence gathering systems to new cleantech solutions, we were extremely pleased to see such impressive technologies being developed by Canadian companies,” says Robert Montgomery, Co-Chair, Canadian Innovation Exchange. “CognoVision was chosen by industry peers based on their innovation and dedication to using technology to provide in-demand solutions consumers will benefit from.”
CognoVision (winner of Innovation Leader Award and Digital Media Award at the 2009 CIX) was commercially launched in 2008 to help companies measure the effectiveness of in-store media and shopper behavior in retail environments. This is achieved with the use of CognoVision’s proprietary retail audience measurement software solutions. Using small camera sensors and computers, the Company’s anonymous face detection and people tracking software gathers data on how people watch ads and how they navigate within retail venues. This information is easily communicated to clients with the use of CognoVision’s proprietary reporting system. This system allows end-clients to make data driven decisions to: dramatically improve the effectiveness of media campaigns, increase product sales and advertising revenue, optimize retail execution and to reduce operational costs. www.cognovision.com
Runners up by category include:
Information Communication Technology (ICT)
Aeryon Labs designs and manufactures small unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems for unmanned aerial intelligence gathering. The product is targeted for the backpack of every soldier and the trunk of every police car. www.aeryon.com
Clean Tech
Skymeter is a 'Financial Grade GPS' metering technology that provides data needed to migrate roads and parking from taxpayer-subsidized to pay-per-use – cutting city-wide emissions by 15%, traffic by 30% and enabling better mobility. www.skymetercorp.com
Digital Media
CognoVision - www.cognovision.com
Held today at the Toronto Design Exchange, CIX was a full-day technology forum which showcased technology-based innovation and brought together key industry experts to share inspiring ideas and success stories. CIX also provided attendees with critical information from keynote speakers, educational sessions to help entrepreneurs develop their companies, and informal networking events designed to enable investors to discover each other as well as Canada’s next great companies.
Canadian Innovation Exchange Highlights Technology Visionaries As Keynote Speakers
Toronto, ON (November 16, 2009) – The Canadian Innovation Exchange (CIX) is proud to host a premier line-up of innovative visionaries as keynote speakers in its one-day forum December 2, 2009 at the Design Exchange in Toronto.
CIX is a one-day high-tech forum showcasing Canadian technology-based innovations while bringing together key industry experts to share inspiring ideas and success stories. The event includes keynotes, facilitated networking, roundtable discussions and educational sessions to help entrepreneurs develop their companies. It is also a platform for further meetings and discussions related to Canada’s innovation agenda.
In addition, CIX will feature Canada’s Top 20 Most Innovative Companies and delegates will vote on the “Canadian Innovation Leader.”
The conference keynote sessions features some of the industry’s leading technology visionaries. Highlights include:
- 9:00 – 9:30 a.m. – “You Can Make Gold and Other Myths About Innovation”
Speaker: Bill Buxton, Principal Researcher - Microsoft Research
As a principal researcher at Microsoft Corporation, Bill Buxton splits his time between research and making design a fundamental pillar of the corporate culture. During this session, Buxton will help the audience understand the realities of innovation by examining past successes and failures of today’s innovations.
- 11:30-12:00 – “The Growing Role of Governments in Venture Capital”
Moderator: Rick Nathan, Managing Director - Kensington Capital Partners
Speakers:
- Jacques Bernier, Head - Teralys Capital Fund
- Rod Charko, CEO - Alberta Enterprise
In today’s market, Governments have become the major source of capital, directly and indirectly, behind most of the venture funding in Canada. Who are these key players and how do investors access their funds? What is the appropriate role for Governments to play in the Canadian venture market? How does Government participation affect those funds who receive it, and the market as a whole? How do US and other non-Canadian funds interact effectively with these sources of capital?
- 12:00 – 12:30 p.m. – “Meet the Strategic Investors and Acquiring Executives”
Speakers:
- Claudia Fan Munce, Managing Director and Vice President - IBM Venture Capital Group and IBM Corporate Strategy
- Peter Rokkos, Partner and General Counsel - Comcast Interactive Capital
- Chris Wormald, Vice President Alliances - Research In Motion
- Nitin Kawale, President, Cisco Systems Canada
Moderator: John Ruffolo, Leader of the Technology, Media & Telecommunications – Deloitte
Find out who is acquiring, purchasing and partnering with innovative companies and what they are looking for from a trade sale, partner, or licensor.
- 1:30 – 2:00 p.m. – “US Investors: The View From America”
Speakers:
- Dave Furneaux, Founder & Managing Partner - Kodiak Venture Partners
- Charles Lax, Managing General Partner - GrandBanks Capital
- Andrew Lipsher, Partner - Greycroft LLC
- Larry Marcus, Managing Director - Walden Venture Capital
Key venture investors from the US gather to give us their views on innovation and help us understand what they’re looking for and how they would engage with Canadian companies.
- 5:30 – 6:00 p.m. – Sir Terry Matthews, Chairman - Mitel, Wesley Clover and March Networks presents closing remarks for CIX. Sir Terry Matthews is the owner of the worldwide Communications Systems division of Mitel, and the Mitel name. Terry is a major investor in Mitel Networks Corporation, a company focused on providing next generation Unified Communications solutions, and holds the position of non-executive Chairman. Terry also serves as Chairman or Director for a number of high technology companies including Bridgewater Systems, March Networks, Solace Systems and Counterpath Corporation.
Canadian Innovation Exchange Announces Annual List of Canada’s 20 Most Innovative Companies
One company will be declared “Canadian Innovation Leader” on December 2
Toronto, ON (November 10, 2009) The Canadian Innovation Exchange (CIX) is pleased to announce this year’s CIX Top 20 – Canada’s Top 20 hottest technology companies. Every year, the CIX conducts an exhaustive search for the most innovative ideas, products, services and companies in the country. 20 companies are then selected to present Canada’s hottest technologies to both Canadian and US high-end executives and investors, at the CIX on December 2. Based on these presentations, one company is declared “Canadian Innovation Leader”.
The 2009 list comprises:
• Aeryon Labs Inc. – Waterloo, ON
• CognoVision Solutions Inc.- Toronto, ON
• D-Wave System Inc – Burnaby, BC
• Darwin Dimensions – Montreal, QC
• Dayforce – Toronto, ON
• EnStream LP – Toronto, ON
• GaN Systems Inc.
• GlassBOX Television Inc. – Mississauga, ON
• IGLOO Inc.- Kitchener, ON
• Metranome – Waterloo, ON
• Morega System Inc. – Mississauga, ON
• NIMTech Incorporated – Vaughan, ON
• Overlay TV Inc. – Ottawa, ON
• Peerset Inc. – Toronto, ON
• PostRank Inc. – Waterloo, ON
• Remco Solid State Lighting Inc. – Toronto, ON
• Rypple – Toronto, ON
• Sixtron Advanced Materials Inc. – Dorval, QC
• Skymeter Corp. – Toronto, ON
• YOU i Labs Inc. – Ottawa, ON
“Congratulations to the CIX Top 20 – these companies illustrate the amazing innovation, ideas and technology available in Canada,” says Robert Montgomery, co-chair, Canadian Innovation Exchange. “This country is a hub for companies who are making a difference in the world with their ingenuity, and our role is to support these innovators and help facilitate their growth worldwide.”
Adds Rick Nathon, fellow Co-Chair of the event, “We organize CIX every year to encourage dialogue within the innovation ecosystem, so that we all can discover inspirational ideas from Canada’s most forward-thinking companies.”
The CIX Top 20 is open to all Canadian companies who consider themselves, their product, technology or service to be innovative in the fields of clean technologies, information technology and digital media. Each of the selected 20 deliver a live seven-minute presentation at CIX, where recognized industry experts judge the merit of their product or service.
Over the course of one action-packed day, participants will be exposed to industry leaders and visionaries who will share their knowledge, experience and ideas to help entrepreneurs gather valuable perspective and insight. CIX provides attendees with critical information from keynote speakers, educational sessions to help entrepreneurs develop their companies, and informal networking events designed to enable investors to discover each other as well as Canada’s next great companies.
Canadian Innovation Exchange Matches Canada’s 20 Best New Media Companies with Partners and Investors
Toronto, ON (November 9, 2009) The Canadian Innovation Exchange (CIX), Canada’s most important gathering place for innovative technologies, showcases the talents of the country’s most cutting-edge technology entrepreneurs and companies. 20 participants have been carefully selected from across the country to present Canada’s hottest technologies to both Canadian and US high-end executives and investors.
“Canada is a hub of amazing technology, ideas and companies who are making a difference in the world with their ingenuity, and our role is to find these innovators and help facilitate their growth worldwide,” says Robert Montgomery, Co-Chair, Canadian Innovation Exchange.
Adds Rick Nathon, fellow Co-Chair of the event, “We organize CIX every year to encourage dialogue within the innovation ecosystem so that we all can discover inspirational ideas from Canada’s most forward-thinking companies.”
Over the course of one action-packed day, participants will be exposed to industry leaders and visionaries who will share their knowledge, experience and ideas to help entrepreneurs gather valuable perspective and insight. CIX provides attendees with critical information from keynote speakers, educational sessions to help entrepreneurs develop their companies, and informal networking events designed to enable investors to discover each other as well as Canada’s next great companies.
Some of this year’s speakers include:
• Paul Kedrosky, Senior Fellow, The Kauffman Foundation
• Bill Buxton, Principal Researcher, Microsoft Research
• Sir Terry Matthews, Chairman, Mitel, Wesley Clover and March Networks
• Claudia Fan Munce, Managing Director and Vice President, IBM Venture Capital Group and IBM Corporate Strategy
• Chris Wormald, Vice President Alliances, Research In Motion (RIM)
The Top 20 Innovative Companies are determined by a qualified selection committee; each of the selected 20 will be asked to deliver a seven-minute presentation showcasing their innovative product live on stage at CIX. Recognized industry experts will act as judges, evaluate the merit of their product or service and provide constructive feedback and guidance.
The CIX Top 20 represents all Canadian companies who consider themselves, their product, technology or service to be innovative in the fields of clean technologies, information technology and digital media. CIX culminates in the presentation of Canada’s Top 20 Innovative Companies and participants in CIX vote live to choose the CIX 09 “Canadian Innovation Leader”.
