June 21, 2015

#apps4TO Kicks Off + the week in TO innovation and biz:

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Microbiz of the Weekend: Pizza Rovente

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June 18, 2015

Amy Schumer, and a long winter nap.

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October 30, 2014

Vice and Rogers are partnering to bring a Vice TV network to Canada

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John Tory gets a parody Twitter account

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INDUSTRY , LOCAL BUSINESS

Five Canadian Start-Ups You'll Want to Keep Your Eyes On

1. HootSuite

HootSuite is a social management system for business and organizations to team up and carry out campaigns.

The web-based dashboard combines multiple social networks from one place. Users are able to streamline social media content with scheduling and assignment tools in order to reach audiences during peak times. Key social network integrations include Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+.

This past March, the Vancouver-based company received a $20-mln investment from the venture capitalist arm of a major public pension manager, OMERS Ventures.

The site has more than one billion messages being sent through its dashboard every day. Major clients include PepsiCo, McDonalds and News Corp.

2.Wattpad

Wattpad is the world’s largest community of readers and writers. Their social eReading application connects readers and writers across all genres. Users can vote for what they think is the best story, comment, and leave suggestions for authors. According to their website, they have 3.2 million stories posted (plus an additional 300, 000 added each month), 8 million unique monthly visitors who combined, contribute one comment every second.

They won the Best Overall Canadian Startup of 2011, presented by KPMG.

3. Frank and Oak

Frank and Oak, a Montreal based company, gives men a unique platform to shop.

The company which launched earlier this year, delivers affordable, high-quality clothing to its customers. Curators for the site select nine items based on preferences, they then pick up to three items to have sent, then they only pay for the ones they want to keep.

4. Beyond the Rack

Beyond the Rack obtains authentic designer merchandise and provides an exclusive shopping experience for its members through limited time events.

Members are notified by email in advance of each upcoming event according to their own individual preferences. Events last roughly 48 hours.

Launched in 2009, the Montreal-based site raised $50-mln from angel and venture capital investors, essential to creating one of Canada’s fastest-growing firms.

In 2011 they reached $100-mln in sales, a number that is expected to double in 2012.

5. Radian6

Radian6 gives brands and agencies the ability to listen to what people are saying about them online, and engage in those conversations.

The Atlantic Canada based company, gathers discussions happening online and gives users the ability to analyze and track the traffic. Widgets on the dashboard allows users to see top influences and trends, as well as which conversations are having an impact online.

The site currently has about 1, 800 clients from across the globe. Flagship clients include 3M, Dell Computers, Mircosoft and UPS. It was acquired in 2011 by Salesforce.com for approximately $276-million in cash and $50-million in stock.

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Nicole Siena is an intern for the Toronto Standard. Follow her on Twitter at @nicolesiena

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