The MaRS Discovery District’s in-house technology accelerator Jolt announced its third cohort of startups today.
The new group of startups follows the trend lately of more business-to-business focused companies being recruited into accelerator programs.
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Cumulonimbus
Once you get past trying to figure out how to pronounce this startup’s name, you lear its seeking solve a problem in weather forecasting: obtaining high-resolution atmosphere measurements that aren’t expensive. Its open platform designed for sensor data collection and branded as pressureNET leans on smartphones to gather live atmosphere observations. Who wants it? The weather forecasting industry, of course, and renewable energy production, and storage industries too. Founded in 2011, Jacob Sheehy is the founding CEO, and he says he intends to live on Mars “in a few decades.” You can follow them on Twitter at @Cumulonimbus_ca.
xTouch
Ever feel like your touch screen smartphone or tablet just doesn’t have a big enough screen? xTouch can turn any surface that you place your device on into a tap-sensitive one, by using a microphone to detect and localize taps. “Imagine you are waking up and you can tap the headboard to get a weather report, or if you are cooking in a kitchen and can call people or check email by simply tapping different locations on the kitchen counter,” it says on the company’s Jolt profile. Amin Heidari is the CEO, educated in electrical and computer engineering at the University of Toronto. Follow on Twitter at @Xtouch.
Raise Your Flag
For students that aren’t going to college or university- about 50 per cent of the North American high school students, according to the founder – this startup helps them explore careers that don’t require a degree or diploma. Users can create career plans and educators are assisted in giving good guidance to students bound for the workplace. Founded in 2011 by Ryan Porter and Scott Walkinshaw, the startup wants lesser-educated students to know it can be better than “living in a van down by the river.” Find them on Twitter at @claimthefuture.
Turnstyle Solutions
Targeted towards retailers and brands, this startup is offering location-based marketing solutions and consumer analytics. A location-aware platform and analytics tools can measure consumer traffic patterns and behaviour. That will help retailers improve its marketing campaigns, loyalty programs, and staffing schedules. Founded in 2013, the CEO is Devon Wright would one day like to be the mayor of Whitby, Ont. Twitter handle is @getTurnstyle.
LaunchPad
This startup offers a cloud-based mobile development and optimization platform so entire teams can make changes in real time to native apps. Designers, coy writers, and legal departments can all simultaneously control their aspect of a mobile app. The platform will be free for independent developers, and offer a tiered monthly service plan for larger teams and enterprises. It also provides analytics on how users are interacting with an app, such as views of login pages, in-app purchases, etc. Founded in 2011, CEO Aaron Glazer is also a strategy consultant. On Twitter at @LaunchPadio.
