ChangeLog is a summary of the latest news from the Ottawa startup community.
SWO6 names top three pitches
In the sixth edition of Startup Weekend Ottawa, Okiewon first prize with a pitch for an app that lets users search, select and queue up songs on karaoke night. In second place was Handshake, an app idea that seeks to eliminate the need for business cards by automatically exchanging contact info when users shake hands. In third place was Guía, a platform to connect travellers directly with local tour guides for specialized and customizable travel experiences.
OBJ360 (Sponsored)
Giving Guide: Dave Smith Youth Treatment Centre
What we do DSYTC programs and services include: Comprehensive assessment Live-In treatment (flexible length of stay – up to 3 months) Three months aftercare support Family services Academics Primary care
What we do Proud To Be Me is dedicated to empowering youth by providing Buddy Bench and mural programs, grants, and workshop development opportunities. We focus on building self-esteem, resilience,
Zighra’s new app finds early success
Mobile developer Zighrahas launched a new app that amassed more than 10,000 downloads in just four weeks. ZwypeLock, available on the Google Play store, saves Android users the hassle of constantly unlocking a phone’s home screen with a PIN entry by recognizing the phone’s Wi-Fi connection and automatically unlocking it while at home, in the car or in any other trusted place.
Wipebook launches new model, new Kickstarter
Wipebookintroduced a sleek new model of its reusable notebook and launched its second Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign on Nov. 27. This month, Staples will begin carrying the Wipebook 3 in about 15 stores in the Toronto region and Alberta as part of a three-month pilot project. The firm set a target of $4,000 for the Kickstarter campaign, the same as its first fundraiser a year ago, which ended up raising about $420,000. So far, the latest campaign has raised more than $41,000.
Lucky Lütke earns top CEO honours
Shopify leader Tobias Lütke was named CEO of the Year by the Globe and Mail’s Report on Business magazine. He was also awarded the same title at the Best Ottawa Business Awards in late November.
You.i honoured for SME excellence
You.iwas the winner of the SME Excellence Award, sponsored by RBC Royal Bank, at the 2014 Ontario Business Achievement Awards. Founded in 2008, You.i develops a user experience engine that recently gained recognition as the front end of Shomi, the new video-on-demand service launched by Rogers and Shaw in early November. Co-founder and CEO Jason Flick said in an OBAA promotional video that the award “sends a message to the world … that what we’re doing is real and (it’s) the way things are going to happen in the future.”
