Media Release

Five Canadian tech firms chosen to pitch urban-transportation solutions

Communitech-led Fast Track Cities connects founders with municipalities

KITCHENER, ONT., November 16, 2023 — The Communitech-led Fast Track Cities collaborative has identified five Canadian tech firms with solutions to tackle transportation and supply chain challenges. 

"Working with our founders and partners to surface innovative Canadian solutions to critical challenges has been truly inspiring,” said Joel Semeniuk, Chief Strategy Officer at Communitech. “The solutions proposed by these five exceptional companies not only align with our goal to enhance urban accessibility but also exemplify the power of technology to transform our cities for the better.”

The Fast Track Cities collaborative issued a nationwide call in September for digital solutions focused on:

  • Tools and technology to extend Vision Zero measures beyond the three Es – Engineering, Education and Enforcement.
  • Develop alternatives to using personal motor vehicles as the major mode of transportation.
  • Introduce solutions that make our urban centres more productive, safe and accessible at the curbside.

After careful deliberation with transportation and innovation experts from Ontario municipalities, industry partners and Communitech staff, the Fast Track Cities collaborative has selected five companies to pitch their tech-enabled solutions to a panel of judges and a live audience. The panel will then choose one company to receive $25,000. 

Presenting companies include:

RideShark: RideShark’s Unified Mobility platform promotes sustainable transportation by offering multimodal trip planning, carpool matching, incentives and more, to reduce solo car use. 

Vite Biz: Vite HR aims to improve driver training with gamified rewards, utilizing AI for personalized modules on safety and pre-training modules for drivers. These modules encompass a wide range of topics, including safety protocols. 

Monerus: The Monerus IRIS – a rooftop lightbar for law-enforcement vehicles – includes a 180-degree AI camera that detects distant objects and faces, boosting situational awareness. The camera connects to networks and the cloud for real-time decisions, ensuring proactive policing and increased safety.

Automatic Window Opening Systems (AWOS) Technologies: The AWOS vehicle-escape system helps ensure passenger safety through automatic window lowering, exit instructions and emergency service connectivity, addressing the issue of entrapment when a vehicle is submerged in water.

Loop Parking: Loop ParkSense+ is a real-time, AI-based curbside vehicle detection system that optimizes parking management, minimizes congestion, addresses parking violations and reduces search time, contributing to urban safety.

These five companies will receive support from a growth coach in preparation for their pitch at the Fast Track Cities Transportation Solutions Showcase, a virtual event taking place Wednesday, Nov. 29, from 10-11:30 a.m. EST. Selected companies will get invaluable exposure to the transportation industry and municipalities, and have been awarded a free Communitech membership. 

To join us for the virtual showcase, register here.

This program is supported by partners with the Ontario Government, EY, TD Bank, the Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI) and the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN). 

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For media inquiries, please contact:

Kevin Crowley
Director, Communications and Editorial
kevin.crowley@communitech.ca

About Communitech

Communitech was founded in 1997 by a group of entrepreneurs committed to making Waterloo Region a global innovation leader. At the time it was just a wild idea, but somehow this community managed to pull it off. Today, Communitech is a public-private innovation hub that supports a community of more than 1,600 companies — from startups to scale-ups to large global players.

Communitech helps tech companies start, grow and succeed in three distinct ways.

  • Communitech is a place – the centre of gravity for entrepreneurs and innovators. A clubhouse for building cool tech and great companies.
  • Communitech delivers programs – helping companies at all stages with access to capital, customers and talent. We are here to help them grow and innovate.
  • Communitech partners in building a world-leading ecosystem – making sure we have all the ingredients (and the brand) to help companies go from a small startup to a global giant.