TORONTO, January 15, 2015 – Canada’s financial services and technology sectors are heading into a new era of innovation and collaboration.

Working in partnership, Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) and the Toronto Financial Services Alliance (TFSA) will connect companies and institutions in the country’s largest financial services cluster with Ontario’s innovation ecosystem including its academic community and technology companies, to address individual businesses and industry challenges.

“OCE is pleased to be working with the TFSA to find made-in-Ontario solutions to address current and future issues, opportunities and threats,” says Dr. Tom Corr, President and CEO of OCE. “Every day we work with leading innovators, educators and technology companies, and we know that they have the skills and knowledge needed to assist the modern financial services industry.”

Through a collaboration agreement signed today, OCE will work with the TFSA to identify and develop collaboration and networking opportunities.

“The Toronto region’s financial services sector already ranks in the global top ten and is an international leader in a number of financial sub-sectors,” says Janet Ecker, President and CEO of the TFSA. “However in an increasingly competitive global market place we want to ensure that the region’s financial industry has access to the most innovative technologies. We believe that by effectively tapping into local solutions Toronto’s financial services sector will not only continue to grow as a world leader, but the financial technology ecosystem being created will attract businesses, jobs and investment into the region.”

The initiative not only addresses a pressing industry need, it will position Ontario as a leader in fields such as cybersecurity and strengthen its reputation as a technology hub.

“Combining Ontario’s academic and start-up expertise with Toronto’s financial services knowledge is a catalyst for the development of new, cutting-edge technologies for the financial technology sector that will bolster Ontario’s position as a global financial hub,” says Reza Moridi, Minister of Research and Innovation and Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities. “This collaboration will help us innovate the next generation of technologies and will create an environment to stimulate job creation and economic opportunities across the board.”

The first event under this agreement will be a partnering forum at the end of February. This will include discussions between financial institutions, academia, technology start-ups and business incubators about challenges and opportunities the sector faces and ways to address them.

The OCE-TFSA partnership will also be on display as part of OCE’s Discovery 2015 conference and trade show April 27-28 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

About Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) Inc. (www.oce-ontario.org):

Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) drives the commercialization of cutting-edge research to build the economy of tomorrow and secure Ontario’s global competitiveness. OCE fosters the training and development of the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs and is a key partner with Ontario’s industry, universities, colleges, research hospitals, domestic and foreign investors, and government ministries. A champion of leading-edge technologies, best practices, innovation, entrepreneurship and research, OCE invests in such areas as advanced health, information and communications technology, digital media, advanced materials and manufacturing, agri-food, aerospace, transportation, energy, and the environment including water and mining. OCE is a key partner in delivering Ontario’s Innovation Agenda as a member of the province’s Ontario Network of Entrepreneurs (ONE), which helps Ontario-based entrepreneurs and industry rapidly grow their company and create jobs. Learn more at www.onebusiness.ca

About the TFSA:
The Toronto Financial Services Alliance (TFSA) is a unique, public–private partnership dedicated to growing Toronto region’s financial services cluster and building it as a “top ten” global financial services centre. Established in 2001, TFSA is a collaboration involving three levels of government, the financial services industry and academia. Working collaboratively with industry and government, it builds international awareness of the advantages offered by the Toronto region and works with financial services companies from around the world that are exploring business opportunities in Toronto. To leverage the financial industry’s global reputation for stability, TFSA established the Global Risk Institute in Financial Services. To capitalize on Toronto region’s talent advantages, it also established the Centre of Excellence in Financial Services Education. For more information, please check the website at www.tfsa.ca

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Media contacts:

Stuart Green
Manager, Media Relations
Ontario Centres of Excellence
416-861-1092 x 1022
stuart.green@oce-ontario.org

Marta Andradzka
Marketing Manager
TFSA
416-933-6788
marta.andradzka@tfsa.ca

According to the most recent statistics from the United States Federal Motor Safety Administration (FMSA) there were 5,610,000 total crashes, 30,800 fatal crashes, and over 3,950,000 injuries reported on U.S. highways in 2012. In Canada, a country with a much smaller population, the numbers reported by Transport Canada were still relatively staggering, 122,140 personal injury collisions, 1,823 fatal collisions and 165,172 total injuries occurred in 2012.

Marty Vanderhoek is a life-long trucker from Langley, B.C., Canada whose been on the highway at the wheel since 1975, from fish to fruit he’s pulled it all.  

His 35 years experience behind the wheel has taught him the many dangers that commercial truckers face on a daily basis. One area is that front end blind spot that plagues every truck driver. How on earth can you see that car or motorcycle that is running beside you and a little ahead of your door?. Essentially, you can't!  Until Now.

Drawing upon his 35 years experience behind the wheel Marty invented the Smart Lite; A simple system which he says is “a breakthrough in commercial trucking that will save lives” According to Marty "The Smart Lite device is revolutionary in that it allows the operator to see what is occupying the space in that front end blind spot. Before Smart Lite there was no device or system that allowed the operator to  make a 100% visual determination of what was beside him and a little ahead of his door. With Smart Lite that problem is now solved."

Indeed, this simple yet revolutionary safety device is already being hailed by commercial truckers for its simplicity and effectiveness. The device has already received an endorsement by the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) as a safety feature that greatly improves trucker safety. 

MONTREAL, QC, January 27, 2015 – Fundica, organizers of the Funding Roadshow, a national educational and entrepreneurial initiative with city stops across Canada, today announced its conclusions for 2014.

The 2014 Funding Roadshow stopped in 11 Canadian cities, from Halifax to Victoria, between April and July of last year. A total of 205 select companies pitched to 83 funders, including: public granting organizations, public lenders, private lenders, angel investors and venture capitalists (VCs).

Each pitch was graded, from one to 10 points, on five criteria: market, solution, presentation, team and ‘ready for San Francisco’ – for a maximum total score of 50/50. (The highest score in each city won airfare to San Francisco plus the opportunity to attend networking events and pitch to area VCs.)

The results were as follows:

• Average score: 32/50
• 35% of companies received an ‘excellent’ score (≥ 40/50)

• 57% of companies received a ‘good’ or ‘very good’ score (25 – 39/50)
• 8% of companies ‘failed’ (≤ 24/50)

• The ‘markets’ identified were generally ‘good’ or ‘very good’ (average 6.8/10)
• The ‘solutions’ proposed were generally ‘good’ or ‘very good’ (average 6.7/10)
• The average ‘presentation’ score was 6.4/10 – identified as an area for improvement
• The average ‘team’ score was 6.4/10 – also identified as an area for improvement
• Nearly half (49%) of companies were ‘ready for San Francisco’
• In the 90 days following the 2014 Funding Roadshow, 32% of entrepreneurs were offered funding and 33% of funders made ‘investments’
• 96% of participants (funders, entrepreneurs and attendees) said they would return to the Funding Roadshow

“The experience of listening to more than 200 pitches provides a unique perspective on start-ups and small businesses across Canada,” says Mike Lee, Eng., MBA, CFA, President, Fundica. “Based on detailed analysis, we found that access to capital, from public, private or mixed sources, is generally quite good. We also believe that the following are essential to improving success among Canadian start-ups: 1) more knowledge – pitching, funding, building and operating a business, 2) a higher number of partnerships among entrepreneurs resulting in the co-foundation of start-ups, 3) greater opportunities to pitch and get feedback and 4) inspiration and mentorship from successful entrepreneurs. Together with our outstanding partners nationwide, these are our objectives for the 2015 Funding Roadshow and beyond.”

The 2014 Funding Roadshow was made possible with the support of 63 community partners. Adding entrepreneurs, funders and people who attended the more than 60 educational workshops, this initiative actively engaged more than 1,000 participants coast-to-coast.

The 2015 Funding Roadshow will be held between March and May of this year. To register, participate or learn more, please visit www.fundingroadshow.com.

About Fundica

Fundica, Canada's most successful traditional funding identification and connection platform, matches entrepreneurs, private investors, public funders and advisors. Through unique crowdsourcing/crawler technology, Fundica provides an up-to-date, comprehensive and intuitive funding platform. Additionally, Fundica manages the Funding Roadshow, an annual cross-Canada initiative. Over the last two years, the Fundica team has been recognized by Intuit (Financial Literacy Startup Finalist), the Bronfman Foundation (Top 25 Emerging Entrepreneurs), CFO Canada (Entrepreneur of the Year), and Startup Canada (National Entrepreneurial Effect Runner-up). For more information, visit www.fundica.com.

MEDIA CONTACT

Paul Brent
Senior Communications Strategist
market2world communications inc.
www.market2world.com   
P: 1.613.256.3939
E: paul@market2world.com
83 Little Bridge Street, Suite 200
Almonte, Ontario, Canada, K0A 1A0

Toronto, Canada (January 30, 2015) – The Toronto chapter of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO), a global network of more than 10,000 business owners in 46 countries, will host the Canadian National Finals competition of EO’s Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA) on February 4, 2015 at Shangri-La Hotel. The Canadian winner of this student entrepreneurship competition will be awarded CAD$10,000, in-kind business consultancy services and the opportunity to participate in the EO GSEA Global Finals competition in Washington, D.C., USA, in April. The winner of the EO Global Finals competition will receive US$20,000 and the title of “Global Student Entrepreneur of the Year.”

“It is a great honor to have the city of Toronto play host to the first Canadian finals in EO GSEA history,” said Blair Assaly, Global Chairman of EO and a member of EO Edmonton. “All of these students have reached this final stage because they embody a true entrepreneurial spirit and drive. As an entrepreneur and Canadian, I am proud that one winner from our region will compete in the EO GSEA Global Finals in April.”

The competition, which is taking place at the Shangri-La Hotel in downtown Toronto, will feature six student entrepreneurs who will present their business ventures to a highly-touted panel of judges, including renowned entrepreneurs Bruce Croxon (Co-Founder, Lavalife) and Peter Thomas (Founder, Century 21 Real Estate Canada Ltd.). The students featured in the GSEA competition are:

1. Zach Wolff (Winnipeg), CEO/Exigence Technologies (http://exigencetechnologies.com/), Asper Business School; 
2. Derek Kucki (Calgary), CEO/ TLink (http://golftlink.com/), Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Mount Royal University; 
3. Michael Tessier (Edmonton), CEO/Good Roots Landscaping, Inc. (http://thegoodroots.com/), University of Alberta School of Business;
4. Will Yin (Toronto), CEO/Scent Trunk (https://scenttrunk.com/), Queens University;
5. Daniel Doubis (Vancouver), CEO/ShareShed (http://shareshed.ca/), Capilano University;
6. Brendan McAndrew, CEO/White Pine Bicycle Company (http://www.whitepinefixies.com/), University of Manitoba;

For additional information on the GSEA Canadian National Finals, please use the following link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/z7bnxknzn3gwgsk/GSEA%20Program%20-%20JAN%2022%20.pdf

About Entrepreneurs’ Organization

The Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) is a dynamic, global network of more than 10,000 influential business owners with operations throughout the world. Founded in 1987 by a group of young entrepreneurs, EO transforms the lives of the entrepreneurs who transform the world. EO is the catalyst that enables leading entrepreneurs to learn and grow, leading to greater business success and an enriched personal life. For more information, visit www.eonetwork.org.

About the Entrepreneurs' Organization's Global Student Entrepreneur Awards

As the premier global competition for high school, undergraduate and graduate students, the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (EO GSEA) represents more than 1,700 leading student entrepreneurs from more than 32 countries. Built on a mission to inspire students to start and grow entrepreneurial ventures, EO GSEA brings global visibility to pioneering student business owners. Since 1998, EO GSEA, a program founded at the John Cook School of Business at Saint Louis University, has honored outstanding students who simultaneously attend university full-time while running their own businesses. EO took on leadership of the EO GSEA in 2006 to offer student entrepreneurs access to a global network of mentors, resources and connections from the most influential community of entrepreneurs in the world. To nominate a student entrepreneur or to get involved, visit www.gsea.org. You can also join the conversation on Facebook and follow EO GSEA on Twitter at @EO_GSEA.

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Vancouver, B.C. (February 03, 2015) – The Forum for Women Entrepreneurs (FWE) today announced its annual fundraising gala will feature some of Canada’s leading social entrepreneurs from Hootsuite, Twitter and Buytopia.ca and will honour long-time FWE Mentor Terry McBride. The Gala’s theme “Get Social!” will connect change-making leaders and mentors with female business owners.

On Monday, February 16^th at 5:30pm at Vancouver’s Fairmont Waterfront, FWE will host Ryan Holmes, CEO and founder of Hootsuite; Jamie Michaels, head of brand strategy for Twitter Canada; Michele Romanow, co-founder of Buytopia.ca and SnapSaves, and a Dragon on CBC’s Next Gen Den which premiered on February 2^nd; and Terry McBride, CEO and co-founder of YYoga and Nettwerk Music Group. Guests and media alike can get plugged into the event and its speakers using the hashtag #FWEGala.

 “We are thrilled to welcome these Canadian entrepreneurs and leaders and have our guests learn from their experiences,” said Christina Anthony, Founder and Chair of FWE. “Their unique perspectives on the role of social media in today’s business world will be an inspiration to those in attendance.”

“Entrepreneurial success is built on great ideas, passion and taking risks. Our all-star panel lives by this mantra, and we are thrilled to have them share their stories with us”, said Lara Dauphinee, Co-Chair of the FWE Gala. As the organization’s largest fundraiser of the year, this sold-out event attracts over 450 business and community leaders to celebrate entrepreneurship. “Last year’s Gala was a very successful fundraiser that supported all of FWE’s programs, including grants for deserving women to participate in FWE’s E-Series program.”

In honouring the important role that mentors play in the community, FWE will also highlight one of its long-time mentors, Terry McBride, and his impact on women entrepreneurs.

“Get Social!” is supported by Odlum Brown Limited, Sauder School of Business, The British Columbia Securities Commission, and others. To learn more about the gala visit http://www.fwe.ca/get-social-2015/.

Media are invited to RSVP to ryan@yulupr.com for admission to the gala, and for interview opportunities.

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Ryan Tessier,

FWE Media Relations

(604) 558-1656

ryan@yulupr.com

About FWE:

The Forum for Women Entrepreneurs (FWE) is dedicated to providing women with the education, empowerment and energy they need to become wildly successful entrepreneurs. Founded in 2002, FWE has been encouraging, educating, and mentoring women entrepreneurs for over a decade. FWE has had 180+ E-series program participants, paired 500 mentees partnered with mentors through the  Mentor Program, and continues to support women through its programs.

FWE Gala Committee members include:

• Christina Anthony (Co-Chair), Odlum Brown Limited
• Lara Dauphinee (Co-Chair), Fiore Group   
• Monique Badun, Macdonald Realty BGW Ltd.
• Monika Deol, TV Personality + Strategic Communications Specialist
• Vicki Gabereau, VG Shoes
• Robin Gill, Global News
• Margot Jagger, Margot Jagger Design
• Soha Lavin, CountDown Events
• Samantha Legge, Canada Wide Media
• Lisa Niemetscheck, FWE
• Heather Owen, RBC

Vancouver, BC, Canada – February 10, 2015 - Apivio Systems Inc. (formerly Moimstone Corporation) (“Apivio” or the “Company”) (TSX V:APV)is pleased to announce that the Company has received a second purchase order for 6,000 units of its new Monet series VoIP enterprise video phones from NEC Corporation of America (NEC). Apivio expects to complete shipment of this order by Q3 2015. NEC is a leading provider of innovative IT, network, communications and biometric solutions for customers across multiple vertical industries, including healthcare, public sector, education and hospitality.

“NEC’s continued commitment to our new VoIP enterprise video phone with a second purchase of 6,000 units is strong recognition of our best-in-class technology and is indicative of another successful product launch,” commented Rob Bakshi, President and Chief Executive Officer of Apivio Systems Inc. “We are excited to support NEC’s efforts to market this phone globally and look forward to the next phase of application development as we seek to expand into various vertical segments of the enterprise market.” 

Apivio’s new video phone, the Monet M1 UT880, features a brilliant high resolution screen with amazing video quality, a full suite of advanced telephony features and rich video applications with advanced networking technology which delivers a stunning user experience. The next generation Monet series Smart VoIP phone includes software features and applications that enable upgrades, cross platform compatibility, enterprise connectivity and user productivity.

About Apivio Systems Inc.

Apivio Systems Inc. (formerly Moimstone Corporation) (“Apivio” or the “Company”) (TSX VENTURE:APV) is a Canadian technology company principally engaged in the design, development, marketing, and sale of communications equipment and software. It has a wholly-owned Korean subsidiary with a history of supplying VoIP telephone equipment and other products to major Korean and international telecommunications carriers. For more information regarding Apivio, please refer to its respective public filings available at www.sedar.com.

About NEC Corporation of North America

 NEC Corporation of America (NEC) is a leading technology integrator providing solutions that improve the way people work and communicate. NEC delivers integrated Solutions for Society that are aligned with our customers’ priorities to create new value for people, businesses and society, with a special focus on safety, security and efficiency.  We deliver one of the industry’s strongest and most innovative portfolios of communications, analytics, security, biometrics and technology solutions that unleash customers’ productivity potential. Through these solutions, NEC combines its best-in-class solutions and technology, and leverages a robust partner ecosystem to solve today’s most complex business problems. NEC Corporation of America is a wholly-owned subsidiary of NEC Corporation, a global technology leader with a presence in 140 countries and $29.5 billion in revenues. For more information, please visit www.necam.com.

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Rob Bakshi

President and Chief Executive Officer

+1-604-343-4200

rbakshi@apivio.com

PR Contact

Steve Kim

Boilingpoint Group

+1-604-630-7943

skim@boilingpointgroup.com

This press release has been prepared by Apivio Systems, Inc. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements contained in this news release that are not historical facts are "forward-looking information" or "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "Forward-Looking Information") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward Looking Information includes, but is not limited to, disclosure regarding possible events, conditions or financial performance that is based on assumptions about future economic conditions and courses of action. In certain cases, Forward-Looking Information can be identified by the use of words and phrases such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", budget", "scheduled", "suggest", "optimize", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", "potential" or "does not anticipate", believes", "anomalous" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-Looking Information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the Forward-Looking Information. Although Apivio has attempted to identify important factors that could affect Apivio and may cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in Forward-Looking Information, there may be other factors that cause actions,events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that Forward-Looking Information will prove to be accurate, asactual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements.

Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on Forward-Looking Information. Except as required by law, Apivio does not assume any obligation to release publicly any revisions to Forward-Looking Information contained in this news release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

Will other provinces follow suit?

Ottawa, February 11, 2015…CATAAlliance, Canada’s largest high tech association and recognized champion on Canadian innovation and entrepreneurship, has seized on the Ontario’s government’s call for Pre-Budget guidance, to table key recommendations to drive Canada’s competitive innovation nation success.

In responding to the Hon. Charles Sousa, Minister of Ontario’s request for Pre-Budget guidance,  CATA CEO, John Reid, said,  “We see a huge opportunity for Ontario if your government can take advantage of the province's technological competencies in the areas where major digital transformations are occurring. We would like to see the Ontario government's next budget establish a new Digital Transformation Funding Streamdedicated to supporting strategic ventures aimed at exploiting opportunities in areas of digital transformations.”

Reid added, “The intent would be to create the necessary synergies and strategic alliances amongst developers and businesses required to move beyond simply creating innovative products to the rapid commercialization and penetration of the successes in the markets.”

The guidance submitted to Minister Sousa, was developed by CATA Senior VP, Russ Roberts who mobilized a social media group of 10,600 executives for advice, conducted video interviews with innovation leaders across Canada and drew on numerous research papers that CATA developed over the past several years. CATAAlliance is now calling on all provinces to adopt similar approaches as outlined in the Alliance’s submission to Minister Sousa. Full details, including key document hotlinks, are presented at this URL:

https://drive.google.com/a/cata.ca/file/d/0B__wzrAC_E12N09Fdzl5MUh1NlE/view?usp=sharing

BM Spectrum Storage is Designed to Manage Any Storage – on the Cloud, In Data Centers Across the Globe; 
Intelligent Software Allows Clients to Move All Data Types To The Right Storage to Help Optimize Cost, Performance and Security

Armonk, NY – 17 February, 2015: IBM (NYSE: IBM) today unveiled IBM Spectrum Storage, a new storage software portfolio designed to address data storage inefficiencies by changing the economics of storage with a layer of intelligent software.  IBM’s new storage software creates an efficient “data footprint” that dynamically stores every bit of data at the optimal cost, helping maximize performance and security.   

IBM Spectrum Storage incorporates more than 700 patents and is designed to help clients transform to a hybrid cloud business model by managing massive amounts of data where they want it, how they want it, in a fast and easy manner from a single dashboard.  The software helps clients move data to the right location, at the right time, from flash storage for fast access to tape and cloud for the lowest cost.   

To accelerate the development of next-generation storage software, IBM also announced plans to invest more than $1 billion in its storage software portfolio over the next five years. With this investment, the company aims to extend its storage technology leadership having recently been ranked #1 in software defined storage platforms for the first three quarters of 2014 by leading industry analyst firm IDC.¹ The investment will focus on R&D of new cloud storage software, object storage and open standard technologies including OpenStack. 

“A new approach is needed to help clients address the cost and complexity driven by tremendous data growth.  Traditional storage is inefficient in today’s world where the value of each piece of data is changing all the time,” said Tom Rosamilia, Senior Vice President, IBM Systems. “IBM is revolutionizing storage with our Spectrum Storage software that helps clients to more efficiently leverage their hardware investments to extract the full business value of data.” 

As new applications require cloud delivery or deployment, the demand for storing data in the cloud is increasing. This requires a new approach to managing data with a layer of software on top of existing storage hardware to drive innovation.  Industry analyst firm Gartner predicts that by 2019, 70 percent of existing storage array products will also be available as "software only" versions. And, by 2020, between 70 percent and 80 percent of unstructured data will be held on lower-cost storage managed by software defined storage environments.² 

To capture this opportunity, IBM is the first company in the industry to embark on an accelerated roadmap to extract intelligence from its traditional storage hardware products enabling clients to use it in any form – as-a-service, as an appliance, or, as software. IBM Spectrum Accelerate is the first software product that the company has based on the software from its XIV high-end storage appliance. 

IBM Spectrum Accelerate enables clients to layer their infrastructure with intelligent features derived from XIV. These features include unique architecture with zero-tuning that can help clients dynamically add storage capacity in minutes versus the months it takes today to add, install and run storage hardware systems. The software can help provide business continuity upon disaster for all committed data, compared to the risk of losing 15 minutes of data or more with certain other competing storage software. Both speed and data protection are essential to clients in data-driven industries such as financial services, healthcare, retail and telecommunications as they seek to deploy new workloads on the hybrid cloud. 

With this announcement, the company is making IBM Spectrum Accelerate software open – based on industry standards and available to be used on commodity hardware. Clients can use Spectrum Accelerate to pool existing datacenter resources to build their own enterprise-grade, scalable, hyper-cloud environment. Using a single, user-friendly dashboard created by the IBM Design Lab and industry leading designers, the software manages data flexibly and cost-efficiently across clients’ existing datacenters and purpose-built cloud environments. 

The XIV architecture has been proven in large cloud environments with clients like Netflix, the on-demand Internet streaming media company. 

Netflix recently turned to IBM for help creating a more agile storage infrastructure for its growing data management challenges. The company deployed IBM XIV Gen3 storage systems to manage its databases, development, testing and back-up operations. As a result, Netflix was able to replace 16 existing storage systems with only three XIV systems for an 80 percent reduction in actual data center floor space, and it also expects the systems will enable the company to significantly boost its database transactions per minute. 

Integrated Seamless Data Movement To and From Clouds 

Building off an IBM Research invention, IBM later this year plans to introduce a multi-cloud connecter as a software feature in IBM Spectrum Storage.³ This feature will be designed to help organizations dynamically migrate data across multiple clouds, while keeping it confidential. The feature will employ a “cloud-of-clouds” approach that invokes the resilience of separate clouds to offer stronger protection against service outages and data loss than any single cloud can deliver. 

Like other IBM Spectrum Storage offerings, IBM Spectrum Accelerate includes an intuitive, easy-to-use Graphical User Interface (GUI) management dashboard, and integrates with IBM Spectrum Control for consolidated management. The IBM Spectrum Accelerate GUI can be run on any browser enabled device, from desktops to iOS and Android mobile devices. The GUI, called Hyper-Scale Manager, lets clients manage technical and administrative operations through a mobile dashboard at the tap of a screen. In the era of real-time data management, mobile management of storage can help reduce storage downtime, data overload, over-provisioning and application disruption.   

IBM Spectrum Accelerate features an array of cloud-ready features and technologies, including snapshot, synchronous and asynchronous replication, multi-tenancy, automation through RESTful API and OpenStack, VMware vCloud Suite integration and self-provisioning. It is easy to acquire, license and install; offers a flexible licensing model designed to mesh short- and longer-term budget realities and is delivered via download from the IBM Passport Advantage web site. 

Thinking Outside of the Box: Global Clients Adopting IBM Storage Software 

Clients like NARI System and Integration Company, China State Grid’s IT division are looking to transform their business operations by using software defined storage and are testing IBM Spectrum Accelerate as they move toward a hybrid cloud environment.

China State Grid is the largest state owned utility company in the world. The company has prioritized software defined infrastructure as a strategic imperative to deal with increasing complexity and costs of information technology services. NARI System and Integration Company, under NARI Group, a wholly owned subsidiary under the governance of China State Grid's IT division, invited IBM to introduce software defined storage technologies and IBM Spectrum Accelerate was selected for evaluation. Mr. Xu Ji, Chief Architect of NARI SI Company, said "In our testing, we found IBM Spectrum Accelerate provides the full functionality of the field proven XIV hardware appliance, giving us the agility and ease of deployment to use across our existing hardware infrastructure without sacrificing any features. IBM Spectrum Accelerate is one of the most important platforms in State Grid's software defined strategy future." 

About IBM Spectrum Storage

IBM’s Spectrum Storage portfolio can centrally manage more than 300 different storage devices and yottabytes of data.  This device interoperability is the broadest in the industry – incorporating both IBM and non-IBM hardware and tape systems.  IBM Spectrum Storage can help reduce storage costs up to 90 percent in certain environments by automatically moving data onto the most economical storage device – either from IBM or non-IBM flash, disk and tape systems.

In addition to Spectrum Accelerate, IBM Spectrum Storage portfolio includes key storage software such as Spectrum Virtualize, Spectrum Scale, Spectrum Control, Spectrum Protect and Spectrum Archive.

For more information about software defined storage offerings from IBM, visit www.ibm.com/spectrumstorage.

Follow us on Twitter at @ibmstorage and on our Tumblr at http://ibmstorageexperience.tumblr.com/.

Join the conversation #softwaredefined.

# # #

¹ IDC Worldwide Quarterly Storage Software Qview, December 2014. 4Q 2014 report is pending.

^2. Gartner Innovation Insight: Separating Hype From Hope for Software-Defined Storage authored by Dave Russell and Arun Chandrasekaran published on October 2014.

³ Statements regarding IBM’s future direction and intent are subject to change or withdrawal without notice, and represent goals and objectives only.

Leslie Plant, External Communications Manager
IBM Canada, 3600 Steeles Ave. East, Markham, ON  L3R 9Z7

t:   416-478-9840; e:  laplant@ca.ibm.com
m: 416-526-5647; Twitter: @LesliePlant

Today's reveal that the Interactive Digital Media Tax Credit (IDMTC) has been extended three years to 2018 is a strong show of support for our province as a world-class technology hub.

Announced by the Minister of Finance as part of his party's 2015 provincial budget plans, the renewal of the IDMTC will help strengthen BC's growing digital media and wireless companies. Not only does it display confidence in attracting global brands to set up shop in BC, it kick starts the formation of new companies to become tomorrow's tech titans.

"The Government of British Columbia recognizes the positive impact that a growing digital media sector is having on our economy," said Howard Donaldson, President of DigiBC. "The IDMTC encourages innovative technology companies to establish global and regional headquarters in B.C., bringing high-paying jobs that benefit the entire economy. The continuance of the tax credit will lead to continued success, a stronger industry sector, and a leadership position in one of the world's fastest growing industries."

Back in 2010 when the IDMTC was brought in, digital jobs in BC were being lost to other places. Today, five years on, digital media in British Columbia is growing at 11% per year. Additionally:

• Hotbeds of animation, video games and visual effects (VFX) are developing in Victoria, across Vancouver Island, and in the interior (such as the Okanagan.)
• Global companies like Electronic Arts, Microsoft, Sony Pictures Imageworks, DeNA, Kabam, Namco Bandai, CAPCOM, Disney Interactive and others are adding more local BC talent to their rosters.
• Homegrown success stories such as Klei Entertainment, Roadhouse Interactive, Finger Food Studios and many other gaming studios are becoming internationally known.
• Nearly every major Hollywood studio movie has some component of its' visual effects worked on in Vancouver.

There is a momentum building. With the renewal of the IDMTC, as well as the extension of the Digital Animation or Visual Effects (DAVE) tax credit to now apply to post-production work, our digital media companies have the confidence to build an even larger presence on the world stage. Through our strategic partnerships, events and outreach efforts, DigiBC wants to play a part in this ongoing story and help move BC's digital industries forward.

Read the DigiBC press release featuring more comments from President Howard Donaldson, and more facts about the size and scope of BC's digital media and wireless sectors.

DENVER, CO – February 17, 2015 –  Cologix, a network-neutral interconnection and data center company, today unveiled Cologix Cloud Connect.  Cologix Cloud Connect is a platform that provides a streamlined source for enterprises to access the widest selection of services to securely satisfy their current needs while retaining adaptability to the changing technology landscape.  Cologix customers have technology choice between public, private and hybrid cloud models as well as vendor choice within each model. 

Cologix offers more connectivity choices for protected access to public cloud services like Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure Express Route and the Google Cloud Platform than any provider across its platform.  Enterprises interested in public cloud applications can choose from more than 80 pre-approved, direct onramps to these services that bypass the public Internet.  Cologix customers can also connect to more than 100 cloud services providers operating nodes within Cologix data centers to augment their own internal IT environment.  Finally, Cologix continues to build relationships with technology providers who build private cloud environments in Cologix facilities for their end users 

“We have a large and diverse set of enterprise customers, ranging from Fortune 100 to local businesses.  Interestingly, conversations across that wide spectrum have revealed several consistent themes,” explains Graham Williams, chief operating officer, Cologix.  “First, our customers are adopting cloud services selectively to work with their internal systems, as opposed to replacing them altogether. Second, our clients are approaching the space cautiously because they are unsure which service providers and technologies will win out as the market matures.  In consulting with our customers it is clear to us that choice and low switching costs are every bit as important in the cloud service space as in the network service space.”

“We are proud to present the largest collection of cloud providers in our Meet-Me-Rooms across our 8 market, 20 data center platform.  More than 100 cloud service providers have already deployed nodes with Cologix to make their services available to a new set of customers in our unique markets,” notes Williams.  “These providers realize there is an underserved universe of enterprises in markets like Jacksonville, Montreal and Vancouver that value high performance and protected connections as differentiators.” 

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About Cologix Inc.

Cologix Inc. is a network-neutral interconnection and colocation data center company headquartered in Denver. Cologix provides scalable interconnection services and secure, reliable colocation services. Cologix operates densely connected, strategically located facilities in Columbus, Dallas, Jacksonville, Lakeland, Minneapolis, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. With more than 350 network choices and 20 prime interconnection locations, Cologix currently serves over 850 carrier, managed services, cloud, media, content, financial services and enterprise customers. The company’s experienced local service teams are committed to providing its customers the highest standard of local customer support. To arrange a tour of the center closest to you, contact us at sales@cologix.com. Follow Cologix on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Britni Myers
Vertical Marketing Manager | Cologix, Inc.
2300 15^th St., Suite 300 | Denver, CO 80202
P: 720.940.2564 | M: 512.660.1312 
britni.myers@cologix.com

AccelerateAB, the annual two-day event for Alberta’s tech community, is calling on local entrepreneurs to apply for this year’s expert Roundtable Session

The Startup Roundtables Session is an exclusive event that matches 15-20 Alberta startups with mentors from the A100 and the C100, as well as our highly regarded friends from Canada and the Silicon Valley. The Roundtable Sessions provide high quality mentorship from people who have been through the trenches themselves.

“Since connecting during the Roundtables at AccelerateAB, several A100 members have helped me not only grow my company but myself as a CEO,” says past Roundtable participant Marty Haldane, Founder and CEO of Anow. “I now have some amazing advisors with invaluable advice who I can also call friends.”

Attendees will have the opportunity for interaction and networking with experts. Past mentors include: Randy Marsden, Shawn Abbott, Pat Lor, Kip Fyfe, Brian Wong, Mark MacLeod, Danny Robinson, Mark Relph, Bruce Johnson, Lars Leckie, Katherine Barr, Scott Bonham, Steve Wandler, Kevin Swan, Randy Thompson, Art Wong, Boris Wertz, David Quail, Debbie Landa, Shelley Kuipers, and Brad Zumwalt.

“If you’re looking to take your startup to the next level, the AccelerateAB Roundtables are the place to be,” says David Edmonds, Industry Chair of the Accelerate Fund and member of the A100.

Important dates for the application process are as follows:

•  Applications open – February 19^th
• Applications due – March 20^th
• Selections made and companies notified – First week of April

The AccelerateAB Roundtable Sessions will take place April 28^th, 2015 in Calgary, with a conference to follow on April 29^th. Each year over 400 entrepreneurs, investors, and innovators come from around the province and beyond to discover Alberta’s fast-growing startup scene at AccelerateAB.

To submit an application and for more information about the Roundtable Sessions, please visit:http://www.accelerateab.com/roundtables.

-ends-

Contact:                                                                             

Carolynn Winterhalt 
Executive Director, The A100 
carolynn at thea100 dot org

Meghan Somers 
meghan at theagencyinc dot ca 
+1 587 899 0615

About AccelerateAB
AccelerateAB is an annual celebration focused on entrepreneurship and tech startups in Alberta. 400+ entrepreneurs, investors, and innovators come for around the province and beyond to discover Alberta’s fast-growing scene. The event is about connecting, educating, and showcasing the incredible tech companies that call Alberta home.www.AccelerateAB.coma

TORONTO, February 18, 2015 --- On Friday, February 20, Ryerson University, in partnership with Rogers, will jointly announce a major initiative to support innovation in sport.

As part of this initiative’s launch, startups can win sizeable cash prizes and placement in a new startup incubation program focusing on sport innovation located at the Digital Media Zone at Ryerson University (DMZ), the top-ranked university business incubator in Canada.  

WHO:               

The Honourable Bal Gosal, Minister of State (Sport)

Sheldon Levy, President and Vice Chancellor, Ryerson University

Cheri L. Bradish, Loretta Rogers Research Chair in Sport Marketing, Ted Rogers School of Management

Mark Cohon, 12th Commissioner, Canadian Football League                     

Dale Hooper, Chief Brand Officer, Rogers Communications Inc.

Digital Media Zone entrepreneurs will also be on hand to showcase their inventive sport-related technologies

WHEN:

Friday, February 20, 2015

10:00 AM

WHERE:           

Digital Media Zone at Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario

10 Dundas St. E., 6^th floor

Take the elevator on the ground floor, located near Starbucks

RSVP:             

Media who wish to attend must RSVP to Ashton Lawrence at a7lawren@ryerson.ca

-30-

Media Contact         

Ashton Lawrence 

Sport Innovation Specialist, Digital Media Zone 

416-737-6127

a7lawren@ryerson.ca

TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - Feb 18, 2015) - SKE Labs today announced the launch of its major funding campaign for the first ever smart container, the Neo™ Smart Jar. Using Bluetooth connectivity and ultra-responsive sensors, Neo™ tracks the weight and nutritional content of what it contains, allowing for historical and real-time tracking of key dietary components, including calories, carbohydrates, fat and protein. The accompanying mobile app can suggest recipes based on existing ingredients, inform when quantities are low, and track "best before" dates.

Following its successful unveiling at the 2015 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, SKE Labs has begun taking pre-orders for the world's first smart jar. Funds contributed during this campaign, which will run until March 20, 2015, will allow for final technical developments and complete a first run of manufacturing before the end of 2015.

"Reaction has been overwhelmingly positive towards connected kitchens, especially when it's something as fundamental and relatable as a jar," said Madhuri Eunni, founder and CEO of SKE Labs. "We are encouraged by the response, and excited to bring Neo™ to consumers directly through this campaign."

This is the first opportunity for pre-orders, and as an incentive SKE Labs is offering a significant discount to anyone who places an order before the campaign ends. To find out more about the Neo™ Smart Jar, visit the website at www.SKELabs.com or the Indiegogo campaign athttp://igg.me/at/helloneo.

About SKE Labs Inc. SKE (Smart Kitchen Ecosystem) Labs makes sensor and cloud-based devices that enable users to connect to their kitchen, discover personalized content and shop with zero-touch. We are focused on reinventing common objects into smart things that transform everyday interactions into something more magical. Established in 2014, SKE Labs is privately held and headquartered in Toronto. For more information, visit www.skelabs.com.

TORONTO, February 19, 2015 – The National Angel Capital Organization, NACO, is launching a new homepage to better serve Canadian Angel investors. 

“The startup companies our Angels are investing in are helping to build the Canadian economy. We want to showcase the successes and best practices of the Angel community. The new homepage and video insider will unify the thousands of Angels across our country, giving them one place to stop for all the investment information they need,” says Yuri Navarro, Executive Director of NACO.

NACO’s homepage, launched today with updated design and content, highlights Angel investors and startups from Halifax to Vancouver. The features of the homepage include: a new video, blog page, news updates and more.

“Canada is proud to have a diverse and dynamic Angel landscape, with exciting new startups, accelerators and investors constantly emerging,” says Navarro.

NACO is the national voice for the more than 2,100 Angel investors in Canada. The updated homepage will feature guest bloggers from Angel groups across the country.

The NACO video features and inside look at Canada’s top investors and thought leaders. Filmed at MaRS Discovery District and NACO’s 2014 National Angel Summit in Quebec City, Minister Gary Goodyear and NACO’s Angel of the Year Randall Howard discuss the importance of Angel Investing and nation-building. 

More than $89 million was invested in 199 deals by 29 Canadian Angel groups in 2013 and the number of investments made is expected to increase in 2014.  

Media Inquiries

For more detailed data and/or to arrange an interview with NACO’s Executive Director Yuri Navarro, 519-500-4408, media@nacocanada.com

About the National Angel Capital Organization

The National Angel Capital Organization (NACO) accelerates a thriving, early-stage investing ecosystem in Canada by connecting individuals, groups, and other partners that support Angel-stage investing. NACO provides intelligence, tools and resources for its members; facilitates key connections across networks, borders and industries; and helps to inform policy affecting the Angel asset-class. For more information please visithttp://nacocanada.com/ or follow us on Twitter @AngelCapCanada.

Toronto – February 24, 2015 – FundThrough, a technology-driven online lending platform that changes the way businesses access financing, officially launched today. FundThrough is the first marketplace platform that offers lines of credit to growing businesses in Canada.

“For a long time Canadian business owners have relied on big banks for financing, and often have not had attractive alternatives if they were turned down or could not wait,” said Steven Uster, Co-Founder and CEO of FundThrough. “FundThrough uses technology to provide an alternative to traditional lending sources, giving small- and medium-sized business owners access to a more convenient way of borrowing, enabling them to unlock the growth potential of their business.”

FundThrough raised $2.2 million in financing from a group of investors led by Real Ventures, Canada’s largest and most active seed venture fund. The funds will be used to scale the platform in order to service more growing businesses. Other investors include: Origin Merchant Partners, Five Elements Ventures, Barlow Lane Holdings, Jim Case and Peter Carrescia.

“We are thrilled to be investing in FundThrough,” said Janet Bannister, General Partner at Real Ventures. “Online marketplace lenders like FundThrough are using technology to change the way businesses borrow money.  They are disrupting the financial services industry by putting more power in the hands of business owners.  We look forward to working closely with the FundThrough team as they grow their company in Canada and internationally.”

FundThrough was co-founded by three entrepreneurs – Steven Uster, Graham McBride and Deepak Ramachandran – who understand the pressures faced by small and medium sized business owners and the frustrations that come with accessing financing. FundThrough was created to make accessing capital simpler, faster and more flexible for businesses.

For more information please visit www.fundthrough.com, or contact one of FundThrough’s representatives by email at info@fundthrough.comor by phone at (800) 766-0460.

About FundThrough

FundThrough is a technology-driven online lending platform that provides small businesses with quick, convenient and transparent financing. FundThrough has developed a simple and secure platform that offers qualified Canadian businesses the ability to unlock their accounts receivable to invest in and accelerate the growth of their business. Find out more at www.fundthrough.com.

About Real Ventures

Real Ventures invests in ambitious entrepreneurs that are creating the Internet experiences of the future or embracing the power of the Internet to disrupt existing industries or business models. Investing pre-traction, its team and networks support entrepreneurs and propel their companies forward. The best entrepreneurs do their homework on prospective VCs and the best Canadian entrepreneurs want to be backed by Real Ventures. Visit realventures.com for more information.

Media inquiries:
Dan Madge
Kaiser Lachance CommunicationsT: (647) 725-2520 x209