market2world communications - the new way things are blog

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Canada: US trade megatrend and knowledge-based reality

2013-05-09T15:20:34Z

By Nathan Rudyk

A Statistics Canada report released today, titled Foreign Direct Investment 2012, underlines why the market2world team spends a lot of time with our clients thinking about how our nation can tell a better story to attract more Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).

Consider Canada City Alliance Inc. trilingual Web site, messaging and PR campaign by market2world communications inc.

In the past few months we've publicized a Consider Canada City Alliance investment and trade mission to China, an Ontario Clean Technology Alliance mission to Germany, an Ontario Technology Corridor mission to Brazil, and an Ontario Food Cluster mission to France.

We also get to celebrate Canadian Foreign Direct Investment results including:

Why world-leading digital media companies like Google, Electronic Arts, Gameloft and Arkadium have set up shop here, attracted by a unique Canadian blend of smart people, smart tax incentives and other smart, entrepreneurial companies
A German pizza-making plant by Dr. Oetker that will create 120 full-time manufacturing jobs and contribute an estimated $26 million a year to the Ontario agri-food industry
How the right combination of talent, vision and policy has convinced more than 30 renewable energy companies from around the globe to locate or expand in Ontario's 31,000-job, $27 billion (so far) clean technology sector
An initial $10 million investment in an Ottawa technology incubation centre by China's $11 billion Zhongguancun Development Group (ZDG)

Today's Statscan report on FDI into Canada underlines two key trends:

1. "While the United States remains by far the largest foreign direct investor in Canada, the past decade has seen a gradual decline in that country's share of direct investment in Canada from 64.9% in 2002 to 51.5% in 2012."

In other words, the push to capture FDI dollars from countries beyond our powerful neighbour to the South is well placed. The megatrend is more globally diversified trade flows. For example, as we pointed out in our April 2013 press release for the Consider Canada City Alliance, with a 2012 total of $21.3 billion, Canada is now the lead country in the world for Chinese outward bound direct investment, outpacing the second place U.S. by $7 billion and more than double Chinese investment in Australia – the country widely perceived as the biggest beneficiary of Chinese investment flows. Oh Canada, not so anymore!

2. "The finance, insurance and management industries also accounted for a significant share of foreign direct investment in Canada with 32.6% of total investment in 2012. The manufacturing sector remained a significant destination of foreign direct investment in 2012 with a 28.7% share, while the mining and oil and gas extraction industry accounting for a further 19.0%."

In other words, while minerals, oil and gas, and other natural resources investments are important, it's our knowledge-based sectors, i.e. our people, not our rocks and bitumen deposits, that are attracting the lion's share of FDI into Canada.

As one our clients blogged recently, "The question remains, how do we take full value of the potential?" One way is to relentlessly, engagingly and thoroughly tell our story. In other words, market2world!

Nathan Rudyk is President and CEO with market2world communications inc., the public relations and marketing agency for global innovators.)

Invest Ottawa one year in – the numbers tell the story

2013-05-06T20:47:33Z

By Nathan Rudyk

On Sept. 30th, 2011, I blogged about a new leader in the National Capital Region:

He's the most important CEO in Ottawa right now because he's committed like no one I've met to tear down the little walls and moats that have been building up for several years now to delay what is ours for the taking: To be the best place in Canada to start and grow a knowledge-based business.

That CEO was Bruce Lazenby, hired on to transform the Ottawa Centre for Regional Innovation (OCRI) from its staid focus on large ICT companies to a sector-broadened, entrepreneur-focused organization that we rebranded as Invest Ottawa in Feb. of 2012 (Check out market2world's launch video below that shows a business community eager and ready to embrace change):

Last week the Ottawa Business Journal, a media outlet that wasn't shy about taking OCRI to task for being out of touch, published an article entitled "Invest Ottawa: One year in" by Courtney Symons. Her story noted that whereas 0 startups resided at OCRI, "40 startups reside at the Invest Ottawa offices – 26 early-stage companies with the remainder being students within the Ottawa Young Entrepreneurs program run by Carleton University – and more than 200 firms have accepted services from the agency."

The article also quotes March Networks’ president and CEO Peter Strom, who said: “Their time and resources are better spent trying to help the smaller companies.”

And the numbers in the sidebar to the OBJ's story on Invest Ottawa's progress say it all. Thanks Bruce, to you and your revitalized team. Keep going!

324: Number of companies met with in 2012 (up 92 per cent over 2011)

191: Jobs created by companies to which Invest Ottawa has provided services

6,786: Number of mentoring hours by entrepreneurs-in-residence and advisers

227: Number of knowledge-based companies with which Invest Ottawa is working from its innovation department

220: Number of customized market research reports delivered to Ottawa startups

$5.5 million: Cost of those reports if the startups had acquired them on their own

$39.5 million: Investment dollars attracted by Invest Ottawa innovation clients

225: Number of workshops and seminars delivered to more than 4,800 entrepreneurs in 2012

(Nathan Rudyk is President and CEO with market2world communications inc., the public relations and product marketing agency for global innovators.)

market2world a proud sponsor of Startup Canada – and its new national support network for entrepreneurs

2013-04-30T20:39:46Z

By Nathan Rudyk

I don't cut a sponsorship cheque for many causes without thinking hard about whether the money will really, truly, make a difference. But when Victoria Lennox asked me to contribute some cash to Startup Canada, it was the easiest decision I've made in a long time.

You see startups aren't just a neat thing, they're the only thing.

Contrary to what debt-ridden governments in the "developed world" like to tell us, "stimulus" doesn't do anything more than smooth over economic speed-bumps. And as we're seeing in the Eurozone, without a fundamentally sound (i.e. enterpreneur-driven) economy based on revenue creation versus money-printing and distribution of depreciating fiat currency, there's no basis of real (wealth creating) stimulus. There's only a declining standard of living and the systematic crushing of hopes and dreams via financial repression.

At market2world, we do our bit by attracting investment to Canada via ConsiderCanada.com (a brand we created for Canada's large cities), the Ontario Technology Corridor, the Ontario Food Cluster and the Ontario Clean Technology Alliance. For years we've promoted the companies and products of entrepreneur-led companies across the country. And on our home turf, we created Global Enterpreurship Week Ottawa with our friends at Invest Ottawa.

But because they usually can't afford us, we don't often get the chance to work directly with freshly minted startups. And that's why Startup Canada is so important. On May 2, this national entrepreneur-led non-profit movement will launch its flagship venture, Startup Canada Communities, trailblazing a new approach to supporting entrepreneurs – from the bottom-up.

Startup Canada Communities provides entrepreneurs with access to mentors, workspace, and funding to start and grow their businesses and to connect with other startup founders. Local networked Web sites and grassroots entrepreneur-led events and activities will unite and strengthen each startup community.

The project will initially pilot in 15 communities across Canada in 2013 to develop and refine the model. The first 15 pilot communities are St. John’s, Fredericton, Charlottetown, Quebec City, Montreal, Ottawa, York Region, London, Kingston, Winnipeg, Calgary, Lethbridge, Smithers, Prince George, and Langford.

To find out more, on May 2nd check out Startup Canada Communities. Tell em Victoria sent ya!

(Nathan Rudyk is President and CEO with market2world communications inc., the public relations and product marketing agency for global innovators.)

Canada now number one in the world for Chinese outward bound direct investment

2013-04-15T16:06:27Z

By Nathan Rudyk

This week the Consider Canada City Alliance Inc. – a united front representing Toronto, Montréal, Vancouver, Ottawa, Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax, Québec City, Winnipeg, Waterloo Region and Saskatoon – is embarking on a three-city investment mission to China. This is the Asian country that the OECD predicts will surpass the U.S. to become the world’s largest economy as soon as 2016.

This investment mission, by the cities that accounted for 72% of GDP growth and 90% of job growth in Canada between 2007 and 2012, is one of several this year to help international companies determine the best strategies for business expansion and continually improve Canada’s ability to attract new investment and trade opportunities. And it's underlined by the fact that as of 2012, Canada is now the lead country in the world for Chinese outward bound direct investment.

market2world is extraordinarily proud of the progress being made by the Consider Canada City Alliance. Working closely with Michael Darch, the founding President of the Alliance, and his Chairman Bruce Graham, who is also President and CEO of Calgary Economic Development, we created the Alliance's logo, core messaging and positioning, its trilingual Web site, marketing collaterals and are handling PR on both sides of the Pacific. We are also promoting the organization's success on Facebook, Twitter and China's Weibo social media network.

Our PR effort started last week with a media alert that has already garnered positive press across Canada. This week we look forward to initiating more coverage on both sides of the Pacific.

Go Canada!

(Nathan Rudyk is President and CEO with market2world communications inc., the public relations and product marketing agency for global innovators.)

Mobile apps business explodes – market2world's Paul Brent examines the sector on CFRA's Computer Radio Show

2013-04-14T20:36:04Z

By Paul Brent

On Saturday April 13, 2013 I made my regular monthly appearance on CFRA's Computer Radio Show. Mobile apps was the theme for the program. From an industry that did not exist in 2008 mobile apps are now a global business worth $18 billion. Ottawa has more than 75 companies in the mobile app space.

We discussed the accomplishment of a British teenager who recently sold his mobile app to Yahoo for $30 million. The Computer Radio Show also featured security concerns for mobile devices and I updated the subject of wearable computers such as Google Glass and wearable devices that have been developed by eSight Corp. and Impakt Protective Inc. of Ottawa.

market2world has a history of being part of the Ottawa media and technology sector. Our CEO Nathan Rudyk started up OCRIRadio.com in 2005 and for four years OCRIRadio was heard every month. The show was the first social media channel in Ottawa devoted to the technology industry. You can listen to the OCRIRadio archives here. From 2000-2002 Nathan also served the Ottawa tech community as an Internet columnist for Ottawa's CBC Radio show Ottawa Morning and for several years in the mid-2000's Nathan served as a regular tech analyst on the program I produced and hosted on CTV Ottawa called Tech Now.

Tech Now ended a successful 10 year run in 2011. One of the last segments featured an interview with Harley Finkelstein, Chief Platform Officer for Ottawa-based Shopify Inc. You can view the interview here. I also wrote a column on technology for Metro and 24 Hours newspapers in Ottawa.

Please contact me with ideas for subjects you would like to hear about on the Computer Radio Show. Drop me an email, paul@market2world.com. Click on radioshow-April13-13 below to listen to the most recent interview segment.

Paul Brent is Senior Communications Strategist with market2world communications inc. the public relations and product marketing agency for global innovators.

Intelligent Community Forum selects market2world communications as public relations Agency Of Record

2013-04-04T19:49:21Z

By Nathan Rudyk

The market2world team loves aggressive, visionary clients that aim to make a global impact. So it doesn't get better than this announcement: The New York-based Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) has selected market2world as its public relations Agency Of Record (AOR).

While the press release below is dated today, we've been hard at work with the globe-trotting ICF team since last November. It just happens to be an awesome day to formally celebrate that work.

The UK-based MailOnline, self-described as the media outlet that "reaches more users than any other newspaper site in the world" ran a feature story on ICF's Top7 Intelligent Communities, drawing on previous coverage from NBC News. Today we also have several stories in progress on ICF's pick of BlackBerry Founder and Vice Chairman Mike Lazaridis as 2013 Intelligent Community Visionary of the Year. Read on!

Intelligent Community Forum selects market2world communications as public relations agency of record

NEW YORK, NY – April 4, 2013 – market2world communications inc. today announced it has been named PR Agency of Record by the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF), a think tank and global movement that studies and mentors the economic and social development of 21st century communities. market2world will contribute to the development and execution of ICF’s external communications strategy.

“ICF exists to re-energize communities worldwide. We try to encourage and share best practices among communities challenged to create prosperity and social stability in a world where jobs, investments and progress increasingly depend on the proper use of broadband and related access communications,” said ICF Co-founder Louis Zacharilla. “The decision to hire an external PR group reflects our desire to build awareness of the ICF movement worldwide. market2world came highly recommended based on its work with economic development and innovation-driven organizations.”

“We are thrilled to add the Intelligent Community Forum to our client roster,” said Nathan Rudyk, President & CEO of market2world communications. “ICF deserves a larger international footprint to encourage both cities and rural communities to create innovation-driven prosperity, and we are honored to help advance the cause of this important movement.”

About Intelligent Community Forum

The Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) studies and promotes the best practices of the world's Intelligent Communities as they adapt to the demands and seize the opportunities presented by information and communications technology (ICT). To help communities build prosperous economies, solve social problems and enrich local cultures, ICF conducts research, hosts events, publishes newsletters and produces its high-profile international awards program. Over more than a decade, ICF has become an international movement that attracts the attention of global leaders, thinkers, and media observers. The ICF Foundation consists of 119 cities and regions that have been designated as Intelligent Communities by ICF and which participate in an ongoing global dialogue to strengthen local economies. For more information, go to www.intelligentcommunity.org

About market2world communications

market2world is one of North America’s most innovative independent public relations and product marketing agencies for global innovators. From initial market introductions for startups to social media-inspired PR campaigns for established companies, from corporate Web sites to sales collaterals, market2world unleashes the power of story to build winning, global brands for its clients. For more information on market2world, go to www.market2world.com.

(Nathan Rudyk is President and CEO with market2world communications inc., the public relations and product marketing agency for global innovators.)

Gururaj Desh Deshpande tells TiE Ottawa how to juggle a series of crystal balls, and one rubber ball

2013-03-20T02:37:59Z

By Paul Brent

Earlier this month on March 13th, the Ottawa chapter of The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) invited me to host a conversation with Desh Deshpande at the chapter’s 10th Anniversary kickoff event held at UOttawa.

Gururaj Desh Deshpande is one of the world’s most sought after speakers on entrepreneurship. A successful serial entrepreneur, he was raised in India, attended two Canadian universities and then he moved to Boston where he co-founded several firms including Sycamore Networks Inc. a firm that hit $45 billion in market cap during the tech boom of the 90's and just this February a deal closed to sell Sycamore and have it become a private firm.

Paul Brent & Desh Deshpande photo – Streamlined Spaces.com

He also invested $20 million to establish the Deshpande Foundation and its five affiliated centres in the U.S., India and Canada that all assist entrepreneurs. UOttawa President Allan Rock announced at the event that his school is now part of the Deshpande Innovation Network linking universities around the world.

“Being an entrepreneur is a career choice, you have to love the lifestyle, love creating something, solving problems and always believe that tomorrow will be better,” he said.

Deshpande went on to warn that being an entrepreneur is not about producing a get-rich-quick result. While that might happen, most often it does not. On the key question of work/life balance Deshpande urged people to think of all the things you do in life as juggling a series of crystal balls, and one rubber ball. The rubber ball is work, if you drop it invariably it bounces back but drop your family for example and that ball will shatter.

I am now a member of TiE and hope to continue the market2world tradition of helping entrepreneurs to succeed. For example, for the last two years, one of market2world’s biggest PR efforts aimed at the Ottawa entrerpreneurial community is Global Entrepreneur Week. We suggested the idea to Invest Ottawa in 2011 and again in 2012, we helped make Ottawa number one among Canadian cities for the number of activities staged. In 2012, Ottawa was named one of the top three cities in the world in marking GEW.

Paul Brent is Senior Communications Strategist with market2world communications inc. the public relations and product marketing agency for global innovators.

market2world contribution to CFRA continues a radio tradition of supporting entrepreneurs

2013-03-19T01:57:28Z

By Paul Brent

On March 16, 2013 I became a contributor to the Computer Radio Show on 580 CFRA AM radio in Ottawa. I know the program host Norman Jack from my days at the Bell Media complex in Ottawa when I worked the technology beat at CTV Ottawa. For market2world this is a continuation of a long connection with Ottawa’s technology community and entrepreneurs.

Our CEO Nathan Rudyk started up OCRIRadio.com in 2005. Nathan partnered with the Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation (OCRI) that is now known as Invest Ottawa. (and market2world did the branding and PR launch for the new organization last February).

For four years OCRIRadio was heard every month was the first social media channel in Ottawa devoted to the technology industry. Guests included local CEOs but also technology luminaries including Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer, Cisco’s John Chambers and Crossing the Chasm author Geoffrey Moore. You can listen to the OCRIRadio archives here. From 2000-2002 Nathan also served the Ottawa tech community an Internet columnist for Ottawa's CBC Radio show Ottawa Morning.

My first show on CFRA (11am Saturdays) focused on mobile phone technology including phablets, the new generation of smartphones that have larger screens and combine features of a phone and a tablet. I look forward to local entrepreneurs contacting me with their ideas of what Norman and I should discuss on the Computer Radio Show. Drop me an email, paul@market2world.com

Please click on the "Enclosure" button below to listen to an MP3 file of my interview segment.

Paul Brent is Senior Communications Strategist with market2world communications inc. the public relations and product marketing agency for global innovators.

Media steps up to make Ottawa Canada's top city for recognizing importance of entrepreneurs

2012-11-15T20:33:23Z

By Nathan Rudyk

At the mid-way point for Global Entrepreneurship Week Ottawa, we've already established the fact that Ottawa is Canada’s top city when it comes to recognizing the importance of our entrepreneurs. Not only that, #GEWOttawa has more events than cities such as Los Angeles, New York and Detroit, with 54 #GEWOttawa events across the region, nearly double the amount of last year’s first-ever entrepreneurship week in Ottawa.

While the #GEWOttawa team is working hard at getting the word out in social networks, kudos to Ottawa's mainstream media community for doing their part to make our region a welcoming place for innovators and wealth creators. What I like most about this year's coverage is the willingness of reporters, producers and editors to work with us to bring entrepreneurs into TV and radio studios or into online and print stories.

Grant Hall, CEO of Nuvvyo Inc. with Bruce Lazenby, CEO of Invest Ottawa on CTV

This not only gets people out to the fantastic #GEWOttawa events like this year's very successful Mentor Madness arranged by Invest Ottawa's Business Advisor of Entrepreneurship, Peter Stewart, but shines a valuable media spotlight on newborn entrepreneurs and products.

Kids see these stories and say "Hey, I could do that!" Parents see them and say "Hey, that CEO is my neighbour - now I can see why she's smiling so much since she went out on her own!" Policymakers and politicians feel confident about their funding decisions in support of startups and emerging companies. And overall, we create essential community can-do spirit that in turn creates more companies, more jobs, and more dynamism in Ottawa's economy.

It's working, and a huge thank-you to our media partners for stepping up!

Here's a selection of what we count today as 20 media stories on #GEWOttawa and our amazing crop of entrepreneurs, mentors, and business and policy leaders. You can get all the updates at Invest Ottawa's media page.

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CBC Radio Ottawa Morning – Mentor Madness (Nov. 12, 2012)

CBC Radio reporter Christine Maki speaks with new entrepreneurs who are getting advice at Invest Ottawa’s Mentor Madness.

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CFRA – On Target Ottawa interview with Bruce Lazenby (Nov. 13, 2012)

Bruce Lazenby spoke about Global Entrepreneurship Week with Shelley McLean.

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Bruce Lazenby on CTV Morning Live discussing #GEWOttawa

Invest Ottawa VEO Bruce Lazenby and NUYYO CEO Grant Hall dropped by CTV Morning Live to launch Global Entrepreneur Week in Ottawa. Last year, Global Entrepreneur Week in Ottawa was recognized as one of the premiere events in Canada.

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Startup Weekend helps entrepreneurs fast-track their ventures (Ottawa Citizen – Nov 10, 2012)

OTTAWA — When an Ottawa man’s wife gave birth to their first child six months ago, there was no easy to notify friends and family.

“I would love to be able to call one number, leave a voice message and it will then distribute that voice message to all my friends and family and they’ll all know what’s going down,” Kory Gorsky said.

That’s how he came up with the idea for a Preggo Pager — a website developed to deliver a personalized voice or text message to a list of people by calling just one number.

Read rest of article.

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Local entrepreneurs challenged to create start-up over a weekend (Centretown News Online – Nov 09, 2012)

Little Italy’s Invest Ottawa has provided a springboard for Centretown start-ups SageTea and Foodic.us and will soon reach hundreds more through Global Entrepreneurship Week.

GEW organizers in 125 different countries will reach out to the public until Nov. 18 and promote what they see as the biggest job creator in the world: entrepreneurship.

Invest Ottawa, a city-funded economic development organization, is leading GEW Ottawa.

Read rest of article.

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Harley Finkelstein, the Chief Platform Officer of Ottawa’s Shopify Inc., was interviewed on the CFRA Business@Nite program (Nov 08, 2012)

Harley discusses Startup Weekend, GEW Ottawa and the entrepreneurial spirt in the region. Harley calls it a renaissance in Ottawa, and says he is very bullish for startups thanks to more funding, and technology that allows new companies to get up and running much easier, faster and cheaper.

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LIVE 88.5 Interview w/Bruce Lazenby (Oct. 29, 2012)

Bruce Lazenby, Invest Ottawa CEO was a guest on the Live 88.5 morning program “StartUp” on Monday, October 29. Bruce discussed GEW Ottawa and the work of Invest Ottawa with the capital region’s start up community.

Listen now.
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(Nathan Rudyk is President and CEO with market2world communications inc., the public relations and product marketing agency for global innovators.)

Meet 3 of Invest Ottawa's Rising Star companies – Anystone Technologies, Valydate and ActiveDox

2012-11-12T18:51:51Z

By Nathan Rudyk

One of the coolest assignments market2world has had from Invest Ottawa in support of the 2012 edition of Global Entrepreneurship Week Ottawa (#GEWOttawa) is creating a series of success profiles for Rising Star companies. These profiles, funded with the help of The Ontario Network of Excellence (ONE), are in some cases the very first articulation of the amazing momentum being experienced by our region's hottest startups. (You can meet many of these Rising Stars at a #GEWOttawa Rising Star Awards event this Friday Nov. 16th).

Anystone Technologies

The words "Rising Star" certainly apply to Anystone Technologies, 360pi and ActivDox along with their respective CEOs, Tony Wacheski, Alexander Rink and Hans Downer.

Anystone's Anytune app has had nearly 100,000 iOS device downloads and is one of those apps that as a weekend guitar warrior, make me love my iPhone all over again. Wacheski says he learned to play the drums by moving the needle back-and-forth on his vinyl records to re-hear sections of 70s rock anthems. Now Anystone Technologies is poised to accelerate learning for millions of musicians with just the tap of a screen. Users can control tempo, tranpose keys and even adjust EQ to make that oh-so-awesome Alex Lifeson solo learnable by mere mortals.

Wacheski has an Ottawa telecommunications R&D pedigree that extends back more than 20 years. He says that when he was working on the concept for an earlier, related business, IT veteran Bob Huggins, now an Invest Ottawa Entrepreneur in Residence, saw potential in that company. That connection has grown into a close working relationship with Invest Ottawa.

“For companies like us that are boot-strapping and don’t have any investment yet, Invest Ottawa provides an excellent set of services and its advisory team is indispensable,” says Wacheski. “You can see that the Entrepreneurs in Residence are there because they love the entrepreneurial spirit and they love to see companies thriving.”

360pi

Launched in 2009 as Gazaro Inc., a comparison-shopping engine for consumers, the company pivoted in 2011 and re-launched as 360pi in 2012 to offer crucial price intelligence solutions strictly to retailers.

Because consumers arm themselves, at home and in-store, with price comparison and shopping tools via the Internet and on their smartphones, retailers must like-wise be prepared. 360pi’s solutions allow retailers to analyze their market position, plus identify and respond to changes in competitors’ pricing strategies.

From 2010 to 2011, the company grew revenues by a factor of 10. Revenues tripled from 2011 to 2012. Rink forecasts that revenues will nearly triple again by end of 2013. The 360pi employee head-count tripled between 2011 and 2012 and could easily grow another 50-100 per cent in 2013.

360pi's CEO Alexander Risk insists that “Not enough companies take advantage of Invest Ottawa’s market intelligence, networking events and sales seminars, which are offered on an ongoing basis.” Rink believes in 2012 Invest Ottawa upped its professionalism as a springboard for Ottawa companies aiming for successful national or international commercialization.

Kevin Carroll, Invest Ottawa’s new Managing Director of Innovation, has an expanded team devoted to getting Ottawa companies the resources they need to grow. Prior to Invest Ottawa, Carroll was a Director at the Ontario Centres of Excellence’s Centre for Commercialization of Research (CCR) and also has an entrepreneurial track record spanning more than 20 years. “It’s a big challenge to build a startup. I’m grateful for the early support from Invest Ottawa,” affirms Rink. “Kevin and his team are building a local investment and innovation ecosystem that promotes investment in startups, while at the same time building great Ottawa companies, whose founders should, in turn, invest in future startups.”

ActivDox

ActivDox manages documents via the convergence of tablet devices, wireless communications and public or private cloud computing. The current ActivDox service specifically serves the growing adoption of Apple Inc.’s iPad in the enterprise and the company maintains strong partnerships with its visionary clients, including the U.S. Government, The County of Los Angeles, two of the top television networks in the U.S., the Anderson School of Management at UCLA and CGI Group Inc.

ActivDox began in Waterloo, but to find the necessary tech talent to grow the company, the entire startup moved to Ottawa in 2012 and began working with Invest Ottawa’s business incubator.

With direction provided by Invest Ottawa, ActivDox found and hired four software developers with document management expertise. Also, in part through Invest Ottawa contacts, the company secured several funding agreements including $1,040,000 in angel investments, $165,000 of which came specifically from Ottawa Angels, the rest from groups across Ontario.

Also with help from Invest Ottawa, ActivDox is working with the federal Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) to secure further funding, and the company is raising another $960,000. When this round is completed, the company will have met its target of $2 million in total angel funding that will be matched with $1 million in Government of Canada Federal Development loans.

ActivDox CEO Hans Downer lauds Invest Ottawa Entrepreneur in Residence, Andrew Jackson, who provides his own strong background in document management having worked as a senior executive in JetForm Corp., sold to Adobe Systems Inc. in 2002. “Invest Ottawa supported ActivDox in many ways. Andrew introduced me to valuable networks and provided access to stellar market intelligence, which our team could not have located on its own,” says Downer. “With market intelligence stating iPad deployment in the financial vertical is stronger by a factor of 5 to 10 over any other market vertical, Invest Ottawa helped us refine the target market for ActivDox. Invest Ottawa offered fantastic service: in three days ActivDox received two rounds of valuable market intelligence.”

ActivDox will be available on Windows and Android tablets by 2013. According to Downer, his goal is to create a high performing, talented team — following in the footsteps of CEOs who have grown billion dollar companies. In 2013, ActivDox forecasts first year revenue to reach $1.6 million. By 2015 the company forecasts growth to $12.5 million.

Want to meet and learn about more of Ottawa's Rising Stars? Then come out and join us at this Friday's award ceremony at the SIDEDOOR Contemporary Kitchen and Bar, 20 York Street, in the Byward Market.

(Nathan Rudyk is President and CEO with market2world communications inc., the public relations and product marketing agency for global innovators.)

Do it - create a company! Global Entrepreneurship Week Ottawa Nov. 12-16 will fire you up

2012-10-24T17:28:45Z

By Nathan Rudyk

This time last year I sent an fyi email to Invest Ottawa CEO Bruce Lazenby with a subject line that read: "Global Entrepreneurship Week is Nov. 14-18/Ottawa Entrepreneur Week anyone?"

By the time I met with Bruce Nov. 1 (less than a week after email #1) to get his formal "good to go", he'd already reached out to potential partners across the city and mobilized his team to operate at faster-than-light warp speed to pull off what can only considered an entrepreneurial coup for Ottawa's business community.

This year, with an expanded name – Global Entrepreneurship Week Ottawa (GEW Ottawa) – that ties our week more strongly into the worldwide GEW movement that now spans more than 125 participating countries, Invest Ottawa is hoping to spark more than 50 learning, mentoring, networking, skills-based and celebratory events - up substantially from last year's total of 37.

And in keeping with Bruce's "embrace and extend" approach to partnership, this year's GEW Ottawa partner list is impressive, and at this writing includes: Startup Community, Hub Ottawa, The Code Factory, Shopify, Ottawa Technology Transfer Network, Startup Garage, Mercury Grove, Startup Canada, Canadian Youth Business Foundation, Exploriem, Ottawa Public LIbrary, Legacy Conference, Kanata Chamber of Commerce, Junior Achievement, Carleton University, University of Ottawa, and Le Regroupement des gens d'affaires de la Capitale nationale. More to come!

Should you attend? YES. Check out our launch party vid from last year and tell me you don't want to participate at this year's Nov. 12th launch event at Heart and Crown on Preston Street. Should you start a company if you've been harbouring the thought? Y-E-S. I've started three (sold two) and can tell you, there's no life like it.

To learn more about how you can get involved start a company, check out our press release below then bookmark the GEW Ottawa Web site where all events and when/where details will be posted over the coming weeks. Hope to see you out there!

Global Entrepreneurship Week Ottawa challenges city to unleash its next generation of wealth creators

Ottawa, ON – Oct. 24, 2012 – Ottawa needs to celebrate the dynamic risk-takers and innovators who are a key element in the shift to make Ottawa Canada’s number one city to start and grow a knowledge-based business. The city gets its opportunity to encourage and unleash even more entrepreneurs during next month’s Global Entrepreneurship Week Ottawa (GEW Ottawa).

GEW kicks off with a StartUp Weekend Nov. 9 at the offices of Shopify Inc. designed to create several new companies with dozens of entrepreneurs and mentors participating. Then throughout the week of Nov. 12-16 GEW Ottawa aims to motivate thousands of people and hundreds of companies to take the first, or the next step on their entrepreneurial journeys. Mentoring sessions, skills-building seminars, awards and networking nights are just some of an estimated 50 focused events that will take place across the city.

“We all know the old stereotype of the play-it-safe government town,” said Bruce Lazenby, CEO of Invest Ottawa. “GEW Ottawa is our week to inspire people across our city to invest in and encourage new caterers to film makers to app developers to researchers who hold the keys to solving the world’s most pressing environmental problems. Sparking these innovators to move from ‘I think I can’ to ‘I will’ start a company gives every citizen of Ottawa a more prosperous, energizing future. Ottawa has seen hundreds of new companies created in recent years, now let’s increase our velocity.”

This is the second year Invest Ottawa is taking the lead to focus attention on entrepreneurs and their key role in creating jobs. Last year’s week-long campaign was recognized by Global Entrepreneur Week as one of the most successful in Canada with more than 30 events.

This year, in partnership with nearly 20 groups in the regional, national and international entrepreneurship community, Invest Ottawa’s goal is to catalyze Chambers of Commerce, universities, colleges, incubators and business networking groups to have Ottawa recognized as the top Canadian city and one of the top 10 cities in the world during Global Entrepreneur Week, a global movement with more than 125 countries participating.

Organizations and individuals are invited to add entrepreneurship events on the official GEW Ottawa calendar at www.GEWOttawa.ca. Before 5pm on Oct. 30, the public is also invited to submit the name of an entrepreneur to qualify as one of the city’s 100 Rising Stars, To nominate a Rising Star or learn about more GEW Ottawa events, please visit www.GEWOttawa.ca. GEW Ottawa can also be followed via the Twitter account @GEWOttawa and the hashtag #GEWOttawa.

GEW Ottawa highlight events include:

Mentor Madness and Launch Party on Nov. 12. Mentor madness brings together 30 entrepreneurs and 30 mentors for two hours of sharing ideas and advice at Invest Ottawa’s headquarters. An evening launch party for GEW Ottawa follows Mentor Madness.

Legacy Conference for Gen Y Entrepreneurs on Nov. 17. This student-run conference at the National Arts Centre is for entrepreneurs between the ages of 18 and 30 to share ideas, tell stories, receive advice, learn skills, and connect with each other.

Ottawa Entrepreneurship Awards on Nov. 16. At this event, Invest Ottawa will announce the winners of the inaugural Ottawa Entrepreneurship Awards for Entrepreneurial Support, Promotion and Community Building. Also recognized will be Ottawa’s 100 Rising Stars and the Top 25 Entrepreneurs will be named. Rising Stars is an Invest Ottawa partnership with the Canadian Youth Business Foundation (CYBF) and Startup Canada to recognize exceptional entrepreneurial talent across the city.

Contacts for GEW Ottawa

Bruce Lazenby
President & CEO Invest Ottawa
Phone: 613-828-6274, ext. 267

Paul Brent
Senior Communications Strategist
market2world communications inc.
Phone: 613-256-3939

BMG's bullion-based answer to "Honey I shrunk the mutual funds, now what?"

2012-10-22T15:53:11Z

By Nathan Rudyk

"Honey, I shrunk the mutual funds, now what do we do?" It's an all-too-familiar refrain from income-seeking folks who have been driven away by negative real interest rates offered from many bond funds and are also scared of what they've seen in their equity mutual fund statements the last few years.

These cash-flow-starved investors should check out the BMG Gold Advantage Return BullionFund. This new fund's objective is to provide a secure, convenient, medium-risk alternative for investors seeking to indirectly hold gold bullion while receiving monthly cash flow from capital gains in a tax-efficient manner. The new fund invests only in Class I units of BMG Gold BullionFund, offering $0.07 per unit monthly fixed cash distributions with an underlying asset of uncompromised physical gold bullion.

"If gold repeats this performance," says Nick Barisheff, president and CEO of BMG, "investors will receive cash distributions in excess of 8% from their capital gains, while at the same time experiencing a growth in their capital."

BMG cites figures from the World Gold Council that that show that gold has delivered consistently high returns, with annualized returns of 13.45% over the past ten years and 16.21% over the past five years.

For investment portfolios overwhelmingly invested in equities and bonds, BMG Gold Advantage Return BullionFund also provides an extra layer of diversification in an asset class that is negatively correlated to traditional asset classes.

You can learn more from market2world's press release, or click here to BMG's Web site to learn more about the the BMG Gold Advantage Return BullionFund.

(Nathan Rudyk is President and CEO with market2world communications inc., the public relations and product marketing agency for global innovators.)

Homesol helps Le Belvédère reach goal to be North America's largest commercial passive house building

2012-09-27T14:17:27Z

By Nathan Rudyk

With a target of being North America’s largest commercial Passive House (Passiv Haus) building, Le Belvédère special events center is nearing completion in Wakefield, Quebec. The Certified Passive House Consultant on the ambitious sustainable building project is Homesol Building Solutions President (and market2world client) Ross Elliott. He's presenting the project case study this weekend at the seventh annual North American Passive House Conference in Denver, Colorado. Go Ross!

Brian Fewster, Le Belvédère’s visionary owner, chose to pursue Passive House certification without hesitation. He claims that for about 10 per cent more in building costs, he’ll recoup his money in 10 to12 years. If energy prices go up, his return on investment is quicker.

Passive House design represents the world’s highest energy standard for residential and commercial construction, and delivers energy cost reductions of up to 90 per cent with construction costs that are usually no more than 10 per cent higher than conventional building.Le Belvédère aims to be North America's largest commercial Passive House

With capacity for 150 dinner guests, this high-ceiling 8,000 square foot special events facility has an interior volume of 150,000 cubic feet – equivalent to a 15,000 square foot house – nearly six times larger than the average American home built in 2011. Elliott predicts Le Belvédère will have an annual electric heating bill as low as $600. Built on a challenging rock outcrop overlooking the majesty of Quebec’s Gatineau Hills, Le Belvédère’s incorporates state-of-the-art construction techniques and ultra energy-efficient mechanical systems to reach its goal of Passive House certification.

For example, the building’s entire concrete slab, footings and foundation are insulated with 12 inches of polystyrene insulation. Pre-fabricated walls, floors, interior partitions and trusses were delivered to and quickly assembled on-site, sealed airtight and fully insulated to avoid any thermal bridging. Le Belvédère has the following energy-saving features:

R100 cellulose (recycled newspaper) attic insulation, twice the 2012 building code
18 inch thick, R71 walls (insulated with rock wool)
European Passive House triple glazed wood windows
Cold weather Mitsubishi air source heat pump for heating and cooling
Custom built 2,200 cfm enthalpy recovery ventilator (ERV) with 90%+ heat recovery
Recovered heat from cooling systems recycled for hot water
LED lighting throughout, which alone will save an estimated $4,000 per year on hydro-electricity

To learn more about Le Belvédère, click here and to learn more about Homesol Building Solutions residential energy design services, click here.

(Nathan Rudyk is President and CEO with market2world communications inc., the public relations and product marketing agency for global innovators.)

Canada's Avro Arrow in a coming of age scenario via endorsement of Major General Lewis MacKenzie

2012-09-10T15:50:46Z

By Nathan RudykPhoto from the Canadian Department of National Defence

We admittedly have a soft spot for globally competitive innovation – that's what the market2world team is devoted to promoting on behalf of our clients. In this instance, we have no interest in the outcome, but wish retired Major General Lewis MacKenzie and his associates well in their quest to revive the design of Canada's storied Avro Arrow to create a new military jet to defend our borders.

Technologies that "come of age" are nothing new. From voice recognition to virtual reality to photo voltaics to stem cells, it's not uncommon for decades to pass before core technologies are economically feasible to enable promising initial inventions or designs.

In the case of the Avro Arrow, the plane was lauded as decades before its time in the 1950s, before being unceremoniously destroyed in 1959 (versus shelved - with bizarre government orders for the destruction of all visible evidence that the aircraft existed).

As reported today on iPoltics.ca, according to MacKenzie, the Arrow’s basic design and platform still exceed any current fighter jet and is perfect for Canada’s needs, and thus may have indeed come of age:

“It’s an attack aircraft. It’s designed for attacking ground targets and its stealth is most effective against short range radar, protecting ground targets,” MacKenzie said.

“What we need in Canada is something that can go to the edge of our airspace, from a sovereignty point of view, and be able to catch up with intruders.”

The plan to build an updated Arrow in Canada instead of buying into an international deal for a fleet of F-35s was originally put before the Harper Conservatives in 2010 by a company called Bourdeau Industries, which has offices in the U.K. and Canada.

The proposal, which was updated in 2012, suggested the plane could fly 20,000 feet higher than the F-35, soar twice as fast and would cost less.

For example, the proposal said that the total cost of the Arrow program would be $11.73 billion, compared to the $16 billion the federal government says the F-35 program will cost.

... The Arrow project would also create a made-in-Canada plane and an industry that would add thousands of jobs and billions of dollars to the Canadian economy, the proposal’s author wrote.

It's a fascinating proposition that would replace a politically crash-prone F-35 fighter jet project with a made-in-Canada renaissance initiative able to fire imaginations and national pride, not to mention high-skill jobs and follow-on industrial growth when and where we need it most (Ontario and Quebec's manufacturing heartlands).

It's also fascinating that despite the politcally-motivated destruction of the Arrow program in the 1950s, Canada's aerospace and defense industry is still thriving with global success stories like Bombardier jets and Héroux-Devtek landing systems. Last week Bombardier Aerospace also announced that it delivered a Global 6000 aircraft to the US Air Force – the fourth Bombardier Global aircraft to be added to the existing US Air Force inventory.

Reviving the Arrow would be a bold, imaginative stroke for the current Canadian federal government, and remove the dark stain of a tragic industrial policy decision from the past.

(Nathan Rudyk is President and CEO with market2world communications inc., the public relations and product marketing agency for global innovators.)

Major gaming studios attracted to Ontario Technology Corridor

2012-08-15T17:26:11Z

By Nathan Rudyk

The economic development team from across the Ontario Technology Corridor is "game on" in Germany this week on behalf of regions and cities from Toronto, Ottawa, Waterloo, London and Niagara along with reps from the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation.

Major gaming studios including Arkadium, Capcom, Electronic Arts, Gameloft, Rockstar Games, Ubisoft, and Zynga have already set up shop in Ontario. They're joined by home-grown success stories including Christie Digital, Digital Extremes, Keyframe Digital Productions, Nulayer and RocketOwl. What's the draw for gaming companies setting up studios in Canada's largest province?

In a post on Arkadium’s Inside Access site on Facebook, Director of Operations Daniel Sennet states that his New York-based company’s decision to locate a major studio in Ontario “wasn't just because everyone there is nice and says ‘please’ and ‘thank you.’ It also wasn't because hockey is clearly the best sport in the world. It was mainly because as a company, we were looking for an educated, skilled and motivated workforce. We were also looking to open an office in a welcoming city – and by welcoming, I mean one that extends business opportunities to you including significant tax incentives. When we thought about how few cultural or language barriers there are and that we can walk to the office from the airport … it was a clear no-brainer.”

And what's the draw for Ontario? From a 2011 article by David Malmborg in Techvibes entitled What Gaming Means to the Canadian Economy:

The gaming industry provides high-quality, high paying jobs that on average pay $40,000 to $73,000 annually.

In addition to those developing, selling and marketing video games at video game companies there are other jobs needed for things like artwork, animation, IT support, motion capture and quality assurance and testing.

... The industry remains concentrated around traditional console game development and publishing with 68% of all employees working on these types of games. This is changing because the share of the development of other types of platforms, for example social gaming and mobile gaming.

Besides social and mobile gaming increasing, cloud-based games ranging from vast immersive worlds with thousands of other players are also on the rise.

Canada plays a major role in the gaming industry in terms of amount of activity, talent and resources. It’s not only the video gaming companies themselves that make up the industry it’s also the other creative services like artwork, animation which all contribute to the total economic impact.

With an 11% increase over the past two years and an expected 17% of growth over the next two years, Canada [and especially Ontario] will continue to play a more significant role in the global gaming industry.

You can read more about those targeted digital media/gaming-focused tax incentives by clicking on the link above or reading our press release (in English here, and in German here). You can also follow the news and progress of the Ontario Technology Corridor on the Corridor's news page.

The Ontario Technology Corridor is supported by market2world clients at the Greater Toronto Marketing Alliance (GTMA), Invest Ottawa, Canada’s Technology Triangle, the London Economic Development Corporation and Niagara Economic Development.

(Nathan Rudyk is President and CEO with market2world communications inc., the public relations and product marketing agency for global innovators.)