Startup Series - Jon French, Next Canada

Startup activity is critical to any technology or innovation ecosystem. Startups are often where the most disruptive ideas are hatched - ideas that impact industries and push the incumbent tech giants to stay on their toes and continuously innovate. Startups are also a key outlet for commercializing AI-related research that for too many years has been locked inside our institutions or spread across a small number of dominant private companies. New AI ventures set their own culture and can put a stake in the ground from the start on critical topics related to privacy or ethics.

NextAI startups are global, and they come to Toronto or Montreal to build their businesses, with access to funding, mentorship and some of the world’s top researchers and business leaders. Here is a sample of some of the NEXT Canada / NextAI startups that are harnessing AI for good:

Company: AgriLogic

Industry: Agriculture

Where They’re Based: Toronto

AgriLogicAI develops and commercializes artificial intelligence and machine learning tools that help Canadian farmers optimize decision making and reduce operational risks. Their analytic software relies on image analysis and genomics as ‘inputs’ of soil, climate, and plant health. These factors are used to train statistical models to predict farm or greenhouse ‘outputs’.

AgriLogicAI will also be presenting at the Deep Learning Summit, Toronto, make sure to be there to hear more.

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Company: CSTS Health Care

Industry: Healthcare

Where They’re Based: Toronto

CSTS Health Care Inc are focused on combining artificial intelligence technologies with computational and systems biology techniques to enhance and enrich cognitively demanding activities across healthcare. Their insights can drive novel drug discovery and can predict when patients are likely to respond to known or new drugs, and when worse outcomes are expected.

Company: DestinAI

Industry: Government & Policy

Where They’re Based: Toronto

Destin is the first comprehensive and unique Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered integrated platform and chatbot solution. Its purpose is to create a pleasant experience for everyone on their new journey to Canada. Destin closes the gap between the lawyers and immigrants and access to information in an unbiased, affordable and convenient way.

Company: Intuitive

Industry: Sustainability

Where They’re Based: Vancouver

At Intuitive, they have developed an intelligent recognition system by combining the technologies of computer vision, machine learning and cutting-edge robotics, and applied it to waste bins. This facilitates efficient waste sorting by identifying items at the point of disposal. With the intelligent bins placed across heavy waste generating areas such as airports, malls and universities, Intuitive will be the worldʼs first point of disposal recognition system generating real-time customer insights and key brand consumption analytics.

Company: Crescendo

Industry: Human Resources

Where They’re Based: Toronto

Crescendo is modernizing unconscious bias training. Their technology analyzes workplace communication channels to identify unconscious bias and then delivers empathy-based education, personalized to each employee. Crescendo is utilizing machine learning and natural language processing to create a more inclusive workplace.

NextAI will be at the Deep Learning Summit in Toronto, make sure to sign up to chat to the team about their exciting program.

This will be a continuous feature on our blog from now on! If you would like to share the startups you think we should be watching out for, contact Eunice eunice@re-work.co to join the series!