2010 Start-ups to Watch
This is the fifth year at for TheCodeFactory Start-ups to watch. Previous years choices will be posted next Monday.
There are two conflicting messages that are often heard, which one you hear depends on if you are an investor or a start-up. “All of the good start-ups will get funded” is what you tend to hear from investors. “There is a real shortage of funding” is what you tend to hear from many start-ups. The truth probably lies somewhere in the middle.
Bottom line is that good investors fund teams not ideas anyway. Ideas change and morph as start-ups pivot and work toward refining customer development and business model. I don’t think any start-up I know ended up where they started out, in terms of idea.
On that note of funding teams let’s start to unveil this year’s “Start-ups to Watch 2010”.
These choices are in alphabetical order.
Select Start Studios; Tariq, Adam and the rest of the team make an excellent combination of business and technical skills. If I understand correctly they also have some excellent advisors that help with those inexperience blind spots. A strong team that is gaining tons of experience in a growing market space certainly a start-up to watch in the next five years.
YOUi Labs under the lead of Jason Flick is the most mature start-up in the mix this year. They have already accumulated numerous awards (too many to mention) and landed funding from the Ontario Centre of Excellence Investment Accelerator Fund, definitely no small feat. YOUi Labs is quickly moving into that high growth phase of start-up development. I really like the market space that they are in, their team and future prospects.
Zeebu Mobile: What can I say these guys rock and have I known them since they were just a sparkle in the eye of the Lead to Wins application process. Dan and Anthony make a great founding team, they have a strong advisory board and Chris Saunders makes an awesome early employee. I see them almost every day and have been impressed at their progress in the past year, very likely they will be one of TheCodeFactory first graduates.
Wishing everyone much success in the year ahead.
Ian Graham
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I’m a big fan of Select Start. Adam and Tariq are awesome guys.
My bias says to keep an eye out for Soshal Group, too, but maybe that’s a conversation for another day
Good luck to everyone on this list. Let’s keep Ottawa buzzin!
Good list, Ian – nice work, Adam, Tariq and Jason! I have not met the guys at Zeebu, but was impressed with their demo at the App Showcase. Congrats to all!