Yesterday Vancouver's Indochino shed a little light on what happens after you order a custom-made suit online with a behind-the-scenes look at the handcrafted construction.
Capturing the entire process from click to fit, the video follows the purchase of a three-piece suit showcasing the unique production model, meticulous craft of Indochino’s master tailors in Shanghai and speedy two-week worldwide delivery.
Great looking video that should go a long way to helping potential customers just what's involved in making an Indochino purchase.
The video was made in collaboration with Fly Films - a production company whose clients include Dunhill, Christian Dior and Nike. Pretty good company for Indochino but then again they are one of America's Most Promising Startups.
About Indochino Founded out of Co-Founder Heikal Gani’s difficulty in buying his first suit, Indochino is the largest designer of men’s custom... [more]
Twestival Toronto is less than a week away and the Toronto tech and social media community is getting very excited. This year promises to be larger and raise more money than last year's inaugural TwestivalTO.
However, none of this would be possible without the generous support of the Toronto tech community. We had the opportunity at talk to two such sponsors:
Luke Southern is the Digital Strategist for GCI Canada:
This will be the second time that GCI Canada has sponsored Twestival. We think the event is great way to support a charitable cause, and an opportunity for us to engage directly with some of the thought leaders in the world of social media… I am looking forward to meeting in person all the people that I follow on Twitter!
Alkarim Nasser (aka Alex) is with bnotions.ca and Yorkville Media Centre:
Sponsoring TwestivalTO was a no brainer. Helping support the community and supporting larger worldly efforts looking to establishing education in the most impoverished regions requires as much momentum as we can feed it.
TwestivalTO is offering organizations a unique opportunity to create brand awareness across the elite tech, marketing, arts and PR communities. It is a chance for organizations to show their values and stand up for a cause that has continued to attract the attention of thousands of their customers.
For more information about TwestivalTO and how you can become involved, check out TwestivalTO.
BNOTIONS is a Toronto-based web development company. Our iterative approach to website development is results driven. We make it work and recommend... [more]
Despite increasing global economic concerns, the Digital Media industry continues to see regular growth. Businesses are consistently looking to... [more]
“With the growth of mobile Internet usage and the need for real-time financial and business news content, we are pleased to provide our members with the additional value of adding this important channel to our distribution network,” said Laura Sturaitis, Business Wire Senior Vice President, Media Services and Product Strategy.
Business Wire’s co-branded versions of Viigo will allow users to access Business Wire content categorized by industry, language, subject and multimedia news.
Additionally, the application will feature direct links to Business Wire’s Twitter feeds, YouTube channel and the RSS feed for the All Things Press Release podcast series.
To download the Business Wire/Viigo mobile app, visit www.viigo.com/partner/businesswire.
Viigo™ is revolutionizing the way users access information on their smartphone. Every day, people around the world rely on Viigo as their gateway... [more]
The seminar schedule for the 2010 New Ventures BC Competition has been finalized and the first seminar on April 6th is a timely one for those considering entering the 2010 Competition.
New Ventures BC' Executive Director Bob de Wit and Elisabeth Maurer of LightIntegra Technology will be presenting Assessing the Opportunity and the seminar promises to answer a lot of the questions entrepreneurs ask themselves when running with a new business idea.
So you say you're an entrepreneur? Now that you've convinced yourself that your venture will be viable, how do you go about convincing others? And how do you avoid the many hidden mines that could stop you from polishing your gem?
As an added bonus, participants will walk through a step-by-step guide on how to put their best foot forward in the 2010 New Ventures BC competition.
Assessing the Opportunity takes place on Tuesday, April 6th at the SFU Segal School of Business at Granville and Pender. Networking and registration open at 6:30pm and the seminar will begin at 7:00pm.
NVBC’s business-education seminars are available to anyone. Seminars are $20 each or $100 for all nine seminars plus a networking event. and the fee may also be applied toward your $200 NVBC competition entry fee. Register online.
Turn your idea into a profitable company by entering the New Ventures BC competition. A "new venture" is a business idea that is economically... [more]
Here are five job opportunities that caught our eye on the Techvibes Vancouver Job Board this week. Check out the full job descriptions and get your resume in asap if you're interested.
If you're hiring and would like your job opportunities profiled here, add them to our Vancouver Job Board and we'll see what we can do.
At Microsoft, we're motivated and inspired every day by how our customers use our software to find creative solutions to business problems, develop... [more]
Move’s Top Producer products are the number one real estate sales and marketing software solutions. By designing and developing the best suite of... [more]
Bayleaf designs, creates and supports web, desktop, and database solutions. Our clear thinking and flexible approach will help you reach your... [more]
Smallbox Software is a content management systems provider specializing in creating dynamic websites that enable our clients to effectively... [more]
Since 2000, Switch has defied the odds, remaining a small independent studio that passionately explores interactive entertainment wherever it... [more]
It may not have been a big launch party or a bash but it was a launch nonetheless. Public Mobile, Canada's newest entry in the wireless marketplace, finally opened for business in both Toronto and Montreal yesterday. And maybe they've learned a lesson or two from the start-up cousin, WIND Mobile.
Alek Krstajic is the CEO of Public Mobile:
We are not going after Bell, Rogers and Telus customers.
And to back this up Public Mobile won't be offering any smartphones. None. Krstajic told the crowd gathered outside a Toronto east-end Public Mobile store. Their focus is two-fold: On the 30% of Canadians who don't own a cell phone as well as lower-income Canadians. According to their website, Public Mobile is offering a comprehensive and unlimited $40 talk and text plan with phones starting as low as $70.
According to a report by the Toronto Sun, Public Mobile has a plan to target their market.
To zero-in on working-class people with household incomes of well under $100,000, the company opened 25 corporate stores and private dealers dotted throughout high-density mainly multi-unit dwelling neighbourhoods across the 416 and 514 area codes. The company plans to have as many as 200 stores and authorized dealers open by December.
What are your thoughts on the Public Mobile business model? Do you think it will succeed?
Communication is not a luxury. It shouldn’t be about frustrating, hard to understand price plans or unpredictable monthly costs. Public Mobile... [more]
I recently caught up with Techvibes reader and good friend Julie Tyios in Toronto. Julie wears many hats. She is the CEO of Red Juice Media and the Community Manager of Vestiigo.com. More recently she was chosen to be part of the Toronto Transit Commission's Customer Service Advisory Panel.
Here is my conversation with her.
If you want to get in touch with Julie, follow her on Twitter at @JulieTyios.
Vestiigo connects the career-savvy young professional with the latest job opportunities at Canada's best and brightest companies. If you're a... [more]
If you're headed down to the Kitchener-Waterloo area next week, be sure to stop by the University of Waterloo's William G. Davis Computer Research Centre while you're over there.
Wednesday, March 24th, 2010
On Wednesday, March 24, students from the University of Waterloo's Electrical and Computer Engineering program (ECE) will showcase a dazzling array of inventions - including an energy converter for efficient hybrid car engines, as well as a system that offers high-quality sound in a light bulb.
More than 220 students are expect to present roughly 49 innovative solutions in a seminar format to industrial and academic attendees, presenting an array of solutions designed to address problems arising out of transportation systems, software design, power systems and communications systems amongst others.
Friday, March 26th, 2010
And on Friday, March 26, students from the first graduating class of U of W's Nanotechnology program will show off some of their inventions, such as a miniature pesticide testing device, an electronic "nose" capable of detecting toxic vapours and a night-vision coating that can potentially be used in covert military operations.
Harnessing the power of molecules at the nanometric level, approximately 65 students will put forward 16 projects, demonstrating the unique properties of molecular manipulation, in tackling some of world's more pressing problems.
Both events will start at 9:30 a.m. and end at approximately 8 p.m., and will be held in U of W's Davis Centre - the building infamously built to simulate the shape of a microchip. Throughout the day, guests are encouraged to visit the stalls and booths set up outside the auditorium and try their hand with some of the working prototypes on display.
Courtesy of Exchange magazine, here are some of the key inventions salted to make an appearance. For a full list, be sure to visit http://www.exchangemagazine.com/morningpost/2010/week11/Wednesday/031706.htm:
Nanotechnology
* Fast-tinting Electrochromic Eyewear
The project demonstrates an electrochromic technology that allows controlling the level of tint in prescription eyewear. Glasses can switch between transparent and darkened states almost instantaneously, a dramatic improvement over the unsightly five- to 10-minute delay of competing Transitions lenses when moving from outdoors to indoors. Power is only used when switching, so a simple watch battery is all that is required to operate the device.
* Night vision stealth coating
Infrared detection devices are heavily used in the military field as a method to detect enemy troops in the surrounding environment. As such, the ability to counteract this detection can provide a strategic military advantage. This project introduces a novel coating, using carbon nanotubes, that can be synthesized and applied to fabrics to enable night vision invisibility for stealth operations.
Electric and Computer Engineering
* PEF Water Treatment
The project demonstrates a compact design of a point-of-use system that enables non-chemical treatment of microbial content through water electroporation. This system avoids the use of chemical water treatments that alter the taste and odour of water. Ultimately, it may lead to a reduction in the consumption of bottled water. Electroporation allows permanent inactivation of microbial content in a liquid through the application of intense electric fields. These strong electric fields stress the cell membrane of the microbes leading to their rupture.
* Project IRIS
The project demonstrates the design of a high-altitude imaging system that utilizes a low-cost meteorological balloon to lift a reusable imaging and communications system to an altitude of 100,000 feet and then descend safely to Earth. During the course of its flight, the system maintains real-time communication with a ground control station, permitting an operator to issue new commands for image acquisition and file transfer. The imaging system can track fixed points on the ground so the operator can send geographic coordinates for detailed imaging.
* Audio Bulb
The project demonstrates a system that delivers high-quality sound and lighting in a common light bulb form factor. It provides efficient lighting as well as immersive audio without the need for the intrusive wires of traditional speakers. The light and sound can be conveniently controlled wirelessly through a computer interface. The audio bulb can be configured to produce different lighting and sound profiles, while still supporting traditional on/off control via light switches.
Event Information
For more information on these two exciting events, visit eceprojects.uwaterloo.ca/symposium.html.
The following is a guest post from Trevor Doerksen, CEO of Calgary's Mobovivo - a digital media company focused on the challenges Broadcast and Media companies face in marketing and delivering premium content to audiences on alternative platforms.
The new Canada Media Fund, to launch the last week of March, is driving television funding requirements towards alternative-to-broadcast distribution. A core mission of the fund is to support convergence between new and old media. So, what is alternative distribution anyway?
Since the alternative-to-broadcast distribution requirement was announced by the Canadian Heritage Minister a year ago, comprehensive industry consultation has taken place and a new language around television and storytelling has emerged.
Trying to make sense of the requirement, the TV industry has begun using words and phrases like: platform, device, streaming, download, microsite, entitlements, social engagement, user-generated content, app, monetization, white-label, transcoding, mobisode, interactive and so on.
And it seems nobody can decide on common terms. No easy task, as even Apple's product branding is confusing – “is that an iPod, a Touch, or a Classic?” And it's getting more difficult. Consider the iPad – it seems to be a cross between a laptop, e-reader, iPod Touch (not the iPod Classic) and iPhone without the phone.
Of course, we know stories are distributed and communicated. Well scripted, high quality, professionally produced stories are distributed - people will always pay for access to compelling stories. Casual, brief, shocking, funny, emotional stories are communicated - and audiences will pay for access to be part of the communication.
The iPod, iPad and iPhone are, of course, one (or five) alternative-to-broadcast distribution opportunities for the television producer. One (or five) of how many? Which will qualify under new guidelines? Which are profitable? What about rights, copyright and territories? Do distribution windows apply? Where is all the advertising money? Do people pay for content? What about streaming on Facebook - is that an alternative-to-broadcast strategy? This is what an industry undergoing significant change sounds like.
Then of course, there are online services or alternative distribution platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube - three of the most popular websites in the world. These sites have proven to be powerful communication tools, and can't be overlooked as key marketing tools. However, they are unproven when it comes to the sustainable distribution of premium content. Recognizing the difference between successful creative marketing tools and sustainable distribution strategies is very important.
When it comes to distribution of stories, nothing fundamentally has changed. Consumers purchase access to media. People pay for cable, magazines, newspapers and music - no matter the format. This has been the case since free over-the-air broadcast was replaced by cable and VHS was replaced by DVD, then Blue-Ray, then digital download.
So perhaps then, nothing is new. Well, not quite. There are a lot of options that fragment the marketplace and our lives. Households don't have one record player or television. They have devices in every room and in their pockets. This is not new, just more fragmented.
As for creative marketing strategies, many musicians and producers have learned that engaging community and "being interactive" is hard work. Managing communities on YouTube, mySpace, Facebook, Twitter, and a website seems like as much work as directing a feature film - and it never ends.
Understanding the difference between technologies suited for distribution and technologies suited for marketing is key to taking advantage of fragmentation and disruption in the marketplace.
To understand alternative-to-broadcast distribution, producers and broadcasters need go no further than file-sharing tools to determine which distribution formats are popular. They will realize that there is no illegal trade in webisodes. Short clips may be there, but nothing compared to the popularity of full programs. They will see that both streaming and downloading premium movies and TV shows are extremely popular. They will notice there are several hundred programs to transcode videos from one device or format to another. In addition, they will notice that not only is a lot of this illegal, it is extremely complicated to search, download, transcode, and sync a video to your device. Despite the complications, doing so is extremely popular.
As an industry, we must make it easier, not harder, to purchase access to media for particular devices and favourite mobile and web destinations. This is what the Canada Media Fund should help the industry achieve.
A creative marketing strategy requires that television producers continue to do what they have always done - give people something to talk about. They need to engage with community by seeding the conversation with their shows, ideas, themes, experts, actors, and so on in a sustainable way. This is only possible if producers embrace the communications power of innovative new technologies, and provide the means for audiences to join conversations about their stories. Communications and marketing drive distribution and distribution feeds the overall strategy towards sustainability. Winning creative marketing strategies recognize that the human desire to communicate is fundamental.
The Canada Media Fund will ask the industry for proposals that bring great made-in-Canada stories to the world, supported by sustainable and innovative made-in-Canada solutions for marketing and distribution. Creative marketing plans leverage cost effective and powerful communications, social networking, and user-generated content tactics. And the alternative-to-broadcast distribution plan earns money by taking advantage of the numerous ways people choose to view TV.
Telefilm Canada is a Crown corporation reporting to Parliament through the Department of Canadian Heritage. Headquartered in Montréal, Telefilm... [more]
On Tuesday, March 23rd the Vancouver Enterprise Forum (VEF) is hosting Winning the Cleantech Game – Real Growth Stories hosted by Yaletown Venture Partners' Kirk Washington.
Cleantech is one of the fastest growing areas of technology in BC and the VEF have assembled a panel of Cleantech CEOs that are leading companies with customers, revenues and investment. The panel includes Glenn Johnson of Endurance Wind Power, David Helliwell of Pulse Energy, and James Dean of dPoint Technologies.
If you have a Cleantech startup that you'd like to tell the VEF audience about, be sure to apply for their pre-event Lightning Pitches. There are five, strictly controlled, 100 second time slots at the beginning of the presentation available and they're a great opportunity to get the word out.
Our Mission: To advance technology entrepreneurship in British Columbia through publicly held forums focused on bringing together members of the... [more]
