Hyperdrive has announced its third cohort today, the first group to be in its program for six months rather than just three.
Eleven companies garnered spots for this cohort, housed in Communitech, the regional hub for breakout technologies in Waterloo, Ont.
Last week, Hyperdrive announced it would be lengthening its accelerator program from three months to six months. Under the new program, companies in this cohort will spend three months hammering out a minimum viable product and preparing for Demo Day, and another three months focusing on sales and marketing. The companies will also gear up for a second Demo Day in Toronto, with the hopes of reaching more potential investors.
The 11 companies in this cohort are:
Apollonia Health Inc. – Researching, developing, and manufacturing oral healthcare products to eliminate cavity-causing bacteria. Apollonia says it uses only naturally occurring products and avoids using fluoride in its products.
AvidTap Corp. – Billing itself as a “reward card without the card,” the company is building a mobile pre-payment platform that also boosts customer loyalty. It uses its own hardware and software to allow customers to pay for purchases and gather points through its system. To encourage retailers to sign on, it allows them to set their own reward systems and is social network-friendly.
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Commission Pitch – Online platform giving homeowners looking to sell their places access to information on real estate agents’ skills, experience, expertise and past transaction histories. It also allows agents to drum up new business as clients can reach out to them using the platform, although clients can stay anonymous until they choose to share personal information with others.
Market Clouds – Sorts financial data on stocks, bonds, and currencies, giving investors information on financial news and analytics. It also allows investors the chance to customize their own dashboards, with charts, social media widgets, and news on the markets.
RenoMii Technologies – Software-as-a-service company that allows homeowners and contractors to communicate during a renovation. It also allows renovators to give clients quotes, keep them updated on direct orders, and invoices.
Roadmunk Inc. – If employees at your business hate PowerPoint and spreadsheets as much as the U.S. military does, Roadmunk can help businesses create visual roadmaps for your business’ projects so employees can chart their progress and explain their goals. http://www.roadmunk.com/
StrataVox – Cloud-based platform for communications between property owners and tenants, especially as a lot of electronic information between the two parties is on spreadsheets or via email. StrataVox provides web tools, virtual offices, and mobile apps for property owners, caretakers, managers, and residents.
Studybucks – Mobile app encouraging kids to solve math problems with the incentive of parent-donated cash.
Tacit Innovations – Using mobile apps and a mobile-enabled platform for its products, RestoLinkX and RestoLinkX Mobile to allow restaurant-goers to browse menus, order food, and pay their bills through their smartphones.
Togethr – Providing a mobile app on iOS and Android, allowing users to send personalized, curated gifts or postcards to recipients without even knowing the recipient’s address. The app sends recipients an email or Facebook message asking for their address instead. Examples of gifts include a set for a bottle of bubble bath, body butter, a fair trade bracelet, nail polish, tea, and chocolates.
The Smile Epidemic Inc. – Running software called “Plasticity,” which boosts workplace social engagement by providing data on employees’ level of engagement. The startup’s founder, Jim Moss, had been a professional lacrosse player until he contracted a rare neuromuscular disease that left him unable to walk.
While in a hospital for rehabilitation, he wrote daily notes in his journal to remind himself to stay positive, crediting that mindset with allowing him to cut down what was supposed to be a six-month rehabilitation period into six weeks. He learned to walk again a week before his wife gave birth to their second child.
The Smile Epidemic now uses the same concept of positive notes, shared via a corporate social network, to encourage employees to celebrate each other’s accomplishments. Employers can also keep track of employees’ engagement levels with data provided by the Plasticity software.
Over the last two years, 18 companies spread over two cohorts have gone through Hyperdrive, raising over $3.7 million collectively, generating more than $500,000 in revenue, and creating about 70 new jobs.
Hyperdrive’s latest cohort will have its first demo day in Waterloo on Oct. 18. The Toronto date is yet to be confirmed.
