category startups v3.png

Need a Goalie for Your Next Hockey Game? There's an App for That

Vancouver's Hockey Community is a platform for recreational hockey players to find ice time, goalies and more—no matter what city you are in. Last week, they launched a new iPhone App that makes it even easier to find hockey games close to you.

And more important, if your team needs a goalie in a pinch they can help. Simply pick a location and request a goalie; Hockey Community will notify all the goalies in the area and fill your net.

Every section of the iPhone app is enhanced by smart algorithms that suggest teammates or potential players based on your previous games. And they use Twilio to make it easy for you to invite your buddies by text with a one-click button.

Looking for an Android version? Hockey Community is using Vancouver technology Phonegap, which will allow them to release an Android App in the coming months.

Canadian Entrepreneur Brian Wong Turns 21, His Startup Kiip Turns One

Yesterday, Brian Wong turned 21. Most people haven't accomplished much by that age—they're still figuring out their way through school, working a part time job, partying on weekends. They're not thinking about growing a business, building an empire, changing the world. Brian Wong is different.

The Vancouverite's entrepreneurial blood runs thick. The founder of Kiip, a mobile rewards network, is famous for being the youngest entrepreneur to ever raise venure capital funding for a startup when he was only 19 years old.

read more

Toronto’s Siren Advertising Invests Own Money into Client Ad Campaigns in Exchange for Revenue Share

Six years ago, Max Entin, founder of Toronto-based Siren Advertising started his own outsourced software development firm. When his developers had free time on their hands, they would work on creating proprietary products that the company could sell.

That’s when Entin’s team started to experiment with online advertising. Soon, they realized that they could make more money by focusing on online advertising, rather than software development. So, the company pivoted into Siren Advertising.

read more

Toronto's Ryerson Digital Media Zone Expands to 32 Startups, Many About Content and Context

Ryerson’s Digital Media Zone, located in the heart of Toronto at Yonge and Dundas Square, is now incubating 32 startups and has had 41 occupy space in the zone in just two years. They will also launch internationally in May by offering fellowships to young entrepreneurs from India. As well, the Zone has expanded to over 16,000 square feet—tripling in size since it first opened.

read more

Sony Beats Pebble to the Punch with SmartWatch, but Will it Flop?

After being unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show 2012 in January, Sony's SmartWatch debuted in the UK, and today became available in the US. It's a pretty direct competitor to Pebble, a watch created by Canadian entrepreneur Eric Migicovsky. With Sony's SmartWatch out now, and the Pebble not slated to launch until the fall, is Eric's startup already doomed?

read more

Launch Calling for Canadian Startups to Demo in Silicon Valley

In an effort to showcase how technology is improving education and changing the way we all learn, our friends at Launch have just announced a pretty awesome event on June 12 and 13 in Silicon Valley for startups who are working on disrupting the education space, and they are extending it to Canadian startups as well.

100 startups will be given the opportunity to demo, out of which 25 will be selected to present at the event. Here are the three best ways to secure a spot on stage:

read more

Startup Struggles: Viability and Sustainability of Canada's Discount Wireless Carriers in Question

It's been more than a couple of years now that the new entrants such as Wind Mobile and Public Mobile have been competing for Canadians' business in the wireless space. But after all this time, the combined market share of the discount wireless carriers is a paltry 3.4%. The infamous Big Three of Rogers, Telus, and Bell still control at least 92% of the market in Canada. So what's up?

Moody's, for one, questions the progress Canada's wireless industry has made as a result of these new companies and their competitive offerings. "We question whether the new entrants ... are viable and whether their impact on the market will be sustainable," said vice president Bill Wolfe in a report.

read more

BREAKING: Vancouver Entrepreneur Raises $1 Million (and Counting!) from Kickstarter for Pebble Watch

He wanted $100,000 in five weeks. He got $1 million in one day.

Vancouver-born entrepreneur Eric Migicovsky has now raised a cool million (and counting) for his Silicon Valley company, Pebble Technology, and its new e-paper smartwatch for iPhones and Android smartphones, from funding site Kickstarter. Shattering the original goal number of $100,000 - which, incredibly, Pebble raised in just two hours, possibly a record - Eric's venture has raised seven digits from 7,300 backers with 36 days still left in the funding campaign. 

read more

Toronto Startup 500px Ignites Controversy Over TOS: Is it Helping Users or Tricking Them?

500px is a Toronto-based startup thats quickly gaining ground in the online photo portfolio space. It recently unveiled a plan to undercut Vancouver-born competitor Flickr. But now it's suddenly under fire over its terms of service agreement.

The startup's Terms of Service agreement is a thick 4,500 words, and its Privacy Policy adds another 1,600 words to the mix. But 500px added a "basic" version of the TOS just to the right - a lay men's version written in plain, simple language. And that's the problem.

read more

Do you know Canada’s best young entrepreneur?

The 2nd annual FuEL Awards are on the hunt for Canada's 20 Future Entrepreneurial Leaders.

Open to business owners under the age of 30, the FuEL Awards celebrate the successes of young Canadian entrepreneurs, identify role models for progressive business practices and inspire youth to make entrepreneurship their first career choice.

Applicants are evaluated by an expert judging panel, with 20 percent of their score determined by public voting at the FuEL Awards website. The application deadline is June 30, 2012.

read more