This month we tackle some hot topics in the wearable space: Privacy, Identity & Payments. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada will present its view on wearables and data followed by a panel made up of RBC, Rogers, Nymi, PayPal & MaRS to discuss the opportunities and challenges in using wearable tech as a means of identity which is necessary for payments, personalization and the connection to the Internet of Things.
A big thanks to our sponsors MaRS Discovery District Centre, Rogers, STMicroelectronics, Uproar PR BetaKit, and CloudExchange for making this event possible.
Agenda
6:30-7:00PM: Doors Open & Demo Area Begins
7:00-7:05PM: Opening Remarks
7:05-7:10PM: Wearable App Spotlight by CloudExchange
7:10-7:30PM: "Wearables and Privacy – The View from the Regulator’s Office" presented by Vance Lockton, Senior Analyst at the OPC’s Toronto office
When the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) addressed the issue of device sensors in our guidance to mobile application developers, we talked about sensors permitting location awareness which, when combined with data on what we do and what we think, create a portrait of who we are. Wearables bring this portrait to life. In this session, the OPC will describe the application of federal privacy laws to the wearable space, and discusses potential means of addressing the privacy challenges posed by the technology without losing the benefits it makes available.
7:30-8:00PM: Panel: Identity & Payments - The Wearable Opportunity
- Alexander Peh, Head of Market Development & Mobile at PayPal Canada
- David Schifman, Director of Business Development at Nymi
- Ali Jiwani, Payments Innovation Analyst at RBC
- Adam Nanjee, Financial Technology Lead at MaRS Ventures
- Jeppe Dorf, Vice President of Transactions at Rogers
- Moderated by Tom Emrich, Founder of We Are Wearables
8:00-10:00PM: Bar Opens & Food Served and demo area open:
- Nymi, heartbeat authentication bracelet
- Meledii, the smart insole
- STMicroelectronics, semiconductors
- Zen Theromstat, smart thermostat
- Tab Payments, mobile payment app
About The Tech
Nymi
Located in the heart of Toronto, Nymi is a team of thinkers and innovators aimed at shaping the world through technology. Nymi’s first product, the Nymi Band, provides a unique look at the problem of identity in the context of the modern world. The Nymi Band is a wearable wristband that authenticates a user’s identity through their electrocardiogram (ECG), a biometric unique to all users. The Nymi Band is designed to make identity easy -- to let devices and services connect with a person's identity in a secure and privacy-protective manner.
Meledii
Meledii is a Toronto technology startup looking to ‘smarten’ up your shoes by introducing its insightful insole as an affordable solution to help prevent low back pain. Meledii allows users to easily monitor meaningful metrics in real time by sending updates and alerts to users' smartphones.The intuitive insole provides real-time feedback to help correct posture imbalance and alerts users when improperly carrying extra loads or lifting heavy weights to prevent the risk of injuries. Meledii can detect levels of activity and inactivity and alerts users to get up and move when they have been sitting or standing for too long. Meledii’s innovative technology is hoping to make a positive and lasting impact on back pain sufferers, but has many other health and fitness applications.
Zen Thermostat
Most home thermostats are either extremely unattractive, or too complicated and loaded with features that you don’t really use. Zen is a new home thermostat, specifically designed for the Connected Home, that looks beautiful on your wall, is incredibly simple to use and allows you to control the temperature of your home from anywhere using your smartphone.
Tab Payments
Tab is a mobile payments app for dining, providing a better & more personalized dining experience at your favourite restaurants. Diners check into a restaurant via Tab at the beginning of their meal, then put their phones away, enjoy the food, and leave when ready. No more waiting for the bill: automatic billing provides easy bill splits, email receipts, and a smooth transition at the end of a great dining experience. Currently available at over 80+ top restaurants across Toronto and Montreal.
STMicroelectronics
STMicroelectronics is a global leader in the semiconductor market serving customers across the spectrum of sense and power and automotive products and embedded processing solutions. From energy management and savings to trust and data security, from healthcare and wellness to smart consumer devices, in the home, car and office, at work and at play, ST is found everywhere microelectronics make a positive and innovative contribution to people's life. By getting more from technology to get more from life, ST stands for life.augmented.
BetaKit
BetaKit covers startups news and tech innovation. To read the latest news, visit www.betakit.com.
About our Speakers & Panelists
Alexander Peh
As PayPal Canada’s Head of Mobile, Alexander is responsible for growing and evolving PayPal’s Mobile business through Canadian technology Partners and Merchants. Prior to joining PayPal, Alexander was a European based Senior Strategy Consultant in the Mobile and Emerging Technology sector for clients such as Domino’s, Audi, Microsoft and Vodafone Group. Born and raised in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, educated in Melbourne Australia and with stints in Africa, South East Asia and Europe, Alexander spent a number of years travelling the globe in International Film and TV distribution, focusing on emerging media such as Mobile, IPTV, VOD and Digital Signage.
David Schifman
David joined Nymi to improve the world through the use of technology. Before joining Nymi, David had 15 years of experience at RIM/BlackBerry and Palm in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He managed key account relationships and built high performance sales and product teams, with expertise in product management, marketing, telecommunications, hardware and mobile technology.
Ali Jiwani
Ali is a Payments Innovation Analyst with the Royal Bank of Canada. His responsibilities are split between leading various projects to advance RBC’s payments capabilities, and understanding new technologies that may compete with traditional banking. In the past, Ali has started his own non profit technology shop called SmartLabs and worked for BNOTIONS, a local Toronto upstart. He holds an undergraduate business degree from the Richard Ivey School of Business.
Adam Nanjee
Adam Nanjee is the lead for the financial technology cluster at MaRS. Adam brings an extensive background in digital payments and financial technology infrastructure to MaRS, and is actively involved in Toronto’s startup, venture capital and accelerator communities. Adam joined MaRS from MasterCard Canada, where as vice president of business development in emerging payments, he drove the company’s strategy and partnerships in the digital payment space. Additionally, Adam was a member of MasterCard’s corporate development and competitive intelligence groups where he was responsible for identifying Canadian-based startups within the financial technology vertical for investment and acquisition opportunities. Prior to MasterCard, Adam held the position of Global Head of Social Networking Partnerships at BlackBerry. Spending a majority of his time in Silicon Valley, Adam was responsible for the overall strategic direction and relationship between BlackBerry and various global social networking companies including Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Previously at BlackBerry, Adam led the eCommerce partnerships group, developing partnerships with Amazon, eBay and Visa.
Jeppe Dorf
Jeppe Dorff, a native of Denmark, brings with him a wealth of global perspective with a career spanning most continents and more than a handful of individual mobile payments and mobile banking deployments. Jeppe joined Rogers Communications where in his role as Vice President of Transaction Services he is responsible for development and execution on the transactional technology, product and business strategy. Most recently he was responsible for the negotiations, which led to the first commercial agreement between a wireless operator and a bank in Canada, and operates product portfolios in the area of mobile wallets, mobile identity, mobile point of sale and authentication infrastructure.
Vance Lockton
Vance Lockton is a Senior Analyst at the OPC’s Toronto office. His primary role is in developing and maintaining strong relationships with private-sector stakeholders in the GTA, with two primary end goals: (i) encouraging proactive compliance with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), and, (ii) increasing the OPC’s ability to be responsive to the needs of organizations and technology developers, by engaging these groups to better understand the challenges they face. Vance has been studying or working in the privacy field for over a decade, with the last 6 years split between the OPC and the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario. He holds B.Math. (Computer Science, University of Waterloo), M.Sc. (Computer Science, University of British Columbia), and M.P.P. (Public Policy, Simon Fraser University) degrees, the latter two focussed on online identity.
About Our Sponsors
MaRS Discovery District is a mission-driven innovation centre located in Toronto. MaRS works with partners to catalyze, accelerate and amplify innovation. MaRS supports entrepreneurs building Canada’s next generation of growth companies.
Rogers Communications is a leading diversified public Canadian communications and media company. We areCanada's largest provider of wireless communications services and one of Canada's leading providers of cable television, high-speed Internet and telephony services to consumers and businesses. Through Rogers Media, we are engaged in radio and television broadcasting, televised shopping, magazines and trade publications, sports entertainment, and digital media.
ST is a global leader in the semiconductor market serving customers across the spectrum of sense and power and automotive products and embedded processing solutions. From energy management and savings to trust and data security, from healthcare and wellness to smart consumer devices, in the home, car and office, at work and at play, ST is found everywhere microelectronics make a positive and innovative contribution to people's life. By getting more from technology to get more from life, ST stands for life.augmented.
Uproar PR is an innovative consumer technology public relations and social media agency. Along with their other technology practices, the firm has successfully built brand recognition for its wearable tech clients. Within the Toronto and Waterloo communities, Uproar works with Thalmic Labs, Bionym Kiwi Wearables and PUSH. With Uproar's media relations experience, those companies have been featured in media outlets including The Today Show, Business Insider, New York Times and CNBC, just to name a few. The firm specializes in developing campaigns that drive awareness and sales, creating industry buzz.
CloudExchange is a white-labeled app store platform that connects you with your users and developers. Our simple and easy to use platform gets your branded app store and branded developer portal up and running quickly, no big budgets or custom code required, helping you get the very best apps into the hands of your users.
About Our Partners
Pixelbot: We're a league of hackers, hipsters, and hustlers - passionate about empowering ventures that are changing the world. Think of us as your internal startup arm. We bring the design and development expertise, business acumen, and (wo)manpower you need to innovate and scale in this digital age. We partner with both startups and large organizations on projects ranging from mobile/desktop experiences to service design. Follow us @hellopixelbot and www.hellopixelbot.com