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Business: Gordon Wood Optical          Industry: Retail Trade           Owner: Kam Tung Ip                  

Located In: Richmond Hill, ON             Employees: 3 (including 2 registered opticians)

Sponsoring Business Organization: Richmond Hill Small Business Enterprise Centre (SBEC)

Academic Partner: OCAD U

Gordon Wood Optical is listed as a health care provider, offering both optical services and eyewear products. The business fulfils almost all of its operations in their store, where they perform eye exams, frame adjustments and repairs, and sell a diverse, unique collection of eyewear products. Kam has aspirations to expand her clientele, target more new families and households, expand to multiple locations and eventually to introduce her own line of eyewear products.

Challenges: The business is experiencing a loss of customer loyalty, due to multiple factors: access to cheaper alternatives and cost restrictions, an excess of competition, alternatives with more convenient locations. Kam feels that budgeting and investment strategies are also a challenge for the business – prioritizing the order and degree to which investments are made.

Opportunities: Kam has indicated that there is a large amount of housing development in Richmond Hill, which may present opportunities for an influx of target customers and clientele. Kam has indicated that content creation and online marketing could be a full-time job on its own, and it would be ideal for her to hire someone for this role.

Industry: Food

Owner: Shifa Begmohamed

Located In: Richmond Hill, ON 

Employees: 1

Sponsoring Business Organization: Richmond Hill Small Business Enterprise Centre (SBEC) 

Academic Partner: OCAD U 

Description:

Dear Snackers is a socially- and sustainably-conscious snack food company. They offer a line of nutritious and delicious easy-snacking puffs called makhana, also known as popped water lily seeds. Their three distinct flavours – Golden Turmeric, Sweet + Salty, and BBQ – can be found on the dearsnackers.com website, e-commerce platforms such as well.ca and amazon.ca, as well as in Ontario retail stores.

Dear Snackers products are cultivated with compassion. Partnering directly with farmers in Bihar, India, Shifa supports sustainable food systems and traditional agriculture, in turn stimulating the economies of both her native and adopted lands.

Challenges: 

The brand aspires for her products to be synonymous with health foods. Her vision is for Dear Snackers to have a strong presence in big box retailers such as Walmart, Costco, Shoppers Drug Mart, etc., and ultimately aspires to expand into the US market.

Opportunities: 

Dear Snackers has a unique opportunity to be one of the first in the makhana snack food space. Shifa acknowledges that makhana is an ingredient less commonly known to North American consumers, and that an important part of her success will come from an innovative approach to educating the market on its many benefits. Shifa would like to be able to build or have access to a marketing team, brand managers, and designers who can help her succeed and realize her vision.

Insights:  

Shifa could benefit profoundly from direct business support to develop effective and resilient solutions and strategies. As a whole, she would like to focus on creating a holistic and powerful business model, execution plan, and marketing strategy. Specifically, capital support or human talent would elevate Dear Snackers significantly in building the brand both online and offline.

Business: Nerpys

Industry: Food

Owner: Michael Burgess

Located In: Richmond Hill, ON 

Employees: 1

Sponsoring Business Organization: Richmond Hill Small Business Enterprise Centre (SBEC) 

Academic Partner: OCAD U 

Description:

Nerpys is an award winning line of delicious and flavourful hot sauces, seasoning rubs, and marinades which provide his customers with a unique culinary experience. Nerpys offers a variety of hot pepper sauces, jerk seasoning, curry marinade, BBQ sauce, as well as scotch bonnet pepper seeds and flakes – a highly flavourful pepper, and a staple in Jamaican cuisine. Nerpys has also introduced coffee to their brand, and has goals to expand into this industry. The products are made from all natural ingredient products can be found through their websitenerpys.ca, and in a wide variety of retail stores across Ontario.

Challenges: 

Nerpys was founded from a passion for a “good plate of food”. Michael recognized a gap in available products in Canada that brought justice to the Jamaican food palette. In 2009, he began innovating recipes, committed to realizing his vision. Michael continues innovating towards his aspirations to increase presence online and in store, reaching consumers globally.

The following are some particular challenge areas: 

●  Not being able to incorporate a big scale distribution channel.

●  Unable to get into bigger online platforms like Amazon.

●  Risk of not acquiring new customers due to lack of events and interaction.

●  Risk of losing retail partners because of insufficiency of sales representatives.

●  Losing onlines sales due to shipping process and cost.

Opportunities: 

Nerpys recognizes an opportunity in the market – there is a vibrant and growing demand for great tasting, spicy food among todays diverse communities.

There are currently no employees, the owner is in charge of R&D and distribution. There are occasional part times and volunteers for farmers markets and events. Production is outsourced.

Insights:  

There is room to improve the branding and marketing strategy, and develop strategy and branding for launching new products. Sales and distribution team could use more support. Nerpys could benefit from human resources in the sales department to expand to Ontario and outside the province.

Support is needed from a creative team to manage new content and social media exposure.

Nerpys could benefit from capital for advertising.

Industry: Healthcare

Owner: Walid Mowaswes

Located In: Richmond Hill, ON 

Employees: 10

Sponsoring Business Organization: Richmond Hill Small Business Enterprise Centre (SBEC) 

Academic Partner: OCAD U  

Description:

Pharma Guide offers software modules and services to help pharmacy owners and pharmacists be efficient and compliant with regulatory standards. Their goal is to support pharmacies in the journey to becoming digitally driven, and optimize patient outcomes.

Challenges: 

Ensuring they are up-to-date with regulatory standards. 

Opportunities: 

Opportunities to use machine learning to help pharmacists determine supply chain and inventory shortages more proactively, allowing them to find alternative medications for patients earlier.

Insights:  

Bridging the gap between physician and pharmacist allows physicians to understand medication adherence. Human-centered design is important for gaining critical feedback and test-driving the software.

Industry: Health

Owner: Mike Manserra

Located In: Richmond Hill, ON 

Employees: 2

Sponsoring Business Organization: Richmond Hill Small Business Enterprise Centre (SBEC) 

Academic Partner: OCAD U 

Description:

HearBliss offers high quality noise canceling earplugs that are customized to fit womens ear canal. The business was inspired by their personal struggle for finding the right earplug as a woman and they envision to create hearing related products that are inclusive in nature for people with disabilities as well. They want to create a full slate of products that are related to hearing for various activities like swimming, music, etc.

Challenges: 

The business is losing out on existing customers and money in freight charges due to Covid.

Opportunities: 

They can focus on customers with disabilities to develop better and inclusive products. For Mike, outreach is an obstacle but he indicated that social media platforms and influencers can become a great source for marketing the product.

Insights:  

HearBliss could benefit from R&D for a new product, repository of marketing resources, better integration with local manufacturers. Product Design researchers can surely help Mike out with R&D, better marketing strategists or softwares or training can guide him in 360 branding.

Maybe higher tax refunds can be an incentive for local manufacturers to team up with local businesses.

Industry: Appliances

Owner: Paul Reeves

Located In: Richmond Hill, ON 

Employees: 1

Sponsoring Business Organization: Richmond Hill Small Business Enterprise Centre (SBEC) 

Academic Partner: OCAD U  

Description:

Refresh Fans produces high-quality HVLS (high-volume, low speed) fans for industrial, agricultural, and manufacturing settings.

Challenges: 

To grow the infusion of high-quality HLVS fans in workspaces throughout the country, which improves the quality of life of workers, animals, and offers improved energy efficiency and sustainability. Balancing the budget long-term. bringing more manufacturing operations into southern Ontario, and growing the business into new markets such as restaurants. 

Opportunities: 

There is a severe financial situation. The Pandemic, and the ineligibility for government assistance put refresh fans in a difficult position since many of their major clients (manufacturers + suppliers) had to shut down intermittently due to the pandemic. Continuing to access the “wealth of talent” in the GTA to bring manufacturing operations into Ontario, and grow their business through an expected increase in the number of warehouse operations.

Insights:  

Marketing. How to spread awareness and education about the benefits of HSLV fans to a broader audience. Establishing a brand identity. Paul would be able to re-hire many employees that had to be let go due to the pandemic. He also indicated a desire to bring all manufacturing operations into Ontario.

Industry: Art

Owner: Julia Wehkamp and Amanda Dunn

Located In: Richmond Hill, ON 

Employees: 4

Sponsoring Business Organization: Richmond Hill Small Business Enterprise Centre (SBEC) 

Academic Partner: OCAD U  

Description:

One Art Nation provides high-quality resources and programs to educate people on the process of buying and selling art. Their resources apply to all, including first time buyers, those with established collections, or professional advisors.

Challenges: 

The business was created to empower and captivate collectors and professionals by providing high-quality online art education through art experts around the world.​ Their aspirations are to become recognized as the “go to” resource for all aspects of art collecting. Their service relies on their network of industry experts for content, so One Art Nation is looking to support their current experts while expanding their network to new experts.

Opportunities: 

COVID-19 has disrupted networking and exposure generally gained through in-person art fairs and events, and has led to many experiencing online fatigue.

Additionally, Julia and Amanda feel they are facing obstacles in getting out of the start up phase. They have a small team, meaning they each have to take on many roles and positions.

Establishing more local partnerships and relationships may present opportunities to expand the business, especially in the Canadian market. Opportunities identified by One Art Nation are increasing digital marketing and content creation, as well as reach through enhanced partnerships and online presence. 

Insights:  

They could benefit from SEO/SEM expertise, since they rely heavily on search engines for customer acquisition. Capital would help Julia and Amanda to set up SEO and the type of automated tech they envision for their site. They would benefit as well from business mentors, which they do not currently have but have had in the past.

Industry: Business Management

Owner: Matt Foran & Vanessa Dunn

Located In: Richmond Hill, ON 

Employees: 11

Sponsoring Business Organization: Richmond Hill Small Business Enterprise Centre (SBEC) 

Academic Partner: OCAD U 

Description:

SaaS Workforce management tool that assesses employees in a business and recommends appropriate up-skilling areas.

Challenges: 

The business aims to create a comprehensive assessment tool for employees to recognise their potential and have transferable skill sets for their future. They aspire to be the pioneer in the measure of Adaptability Quotion (AQ) in the industry. They want to spread their business in international markets. They are struggling to validate the product and acquire new clients because they are in a pre-revenue phase. Due to covid, a lot of companies are looking to create areas of transformation. 

Opportunities: 

Workforce assessment tools are going to be the future of changing organizational roles. The upcoming launch in spring is their opportunity to showcase their work.

Insights:  

They need financial capital. Better UX/UI of their product. Need to spread the word about their business through marketing. UX/UI designers can help them build better products as well as websites. The government grants and BIA affiliation can help them do more R&D and keep the company afloat. An appropriate marketing plan and channel for reaching new customers.

Industry: Business Management

Owner: Matt Foran & Vanessa Dunn

Located In: Richmond Hill, ON 

Employees: 2-10

Sponsoring Business Organization: Richmond Hill Small Business Enterprise Centre (SBEC) 

Academic Partner: OCAD U 

Description:

They provide eLearning services for academic institutes as well as corporate organizations. Simple Movement aims to develop custom eCourses or build upon existing in-class experiences for academic setting. They are also working to customize a Learning Management System (LMS) and training the staff and management for navigation and maintenance in a corporate setting.

Challenges: 

They are trying to expand their client based Canada wide as well as international as compared to current which is dominated by clients only based in Ontario. They also want to create and design a service which can be sold or subscribed by their customers. They are trying to grow their business in terms of bringing new customers on board and they aspire to keep adding new services to expand their reach to potential clients.

Opportunities: 

Expanding their business and reaching out more clients is the biggest barrier. Another area that they struggle with is no feedback from their clients which could help them for future projects. Lack of capital to invest in marketing strategies and hiring permanent staff.

Conferences were a good opportunity to reach out to new potential clients but it has stopped due to the pandemic. Currently in the process of hiring 2 permanent staff members which would help them to distribute work and focus on brining more clients.

Insights:  

Capital and a strategy to expand and reach out to more potential clients would help Vanessa the most. Permanent staff and eLearning accessibility department to design, manage and plan their projects. Access to more cliental network would help, as well as more collaboration with colleges/universities.

Industry: Management

Owner: Bob Wiele

Located In: Richmond Hill, ON 

Employees: 2-50

Sponsoring Business Organization: Richmond Hill Small Business Enterprise Centre (SBEC) 

Academic Partner: OCAD U 

Description:

They offer the only all-in-one psychometric, team building tool, and application framework out there.

They help teams speak the same “language” and understand why certain team members may be better suited to different tasks, as well as how to improve team dynamics and efficiency. 

Challenges: 

One Smart Worlds mission is to lower communication barriers and unify teams in an effort to boost productivity and drive positive business outcomes. To merge the existing methodologies of the business into a tech, educational or publishing company — thus expanding the reach of their unique value proposition.

Opportunities: 

Access to capital for scaling and expanding the current business offering. Opportunities for industry-wide adoption exist, on par with Myers Briggs and other widely adopted scales of communication and measurement. Introducing channel partners such as educational institutions who would be ideally suited for volume-licensing opportunities.

Insights:  

Access to labour and financial resources. Injections of capital would be leveraged for further digitization of the current methods and materials, which would in turn allow for easier distribution and dissemination, thus driving growth.

Industry: Creative

Owner: Daniel Tika (COO) & Shavae Foote (CEO)

Located In: Richmond Hill, ON 

Employees: 

Sponsoring Business Organization: Richmond Hill Small Business Enterprise Centre (SBEC) 

Academic Partner: OCAD U 

Description:

Sequence 21 produces high quality media productions and customizable films.

Challenges: 

Produce media for customers, taking in consideration their creative ideas while providing opportunities for young film enthusiasts who are just starting their careers. To establish a studio place to make in house productions. Expand their customer and industry professionals network. Grow their training and education program to help young filmmakers enter the film industry. 

Opportunities: 

The biggest barrier the business faces is its high start-up cost and the lack of financial and personnel resources. Expand their customer portfolio through partnerships with small businesses. Focus on content retainers as a way to increase ongoing revenue.

Insights:  

Financial support to acquire more assets and a physical location. Opportunity to expand their network inside the industry. A strategic design team may help them to reach a higher audience through specific marketing strategies and, therefore, increase their clientele. More revenue would allow the acquisition of assets and personnel which, in return, would lead to a higher offering of services.

Industry: Management

Owner: Aneela Zaib

Located In: Richmond Hill, ON 

Employees: 40

Sponsoring Business Organization: Richmond Hill Small Business Enterprise Centre (SBEC) 

Academic Partner: OCAD U 

Description:

emergiTEL is a Canadian Recruiting, Managed Services, and HR Solutions company. They service enterprise, small businesses, start-ups, and a portfolio of different accounts based on permanent or temporary contracts, all across Canada.

Challenges: 

emergiTELs vision is to be the leader in innovative recruitment and HR Solutions across all industries. Applying a human-centred approach, they take pride to establish and maintain their position as a partner to their clients and candidates. For their clients, their mission is to leverage the expertise of emergiTEL for the benefit of client productivity. Their mission to their candidates is to facilitate their career growth and satisfaction. Aneela aspires to expand to new markets and be a leader in the recruitment and HR Solutions space. In the short term, she would like to become the go-to business in this space across Canada, and in the long term, globally. She has personal aspirations to become an expert in this field and become self-published.

Opportunities: 

COVID-19 has been a barrier to in-person meetings, which has been a challenge to maintain their personal and human-centred approach. To stay competitive, Aneela also feels they must increase automation in order to compete with larger agencies, without compromising on their human-centred value.

emergiTEL would like to improve their rating and reviews on Glassdoor. There is an opportunity here for investigating the internal organizational environment, and innovating within company culture and leadership. There are opportunities within globalization and remote work for their internal operations – they have implemented a hybrid work environment and Aneela plans to continue evolving and adapting. Another opportunity identified is the great resignation. Their dedication to candidate career satisfaction could be a great fit between market need and their value proposition. Along these lines, their Talent Care department and focus is a component of their business that Aneela has identified as a competitive advantage/differentiator.

Insights:  

Aneela has indicated that marketing is a major opportunity area for emergiTEL in order to increase their online presence and customer awareness, to ultimately realize her vision. She has recently contracted marketing professionals to help close some of the gaps they are experiencing, but may need more support in terms of a marketing strategy which includes short and long term planning.

Aneela also indicated that grants and government-led programs would benefit her business to facilitate international expansion. Capital would allow emergiTEL to invest more meaningfully in a marketing agency or staff to develop a robust marketing strategy. It may also allow them to automate aspects of their operations (i.e., creating resumes/profiles that “match” candidates/roles based on key words). They may need the support of an internal organizational culture audit and change initiatives to improve their own employee satisfaction.

Industry: Manufacturing

Owner: Peter Lau

Located In: Richmond Hill, ON 

Employees: 2

Sponsoring Business Organization: Richmond Hill Small Business Enterprise Centre (SBEC) 

Academic Partner: OCAD U 

Description:

Maker Wiz leverages creativity and technology to inspire a new generation of creators. The business offers an integrated approach to 3D printing including lessons, boot camps, equipment and supply sales and service.

Challenges: 

The owner has a background in education and is a steadfast believer that teaching kids how to use technology for expression is a necessity for their well being and future employment prospects. This business owner aspires to expand access to 3D printing technologies to children whether through opening additional locations, collaborating with others on an accessible maker space or directly leasing equipment to schools and institutions. 

Opportunities: 

Access to capital combined with high costs of commercial rents. Expanding the domestic commercial prototyping and 3D printing on demand side of the business, given increased logistics costs and trade tensions.

Insights:  

Access to capital and market research assistance. Increased collaboration with local schools and community outreach programs in addition to infusions of capital would allow this business to make 3D printing more accessible to underserved communities.

Industry: Manufacturing

Owner: Andy Wu

Located In: Richmond Hill, ON 

Employees: 2

Sponsoring Business Organization: Richmond Hill Small Business Enterprise Centre (SBEC) 

Academic Partner: OCAD U 

Description:

They design, manufacture, distribute and retail a premium line of high quality dash-cams for consumer and commercial markets.

Challenges: 

Insurance fault determination can have lasting impacts on insurance premiums. To protect financial interests of its customers, RSC Labs products deliver reliability and assurance. RSC Labs aspires to be the Canadian leader in the dash-cam space, a premium alternative to low quality dash-cams that are currently sold.

Opportunities: 

The fluctuations in the exchange rate have serious impacts on RSC Labs margins. Increasing logistics costs have also created a serious impact on its profitability. Focusing on direct to consumer sales rather than relying on third-party retailers for sales.

Insights:  

Assistance with forming partnerships with insurance companies, incentivising the use of dash-cams through premium discounts. Assistance with accelerating a direct-to-consumer business, improving terms with big box retailers and lastly, protection from currency fluctuations.

Industry: Public Administration, Urban Studies 

Located In: Toronto 

Sponsoring Business Organization: City of Toronto  

Academic Partner: University of Toronto 

Description: 

Technology has dramatically increased our ability to collect data, especially using sensor devices and the internet. The City collects the public’s data through the delivery of City services. As technology is increasingly used to deliver City services, our collection and management of information will continue to grow. We understand how important this information is and have a privacy program in place to review how and when we collect, manage, use, and protect it. The increasing use of digital infrastructure allows the City to generate, collect, receive, catalogue, process and share lots of data, all of which is of high value. 

Data is a valuable asset to the public. It’s also key to making decisions more democratically, promoting innovation, achieving improvements to public services, and empowering residents. 

How can the data that is being collected by the City be used, managed and shared in an innovative way that benefits the community, leads to improved decision-making, and ensures trust in government? 

Industry: Urban Planning, Economics

Located In: Toronto

Sponsoring Business Organization: City of Toronto 

Academic Partner: University of Toronto

Description:

Creative spaces need to be seen as a public asset and a public good. Cultural infrastructure which allows public participation in dance, theatre, music, visual arts, and media arts, and also provides stability to not-for-profit organizations and for-profit creative entrepreneurs (craft studios, fashion design, graphic design, book publishing, music production, etc.) is essential to a vibrant city. We are increasingly facing a major space crisis. How can we make the argument that investing in cultural spaces – as we do public libraries and public swimming pools – is of public benefit to all communities.

The City of Toronto, along with cities across Canada and the world, are grappling with the transformation that may occur as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many of the emerging trends are likely to continue past the COVID-19 era and likely to transform organizations, employees, workplace and their surroundings. Depending on the permanence of some of the changes we are seeing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are possible, probable and preferable futures over the next three to five years.

This research project will identify key trends and alternative scenarios that may impact and disrupt the Toronto to facilitate strategic conversations about potential interventions that may be needed related to employment, skills, sectors, and development.

Innovation Challenge Summary:

Developing a method for Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) to eliminate refrigerant-based air conditioning and dehumidification, which can reduce energy demand of these energy-intensive operations by up to 30%.

Expected Outcome:

Through Thermal Management, this innovation challenge could enable Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) year-round food production facilities in Far North rural and remote communities, especially Indigenous communities, achieve financially sustainable and feasible operations without substantial public funding to wipe away debt servicing. This would be a substantial boon to food security projects across the country. 

Website: https://agritech-north.ca/

Innovation Challenge Summary:

Bumpy Roads Studio aims to create safe, vitrified ceramic tableware using materials primarily sourced from Canada or North America. The project focuses on developing a clay body that not only has a post-firing absorption rate below 0.5%—ensuring non-porosity and smoothness—but also ensures a perfect fit between glaze and clay body to avoid crazing. Additionally, the glaze used must be fully vitrified and contain a balanced mix of alkali metals and alkali earths to enhance durability. This innovation challenge addresses the lack of commercially available clay bodies that meet these rigorous standards for food-safe dinnerware.

Expected Outcome:

The primary expected outcome of this innovation challenge is the formulation and validation of a specific clay body recipe. This recipe will be developed to meet stringent technical and aesthetic criteria essential for high-quality dinnerware production.

Website: https://www.bumpyroadsstudio.com

Industry: Financial Technology  

City: Peterborough, ON  

Academic Partner: Lakehead University  

Innovation Challenge Summary:

In Canada, survey shows challenges faced by small and medium enterprises (SME) that three in 10 SMEs (29 per cent), suffer delays in incoming and outgoing payments, additional fees (31%), processing delays (21%) respectively on transaction according to survey.  
  
Through broader user testing to understand the challenges of SMEs managing cross-border finances from rural and remote communities, they will improve their product development.   

Expected Outcome:

As a new migrant under Canada Startup visa scheme, this research has contributed to Matraq Integrated Limited (Cashtella) growth, aligning them to the business community, and further validating their service offering 

Website: https://www.matraq.com