Startup ‘Eyes’ Healthier Displays [Portfolio]

Display technology shouldn’t be left to engineers.

That’s what’s driving a Montreal-based startup to develop eye-friendly technology for smartphones, automotive dashboards and virtual reality headsets. The genesis of IRYStec goes back to 2013, when Tara Akhavan, a second-year PhD student attending the Vienna University of Technology, was presenting at a conference around high dynamic range (HDR), where her work caught the eye who would be the company’s first investor, Montreal-based TandemLaunch. Read my full article on EE Times.

Waterloo media startup snags Vice Canada CRO [Portfolio]

The trend toward having a Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) is growing, and Waterloo, Ont.-based Sortable has just hired its first by luring a media veteran from Vice Canada.

CROs are essentially responsible for all revenue-generating processes in the organization, said Ryan Fuss, Sortable’s latest employee, and it’s a role that’s become increasingly common in Silicon Valley. Traditionally, revenue generation has been fragmented throughout business units, he said, and there was a need to have a C-level executive overseeing all revenue generation. This includes sales and marketing, and enables a company to fully align to create cohesive plans. “It’s definitely an emerging trend.”

Read my full story on ITBusiness.ca.

‘Fourth revolution’ driving Thomson Reuters’ upcoming tech centre, VP says [Portfolio]

Thomson Reuters earned a lot of buzz two months ago after announcing that it would create 1,500 jobs as part of a new technology centre in Toronto. But while that initiative is still taking shape, it’s actually part of broader strategy that includes a network of labs around the world, including existing facilities in Canada.

For example, the Canadian media/financial and legal information giant already has a lab in Waterloo, started more than two years ago, which Mona Vernon, the vice-president of Thomson Reuters Labs, said it’s part of the company’s strategy of associating itself with innovative ecosystems. In the case of Waterloo, that includes connecting with Communitech as well as local startups, while its data scientists leverage the technology corridor connecting that region to Toronto.

Read my full article on ITBusiness.ca.