Southern Ontario Spotlight - November 2018

Carol Leaman is a successful and well-respected leader in the high-tech sector whose company, Axonify, received early-stage support from FedDev Ontario. Recently, Leaman was named Canadian HR Champion (CEO) at the 2018 Canadian HR Awards, acknowledging her commitment to HR values and putting people first. The company, which Leaman purchased in 2011, developed a microlearning platform that businesses use for employee training. The platform’s success is its individualized approach to building knowledge that meets each employee’s needs.

Axonify was recently named one of the Best Workplaces™ in Technology for 2018 by Great Place to Work Institute Canada.

Waterloo’s Communitech hub runs the Fierce Founders Accelerator—a six-month program for women-led start-ups. The September boot camp pitch competition awarded three companies—two of which will share the $100,000 grand prize. The winners are: Fable Tech Labs (Toronto), a software-as-a-service company that helps businesses better serve clients with disabilities by testing the digital accessibility efficacy of company websites and apps; PolyGone Technologies (Waterloo), which developed a filtration system that keeps plastic microfibres from fabrics from entering our water system; and IntelliMED Solutions (Ottawa), which created wearable bands for use in clinical settings to help quickly collect data to better triage patients. All three companies earned a spot in the fifth cohort of the FedDev Ontario-funded Fierce Founders Accelerator program, which is currently underway.

AGNORA glass manufacturer produces the largest customized architectural glass in North America. Shortly after its beginnings in 2011, the company received almost $4 million in FedDev Ontario funding to expand its plant. The expansion included the installation of new machinery and software, as well as a research and development lab to help incorporate cutting-edge technologies to better compete on a global scale. Since then, AGNORA has grown from six to 70 employees, and its client roster includes the likes of Microsoft, Kansas University and Dior. An investment in advanced digital technology allowed the company to use a 2D printer—that etches designs in ceramic ink on glass panels— to create a mural for Kansas University. Learn more about AGNORA on Ontario Trillium Network for Advanced Manufacturing’s website.

Pond Technologies has celebrated a significant milestone in the company’s history with the groundbreaking of its first commercial-scale nutraceutical plant in Markham, marking the commercial roll out of its carbon capture technology. The plant, strategically located at the Warden Energy Centre, will capture a portion of emissions from a district energy facility. The resulting algae grown will be sold as natural health supplements. Pond Technologies was established in 2008 and has developed a proprietary system to transform industrial emissions into marketable nutritional and industrial products made from algae. The company received FedDev Ontario funding to build a commercial-scale demonstration plant in partnership with St. Mary’s Cement in Stratford.