This month we gather a group of journalists to discuss Apple Watch™, showcase some of the companies behind the first Apple Watch™ apps and celebrate the official launch of Linkitz, a modular, programmable wearable kit for girls.
Apple Watch™
The time has finally come for Apple Watch™ to hit the wrist of users. Apple Watch™ became available for pre-order online on April 10 and will start to ship on April 24. Unofficial estimates suggest that Apple sold nearly 1 million watches on its first day of pre-orders making it the most successful smartwatch to date.
May's WWTO brings together a group of journalists from the The Toronto Star, Global News, The Financial Post, MobileSyrup and BetaKit, who have been following the launch of Apple's first wearable, to talk about the media reaction; give their opinion on the Watch; and discuss its opportunity to change the way we live our lives.
In addition, we have invited some of the companies behind the very first Apple Watch™ applications including The Globe and Mail: News, Tangerine Mobile Banking, ecobee, theScore, Pizza Pizza and Realtor.ca to showcase their Watch apps and join us in a panel conversation around how they built meaningful experiences for the wrist.
To learn more about Apple Watch™, watch Apple's guided tours here.
Linkitz
We Are Wearables is honoured to host the official launch of girls wearable Linkitz including the kick-off of its Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign.
Founded in 2012, Linkitz is Headquartered in Port Hope, Ontario. Linkitz makes a modular, programmable wearable kit for girls to give girls a toy that lets them build engineering and coding skills and opens up a world of possibilities.
Linkitz co-founder Lyssa Neel will be taking the stage to present the modular wearable toy along with the team's story leading up to crowdfunding. Following her presentation, she will sit down with We Are Wearables founder, Tom Emrich, to talk about tech's role in education and wearable tech for kids.
Learn more about Linkitz here.
Agenda
6:30-7:00PM: Doors open, food & drink served + exhibitor area begins
7:00-7:05PM: Opening Remarks
7:05-7:25: Panel: Apple Watch™ post-launch discussion with journalists
- Raju Mudhar, Toronto Star
- Nicole Bogart, Global News
- Patrick O'Rourke, The Financial Post / MobileSyrup
- Daniel Bader, MobileSyrup
- Randi Bergman, FASHION Magazine
- Tom Emrich, BetaKit / We Are Wearables
7:25-7:55: Creating meaningful wrist experiences - a showcase and panel discussion on Apple Watch™apps
- Jay Mehta, Tangerine
- Craig Saila, The Globe & Mail
- Jonathan Savage, theScore
- Jason Hyde, Plastic Mobile (Pizza Pizza & Realtor.ca)
- Taso Perdikoulias, ecobee
- Moderated by Tom Emrich, We Are Wearables
7:55-8:10: The official launch of girls wearable Linkitz presented by co-founder Lyssa Neel
8:10-8:20: Q&A with Linkitz co-founder Lyssa Neel
8:20-10:00PM: Networking including bar & food + demo area featuring:
- Tangerine, Tangerine Mobile Banking Apple Watch™ app
- The Globe and Mail and The Working Group, The Globe and Mail: News Apple Watch™ app
- Plastic Mobile, Pizza Pizza and Realtor.ca Apple Watch™ apps
- ecobee, smart thermostat Apple Watch™ app
- Voovo, crowdsourcing marketplace for buyers and sellers of 3D printing services
- Linkitz, modular programmable wearable kit for girls
A big thanks to our sponsors MaRS Discovery District Centre, Uproar PR, EY Canada, BetaKit and N100 for making this event possible.
And thank you to our pizza sponsor Pizza Pizza for providing the pizza for this event.
About our Speakers
Raju Mudhar is a reporter in the Star's Entertainment section. A pop culture junkie, he writes about television, music, video games and breaking news as it occurs.
Patrick O’Rourke became interested in video games, technology and writing at a very young age while scouring the pages of magazines like Nintendo Power and Electronic Gaming Monthly. Currently he's employed at the National Post as a web producer where he covers gaming, internet trends, cord cutting and file-sharing as well as general news. He's interviewed a variety of notable video game developers, reviewed hundreds of games and has covered the PlayStation 4's reveal event, GDC, E3, the Game Awards, the Canadian Video Game Awards and many other local Toronto technology related events. Patrick contributes frequently to the National Post's Post Arcade as the section's deputy editor and is a journalist with the Financial Post's Tech Desk.
Randi Bergman has overseen FASHIONMagazine.com’s wealth of content and grown the digital platform into an award-winning and record-breaking hub for fashion, beauty, shopping and cultural content. Previous to FASHION, Bergman worked in the marketing department at Holt Renfrew and held internships at both Teen Vogue and Interview Magazine in New York City. Outside of FASHION, Randi co-chairs the Canadian Opera Company’s annual gala, Operanation. Her work has been published in Vogue, The National Post, Fashion Week Daily, Interview Magazine and Toronto Life.
Nicole Bogart joined the Global News team in May 2012, covering breaking news for Global Toronto and The Morning Show, before taking over as the tech and lifestyle reporter for the national website in January. During her time with Global Toronto, Nicole used her love for social media to cover breaking news events such as Toronto mayor Rob Ford’s conflict of interest ruling and Toronto fashion week. After working for a major tech company, Nicole gained a passion for technology, gadgets and the issues that Canadians face online. She has covered major product launches, including the iPhone 5 and BlackBerry 10, and has reported on issues ranging from open-Internet activism, to the state of Canada’s telecom companies. Nicole is a graduate of the journalism program at Humber College in Toronto.
Daniel Bader is a technology journalist who aims to bridge the gap between technical jargon and real-world experience. Writing for MobileSyrup since 2011, he has helped grow the site into Canada’s leading resource for smartphones, tablets and the mobile industry at large. He has also appeared on radio and television to chat about important mobile trends and products. He wears a smartwatch but doesn’t know why.
Tom Emrich uses his passion for new technologies to act as a catalyst to bring on the future. He founded We Are Wearables, an organization that rallies the tech community together to learn, discuss and celebrate the wearable tech space in order to foster adoption and facilitate innovation. We Are Wearables currently has chapters in Toronto and Chicago. Tom writes regularly about wearables and other emerging technologies for MobileSyrup, BetaKit and Designers of Things. He also works with startups, and large organizations as an advisor and consultant offering assistance on product development, marketing and organizational strategy.
Dr. Lyssa Neel co-founded Linkitz Systems after serving as CEO and CTO at multiple technology start-ups. Dr. Neel starting programming in eighth grade and later earned her S.B. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and her S.M. and Ph.D. in Computer Science, all from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. As one of a handful of women in the program and the 10th woman to earn her Ph.D. in computer science at M.I.T, Dr. Neel developed a passion for encouraging more women to study computer science and engineering, a desire compounded when she tried to find toys to inspire a love of technology in her three daughters.
Jay Mehta is a Senior Strategist for Tangerine Bank and is responsible for helping develop and execute innovative solutions aligned to the corporate vision. Jay is involved in providing input into the IT Strategy along with developing its execution. One of his key focus areas is the execution of Tangerine's mobile strategy and is currently involved in initiatives to expand the channel by bringing new leading edge solutions to market.
Craig Saila specializes in online news media with a unique focus on creating engaging products and user experiences for content-rich sites. In the fall of 2010, he rejoined The Globe and Mail as Director of Digital Products, where he has overseen the development of its digital subscription efforts as well as the creation of its mobile app portfolio. Prior to that, he lead the web design and development team for NBC News’ network of sites.
Taso Perdikoulias is the Director of Web and Mobile for ecobee, Inc. Taso has over 10 years of experience in software development, working on flagship products for companies ranging from startups to Fortune 500, including Disney, Dow Jones, The New York Times, and USA Today. In his spare time, Taso enjoys playing video games and learning more about home automation and wearable tech (such as the Apple Watch). Taso spends his time with his family, including his two children, and takes the time from his busy schedule to teach Mobile Game Development at Humber College.
Jason Hyde serves as the Vice President of Creative and User Experience at Plastic, and leads all the creative strategies and ideation. A perfectionist of his craft, Jason and his team meticulously tailor projects for clients like Pizza Pizza, Air Miles, SPC, Royal Lepage, and Realtor.ca. Prior to Plastic, he has worked with brands like Coca-Cola, Ally Bank North America, Mercedes-Benz, Nintendo, Nestle, LG and eBay which has garnered both awards and success for his clients. In 2006 Jason co-founded a first of its kind in Canada e-commerce business for all Ontario Police Departments and the Toronto Transit Commission. Jason has been featured in Applied Arts Magazine “Young Blood” creative to watch under 30 and has been a highly requested judge on panels for creative works in the industry, featured on the CMA and Webby awards panels several times.
Jonathan Savage has been with theScore since 2001 and leads the development of the company’s mobile and digital platforms, including its flagship app ‘theScore.’ Charged with leading theScore’s talented in-house mobile and web development teams, Jonathan plays a key role in growing theScore’s user base by creating a truly mobile-first experience for sports fans.
About Our Exhibitors
Voovo is a two-sided crowdsourcing marketplace for buyers and sellers of 3D printing services. The platform allows customers requiring 3D printed models to quickly crowdsource job quotes from a community of passionate 3D printer owners. It also enables anyone who has a 3D printer to become a full-service 3D printing studio that can personalize, print, and ship models around the world. Job quotes are submitted in a reverse-auction style format to guarantee competitive pricing for the job poster. At the close of the auction, customers select the print shop with the lowest pricing, most attractive location, or highest star rating, and will get the model delivered right to their door. While enabling customers to source 3D printed items, Voovo provides printer owners a return on investment for their costly devices.
TWG is a digital product design studio based in Toronto. We are creators, and our mission is to embolden visionary teams to create remarkable products. We believe in doing right – by our clients and partners, by our community and by each other. Follow us on Twitter @twg.
The Globe and Mail, through its newspaper, magazine, online and mobile platforms, is Canada’s foremost news media company. Each day, The Globe leads the national discussion by engaging Canadians through its award-winning coverage and analysis of news, politics, business and lifestyle. Every month, The Globe and their Alliance partners reach over 16.9 million connected and engaged Canadians through their mobile properties, with more than 40% of their total digital content now accessed via mobile devices.
Plastic Mobile is an award-winning mobile marketing agency building strategic solutions in m-commerce - encompassing payments, wallets, transactions and coupons - as well as mobile loyalty, location-based marketing, mobile gaming, and in-store initiatives. Based out of Toronto and New York the range of services include mobile strategy, design, development and marketing - all inspired by user-centric experiences to push forward a world in motion. Plastic Mobile facilitates top-tier brands such as Shoppers Drug Mart, AIR MILES, SPC, Beyond the Rack, Bookit.com, Brookfield, Rogers and Pizza Pizza, into the fast-paced mobile evolution.
ecobee, Inc., based in Toronto, Canada, introduced the world’s first wi-fi connected smart thermostat in 2009. The company continues to innovate in the smart thermostat space and launched ecobee3 with remote sensors in 2014. ecobee’s award-winning thermostats have enabled hundreds of thousands of consumers to control their home comfort anytime and from anywhere, using their smartphone, tablet or computer. For more information, visit www.ecobee.com.
Linkitz makes a modular, programmable wearable kit for girls. We'regiving girls a toy that lets them build engineering and coding skills and opens up a world of possibilities. Founded in 2012, Linkitz isHeadquartered in Port Hope, ON.
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.
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.
BetaKit covers Canadian startup-news and tech innovation.
EY Canada helps media, technology, telecommunications and retail companies adapt to change, manage risk, meet regulatory requirements, foster product innovation and develop new business models. Our team of experienced industry professionals in Canada and around the world — supported by the EY Global Centres of Excellence — provides a multidisciplinary team of assurance, advisory, tax and transaction services to help you achieve your objectives.
Northumberland CFDC launched in 2013 by Northumberland CFDC in partnership with Spark Centre, N100 is an annual $100,000 startup competition for early-stage technology-driven ventures. Powered by PitchBurner and sponsored by MathWorks, the competition is designed to hone high-growth potential startups that are on the cusp of attracting significant investor interest. And through a multi-stage competitive process running from March to July, N100 also offers concurrent entrepreneurial training and support including Pitch School and Board Room Simulations. Past winners of N100 are Unified Computer Intelligence Corporation (with Ubi the ubiquitous computer) and Linkitz (a modular wearable programmable electronic toy designed to get children into coding, electronics and STEM). Find out more and apply at www.n100.ca. Follow us @N100startups.
Pizza Pizza: As a restaurant, pizza maker, employer, business partner and caring company, Pizza Pizza delivers. The Pizza Pizza network, including Pizza73, is composed of more than 600 traditional and non-traditional restaurants coast to coast, employing over 3,000 Canadians. We provide a flavourful, varied and high-quality menu to pizza-lovers of all ages and tastes. As a result, our organization has become a leader in the quick service segment of the Canadian foodservice industry, and one of the top pizza restaurant chains in the country.
About Our Partners
Belight: Billy Lee is a Photographer capturing events of our times to be shared and remembered. #event #conference #photography #photojournalist #documentarian #life #technology #wearable #startups #entrepreneurship #education #time #learning #change #better #experiences #humanevolution #involution #balance #awareness #creation #creativity #design Find him at @makingsenses or billy@belight.ca
Quick Attack Productions: Providing video services for WWTO
Interested in speaking at or sponsoring the event? Want to join the team? Or have some feedback? Email the Toronto team at toronto@wearewearables.com.
RSVP for this event on our Meetup.com page