Person: Jim Balsillie

The Short Report, January 8, 2020: Forward with 5G in central Canada; Ottawa buys a laser; a faster path to accessible AI

Rogers Communications and the University of Waterloo are partnering to build the first 5G network in central Canada, for research into 5G-related engineering, network design, applied mathematics and artificial intelligence. The partnership is part of a broader $20-million program by Rogers to invest in Canadian 5G research and development. The company has already collaborated with the…

The Short Report, August 7, 2019: Intelligent communities, advanced wood, cyber security

Montreal came in first for innovation on a ranking of intelligent communities by the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF). ICF ranks communities by their ability “to generate innovation in business and government for economic but also social and cultural growth.” Their metrics cover innovation programs available in the community; online services provided by local government or…

The Short Report – April 24, 2019: ArcticNet, e-DNA, autonomous greenhouse

ArcticNet‘s funding was renewed for $32.5 million over five years, enabling it to evolve beyond the Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE) program and become a permanent pan-Canadian research centre. During this funding period, ArcticNet’s research will focus on the sustainable development of the “Blue Economy” (shipping, fisheries, tourism, and mining), and growing postsecondary research and training…

John Ruffolo

Venture capital investor John Ruffolo is leaving OMERS Ventures, a fund he founded in 2011 as an arm of the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System pension plan. During his tenure as CEO, Ruffolo led the fund to invest in several of Canada’s most successful tech startups in recent years, including Hootsuite and Shopify, and grew…

Study to review national model for offering start-ups free IP advice

A Waterloo policy think tank founded by former Blackberry executive Jim Balsillie is funding a new study that will examine how start-ups can get access to free intellectual property legal services across Canada. The one-year project is examining the success of the Innovation Clinic at York Univ’s Osgoode Hall Law School, with a view to replicating the model nationally.