Accel Letter



Welcome to the Accel Letter - a monthly newsletter brought to you by the Waterloo Accelerator Centre and Accelerator Program, providing you with the latest buzz, news and success stories from our start-up community.

The Accelerator Centre, located within Waterloo's David Johnston Research and Technology Park, is a world-renowned, award-winning facility dedicated to developing and commercializing technology start-ups. Visit us on the web at www.acceleratorcentre.com.

Stay in touch with us and follow the paths of some of the most innovative companies in the world.

 

In This Issue
Feature Story
Accelerator Buzz
Client Corner
Alumni News
Stay Connected



  
Feature Story
SVP Logo          

Social Venture Partners Helps Children Thrive in Waterloo Region from the Steps of the Accelerator Centre

 

What changes do you want to see in your community? What role will you play in that change and how will you make it happen?

 

Answers to these questions are unique to each individual who joins Social Venture Partners Waterloo Region (SVPWR), but there is a common desire to make a positive impact - and a bigger impact than one person could alone.

 

SVP is a global network of local individuals that is focused on tackling Waterloo Region's social challenges, particularly around child and youth development. Going beyond traditional philanthropy, partners donate their talent, time and funds to amplify the impact they have on each vetted charity in which the partnership invests. In turn, partners realize rewarding benefits from their relationships with local non-profits and each other, resulting in shared learning and increased giving of both time and money.

 

"What we do has similarities to what happens here at the Accelerator Centre," said Jennifer King, Executive Director at SVPWR. "We carefully select local non-profits like Strong Start and Woolwich Counselling Centre that show promise to grow their impact. Then we surround them with support for at least three years. That support includes the guidance of talented partners with backgrounds in finance, marketing, governance, planning, and human resources. Because of that support, we are able to leverage approximately $4 for every $1 granted from SVP."

 

"Strengthening non-profits with this hands-on approach in turn helps develop more effective philanthropists - one of our key reasons for being. Many tech leaders and employees in Waterloo Region are signing up to be SVPWR partners because they are passionate about making a difference in their community, and the SVP model is a progressive way for them to increase their impact while having fun with like-minded individuals."

 

Located in the Accelerator Centre, SVPWR has realized many benefits through the connections it has made with companies, such as iNotForProfit, Marmot Labs and Organimi. SVPWR's residency also has a positive effect on Accelerator Centre Clients by raising the awareness and interest in the community and giving back.

 

"Our work with Accelerator Centre companies has allowed us to implement their technology to help make us more efficient with our giving," commented King. "For example, we have a smartphone app so you can easily get all the latest news and information about SVPWR, and we use decision-making software to support and simplify our grant-making process."

 

For more information about SVPWR or to become a partner, visit www.svpwr.org. Multiple options exist for becoming a SVPWR partner, including a new Associate Partner level aimed at individuals 35 years of age or younger. You can also follow them on Twitter @SVPWR, like them on Facebook and download their mobile app for BlackBerry, Android and iOS.


 

 

  

Accelerator Buzz

The Accelerator Program at Canada 3.0

 

2013 was the inaugural year for the CDMN Moonshot Awards, established to recognize Canadian companies that create jobs and wealth for Canada through innovation in digital media (ICT and mobile). The awards were designed to acknowledge leading companies that contribute to the CDMN Moonshot goal, that anyone can do anything online by 2017.

 

The nominees were evaluated and winners determined by an expert panel of judges, including Host: CTV Question Period, Correspondent: W5 & Digital News Evangelist, Founder of New Man Media, Kevin Newman; Director at OMERS Ventures, Sid Paquette; Deloitte Canada's Chief Innovation Officer, Terry Stuart; RocketScope Managing Director and Founder, April Dunford; and, CDMN Managing Director, Dr. Kevin Tuer.

 

The ceremony for the first-ever CDMN Moonshot Awards took place on Tuesday, May 14 at CDMN Canada 3.0 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Toronto, Ontario, where awards were presented in four categories.

 

Congratulations to Accelerator Program Graduates:


Magnet Forensics Inc. - Dynamic Company of the Year
 
Axonify - Globalizer of the Year
 
Miovision Technologies - Innovator of the Year

 

Client Corner
KID logo      

Knowledge in Development

 

At Knowledge in Development, we bring the science of children's communication and language assessment online to speech-language and health professionals, researchers and parents.

 

We are the publisher of the Language Use Inventory (LUI), a scientifically validated tool for assessing children's early pragmatic language development. The LUI was developed by company founder Dr. Daniela O'Neill, a Professor of Developmental Psychology at the University of Waterloo and the director of the University of Waterloo's Centre for Child Studies.

 

Since it was made available in 2009 at LanguageUseInventory.com, the LUI is now used by speech-language professionals and researchers worldwide, working in private practice, hospitals, school boards, preschools and universities. We are currently expanding its capability for use by professionals via online administration and aim to launch this new service in Fall 2013. A user forum on the site will also foster direct communication between users and LUI developer Daniela O'Neill - a unique part of the experience of using the LUI for professionals.

 

In November 2012, we launched My-Child's-Talk.com, an online portal where concerned parents can quickly and affordably find out if their two- or three-year-olds' use of language is on track. My Child's Talk allows parents to take a first step in reducing their uncertainty and worry. At My Child's Talk, parents complete the Language Use Inventory and immediately receive a report that tells them precisely where their child's language stands relative to a representative set of boys or girls of the same age in months. My Child's Talk also points parents to key resources, curated by Daniela O'Neill, that can help them decide on the next step. The cost for the service is $20.

 

Knowledge in Development will continue to develop innovative ways to share the science of children's communicative development with parents, in a manner that fits with their busy lives and empowers them to meet the communicative needs of their children that enrich the quality of their lives.

 

Social media links

Twitter: @daniela_oneill

 

Language Use Inventory for Professionals:

Website: http://LanguageUseInventory.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/LanguageUseInventory

 

My Child's Talk for Parents:

Website: http://My-Childs-Talk.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/MyChildsTalk

YouTube:  www.youtube.com/user/MyChildsTalk

 

Press Release (April 3, 2013)


 

 

 

Alumni News

Magnet Forensics _Boston Cas
 
  Magnet Forensics Logo
 
PerspecSys Logo 
 
 
PerspecSys Raises $12 Million from Paladin Capital and Others