IGLOO raises $4 Million from RBC
Waterloo’s IGLOO announced today that they’ve closed a US $4 million equity financing round from RBC Venture Partners. IGLOO’s software as a service (SaaS) model provides a suite of Web 2.0 and Facebook-like services for firms, allowing their employees to improve in-house communications and share information. The financing will enable IGLOO to extend and commercialize its suite of collaborative social networking tools. The Globe and Mail picked up the news quickly thanks to a Research in Motion connection.
Dozens of technology startups ache to make a name for themselves in the social networking game, but only one has Research In Motion Ltd. co-chief executive officer Jim Balsillie on its board. For Igloo Inc., a Waterloo, Ont.-based company that develops corporate social networking software, Mr. Balsillie’s involvement is the difference between obscurity and instant credibility.
Ironically, Balsillie’s attempts to land a much larger Igloo (Mellon Arena) and it’s flightless inhabitants in 2006 was a popular topic for Canadian media as well.
The Problem is an Opportunity for Green IT
Residents of planet Earth filled the room for the BCTIA Techforum: “Opportunities in Green IT”. Where does IT fit in to solving the problems of climate change? How does IT survive in a future of growing energy costs?
First up was Chris Sullivan, Vice President of IDC Canada. He opened by affirmatively stating that climate change is changing daily life. There are differing opinions on the science of it, but the change itself is observable. Within this big problem is opportunity in solutions. Both government regulation and consumer demand for green technology are driving venture capital investment. Industry wide, capital investments in servers have seen modest growth while the costs to run datacenters increase quickly. While many green IT businesses are focusing or energy reduction or recycling, there are other oppourtunities - “Tech can contribute, not just be a cost”.
Second was Peter Robinson, Member of the BC Climate Action Team and President of the David Suzuki Foundation. He spoke of a “new environmentalism” that’s focused not on stopping all things that harm the environment, but on moving forward to find solutions to problems that are emerging quickly. Europe is often thought of as “way ahead” on green technology, and it’s true. Sweden was able to achieve 40% economic growth while reducing their emissions; it is possible. But before governments or companies dive into large, ambitious projects, Peter emphasized the need to consider long term unintended consequences. Example, a hydroelectric dam on the Pitt River; future reductions in mountain runoff could make the dam useless. Another example, there are proposals to convert dead, pine-beetle destroyed wood into biofuels. While this idea is valid, it has to be considered that even a dead forest is still “living”, and the consequences of clearing out mass amounts of dead tree need to be examined. “Put a value on the functions of nature” Peter noted that there is often public distrust of technological solutions to ecological problems, along with the hurdles of consultation and frequently changing legislation. However, when approached from the perspective of the bottom line, the green solutions will be most cost effective in the long term.
Designer - FCV Technologies
At FCV, we combine our skills in strategy, technology and design to deliver solutions that help our clients succeed. Our employees bring a wealth of knowledge and a wide variety of skills and backgrounds that together make us successful. We have professional and fun working relationships and enjoy working on dynamic, challenging projects for a range of clients in various industries. We’re always interested in meeting smart, highly skilled, driven people who are interested in working with us.
We currently have openings for talented designers reporting to a Creative Director. The successful candidates will be responsible for developing user interfaces, graphics, and print work to create compelling user experiences for our clients.
Responsibilites:
- Collaborate with other Designers and Creative Director to ensure designs are consistent with client expectations and overall project goals.
- Effectively translate and elaborate existing mock-ups into subsequent web pages.
- Design web graphics using Flash, Photoshop, Illustrator and demonstrate an understanding of client-side web development tools such as Javascript and HTML.
- Alter and convert creative designs in Photoshop to effective, optimized and functional HTML without using the program’s “export as HTML” functions.
- Work with clients and/or other designers to explain design concepts and manage design feedback.
Required Skills and Experience:
- A portfolio of design work that demonstrates your capabilities.
- CSS experience.
- Experience building websites with DHTML, JavaScript, AJAX, PHP, JSP.
- Significant experience with Adobe Dreamweaver, Photoshop, Illustrator and Flash.
- Experience applying theories related to colour schemes, use of space, text placement, usability and visual flow.
- Education in New Media or equivalent.
- Excellent communication skills.
- Strong problem solving skills and the ability to meet deadlines in a fast paced environment.
- Ability to focus under pressure and deal with ambiguity.
- A sense of humour.
- A positive attitude.
Win a Flip Camera (and learn how to use it)
The Guys over at Vancouver SEO training shop Reachd are keen on video and it looks like their clients are too. Using Vancouver Realtor Ian Watt and New Jersey Wine merchant Gary Vaynerchuk (the Nightline video below is worth a watch) as business-building video success stories, Reachd is running workshops and they’re selling out fast. The $150 Flip Camera that is included in the $200 registration fee could have something to do with that.
Their first 20-spot session on May 13th is sold-out but they’ve added a 2nd workshop on May 28th and set aside a free seat (and video camera) for a Techvibes reader. You’ve got two weeks to comment on this post and tell us what you’d use the camera for and why you deserve the seat. We’ll pick a winner and announce it here on the blog on May 22nd.
Founders lunch in Toronto on May 10th
The second Founders lunch will be taking place this Saturday, May 10th in Toronto. It is an invite-only event and provides a great opportunity for local tech entrepreneurs to intermingle in a casual environment. The inaugural lunch was held in March and was hosted by Learnhub.
BC Advantage Funds Leads Mobidia Financing
BC Advantage Funds announced today that they have completed a further investment in Vancouver’s Mobidia Technology Inc. as lead investor in a $7,500,000 round of financing. Interest in the offering was strong, allowing Mobidia to complete a second closing later this month to accommodate additional investors.
“This financing comes at a very exciting time for Mobidia, with the explosion of peer-to-peer communication and streaming video placing a heavy burden on wireless networks and demonstrating a clear need for our technology,” remarked Derek Spratt, Mobidia’s CEO. “This financing will allow us to continue with our aggressive growth strategy, and continue to build on our relationships with our partners including Vodafone, T-Mobile, Sprint, Cisco and Microsoft, among others. We are also gratified at the over-whelming response to our financing, and are pleased to see it over-subscribed.”
David Raffa, Partner & COO of Advantage, said “along with an impressive track-record as a serial entrepreneur, Derek Spratt has brought new strategic focus to Mobidia. We are very pleased with the progress the company has made in the first half of this year, and are excited about its prospects given the extent of its current engagements with its partners.”
I had the chance to attend Spratt’s presentation at the Canadian Innovation Exchange last week in Toronto and while he didn’t pick up the top prize, his pitch was obviously very well received. BC Advantage Funds’ Raffa was also in attendance and participated in a Meet the Investors panel.
CNMA Awards Deadline Extended
The deadline for submissions to the Canadian New Media Awards has been extended to May 12th - so if you were hoping to nominate your company but ran out of time, this is your second chance. Categories include Company of the Year, Excellence in Social Media Websites, Excellence in Social Media Applications, and many other categories. The finalists will be announced at the nextMEDIA conference in Banff on June 6th to 8th.
Fido and Rogers go “Uno”
Fido and Rogers are bringing Wifi and GSM technologies together with UNO, a service plan and handset designed around creating “zones” for unlimited calling. The handset is designed to default to a wireless network while at home, so minutes aren’t used on the phone, and defaulting to a customer’s wireless plan while on the go. The wifi/GSM plan will also be available through Rogers, and will be an optional add-in to an existing plan, at $15 for unlimited local calls and $20 for unlimited local and long distance (from a wifi hot spot.)
With landline use shrinking and Canada’s wireless environment screaming for customer service and innovation, Uno could be a success…..but better still would be a plan that works with phones that are already wifi-enabled, like the Nokia N95 and Apple’s iPhone, both of which are set to debut soon on the Rogers network. The Uno plan will also require a special router, and really, couldn’t the same savings come from reduced wireless rates?
Death To “Honest Work”!
Last week, the Vancouver Sun reported on the precipitous drop in median earnings in BC, as well as in Quebec, over the past 5 years. The comments in the story’s online forum are anything but inspiring, oscillating wildly between downright embarrassing and borderline xenophobic. Some of the readers espouse disgust at the idea that “some people” have had the utter gall to figure out how to make money. And others suffer the delusion that their mere presence in the world bestows upon them the right to expect success, as if showing up should be its own reward.
Most shockingly, in my opinion, is the apparent unwillingness of British Columbians to recognize that news like this might just be our own damn fault.
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SmashLAB’s designcanchange.org hits the Time Design 100
Vancouver design studio smashLAB has been included in Tome Magazine’s Design 100 list as an example of designers doing their part to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Through the firm’s designcanchange.org website, smashLAB has created a network of designers dedicated to creating the lowest possible carbon footprint from their work. Over 1,500 designers have already used the site to pledge to use more sustainable practices, such as actually deciding if a print run is necessary when a digital file can achieve the same ends.
smashLAB shared page space with Holt Renfrew, Yves St Laurent and IKEA, amongst others. The entire Design 100 list is also available online.
