GrindSpaceXL grows cohort for 2018 program
September 18, 2018
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Aorte Fitness – A kinetic resistance apparatus that has applications including use by the fitness and defence industries.
AquaSwift – AquaSwift is a water analytics company primarily focused on providing rural households and water organizations an effective way to track and monitor their water via sensor technology.
BizSkills Academy – a virtual start-up accelerator which delivers training programs to early-stage entrepreneurs, connects them to experts and mentors, and helps them access seed funding.
FanSaves – digital platform that helps increase sponsorship sales and visibility for junior and professional sports teams while growing fan engagement 365 days a year.
JIC Design – sharing of student data across school boards, colleges and schools to improve dual credit and e-learning registration processes for educational institutions.
Meta Innovation Technologies – a multi-platform interactive educational software solution that overcomes the competency gap of new hires and provides on-demand knowledge for continuing professional development.
Phoenix Armour – a composite ballistic armour that is lightweight, breathable, cool, flexible, and able to fit virtually any body shape or form. It provides unprecedented protection from ballistics, shrapnel, fragments, and explosive blasts.
StayBillety – an online accommodation service connecting like-minded guests and hosts. StayBillety pairs a home sharing model with interests, events, and activities.
Tune n’ Tone – an exercise device that supports the building of core strength and can be used by people with limited mobility.
Connecting fans with team sponsors, creating a fitness apparatus for people with mobility issues, and tracking and managing well water data are just a few of the problems being addressed by business ventures joining the 2018 GrindSpaceXL cohort.
The GrindSpaceXL program at Queen’s Innovation Park – now working with its sixth cohort – is an intensive 12-week business acceleration program that helps high-potential startups to improve customer traction, grow sales, and prepare for investment. Unlike other acceleration programs at Queen’s, GrindSpaceXL takes place in the fall at Innovation Park and is focused on companies which already have a product developed. Additionally, GrindSpaceXL is open to community ventures as well as businesses started by Queen’s students and graduates.
Thanks to the high calibre of this year’s applicants, nine teams in total were chosen for the 2018 program, making this the largest cohort yet.
“We are very pleased to be providing leadership and advice to the incredible caliber of ventures developing in the region and through on campus programs,” says Jim Banting, Assistant Vice-Principal (Partnerships and Innovation). “We believe that the expertise and resources that we can provide to these entrepreneurs will help them grow their ventures and take them to the next level.”
During their time in the GrindSpaceXL program, participants will receive a wide variety of support from the Queen’s Office of Partnerships and Innovation, the Queen’s Business Law Clinic, Launch Lab, and Kingston-based accounting firm Secker Ross and Perry LLP, along with the many years of experience of the program’s facilitators. In addition to these resources, the cohort members will also benefit from interacting with fellow entrepreneurs in weekly discussions.
Once the program is complete, the ventures will still be able to benefit from the many resources available through Innovation Park at Queen’s University, including incubation space.
GrindSpaceXL ventures have often made their first sales during the program, and many have gone on to achieve success in their industries. GrindSpaceXL alumni include FireRein, Mesh-Scheduling Inc. (previously Canarmony), Rillea Technologies, RockMass Technologies, and Mero Technologies.
The program officially began on September 10 and will run until early December, when ventures will again pitch their businesses after developing and refining their business models over the three-month period.
GrindSpaceXL is supported by the National Research Council – Industrial Research Assistance Program, and is just one of the feature programs in the suite of services offered by the Queen’s Office of Partnerships and Innovation, Launch Lab, and the Southeastern Ontario Angel Network under the InnovationXL banner.
For more information about the GrindSpaceXL program, please visit www.grindspacexl.com.