By Alexandra Reid
 is widely known in Ottawa for being a startup champion. He’s an entrepreneur who has strong opinions about the local startup
Alexandra Reid is a consultant with Francis Moran Associates.
ecosystem and what needs to change to increase our competitiveness on the global stage. According to Annan, Ottawa punches above its weight when it comes to startup talent, yet we are lagging behind other major cities like Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver because we lack the cohesion and organization necessary to drive a vibrant startup community. It is with this mentality that Annan relaunched , a startup accelerator, to advocate for local startups and provide them with the mentorship and financial support they need to be successful and drive a startup community that is proud to call Ottawa its hub.
This isn’t the first time Annan has tried to build an accelerator in Ottawa. It has always been difficult for
Scott Annan is heading up a new Ottawa incubator, Mercury Grove.
Ottawa startups to get early stage funding, said Annan, and because there wasn’t an organization championing startups and helping them grow into businesses, he reluctantly agreed to build  to help address the need. Mercury Launch, Annan’s first startup accelerator, was “forever grounded†because the format wasn’t entrepreneur-friendly, it was trying to do too much, and there were too many institutional investors involved. In Annan’s opinion, it didn’t succeed because the relationship with its backers became too bureaucratic and the focus was pulled away from the local community.
While Annan said Ottawa’s startup landscape hasn’t changed since the day Mercury Launch was grounded, he has remained committed to the cause and developed a new startup-led approach to building something people in Ottawa and abroad can stand behind to support our local startup talent.
“I’m often approached by organizations and CEOs of large companies and startups looking for ways they can help. Mercury Grove will give these supporters a tangible opportunity to rally behind,†he said. “We are creating a place where we can start championing our people. If we can demonstrate that there are companies here that are fundable, we can bring more funding to the area. When we champion our people, word gets out and it shines a light on our companies. And when local startups are successful, their success makes it easier for everyone else to get on board.â€
From a personal standpoint, Annan has wanted to be part of a vibrant, excited, world-class startup community ever since he first came to Ottawa. One of the reasons why he built Mercury Grove was to surround himself with these kinds of people. He spent a long time involving himself in the community to find mentors and startups at the growth stage to be the right fit for the accelerator.
“I’ve been meeting with so many different entrepreneurs to find the right fit for the accelerator,†he said. “The sweet spot are those startups that have a working product and sales and can most benefit from a big push in momentum to swing them into the next stage of growth. We want to help build that momentum to accelerate these startups to build sustainable companies.â€
Mercury Grove has recruited a large , including our own , to provide information and support to the accelerator’s startups. These mentors offer both ongoing and one-off mentoring sessions where they provide everything from feedback to guidance to valuable connections to help grow their companies.
“In addition to helping entrepreneurs with business fundamentals, Mercury Grove is really great from a networking standpoint,†Annan said. “Everybody works out of our office and while we don’t necessarily need offices to get our work done these days it is helpful to be around people going through similar challenges.â€
What sets Mercury Grove apart from the host of startup accelerators launched in recent years is its hands-on teaching style.
“A lot of the way we learn is passive. We absorb information, process and then apply,†Annan said. “I think the new model for learning is by doing, and that’s especially true for startups. We approach learning more like riding a bike. We don’t learn how to ride a bike from reading books and going to class. We get on, start peddling, fall down and get back on again.â€
This is the concept behind , one of the accelerator’s programs. The website works with entrepreneurs who have been hugely successful in a specific area of building their startup to create step-by-step processes that can be duplicated by new companies looking to achieve success in that area. These “workbooks†contain everything startups would need to know, from online resources to information on what they should expect to pay for services, to good contacts for more information. The idea is not to learn all the steps but to work through them.
Annan said the accelerator is particularly strong in providing marketing mentorship. It has recruited a number of people who are experts in marketing and PR who can help the companies on customer profiling, how to identify profitable market channels, and measurement, to name just a few areas.
“Marketing is at the core of what we are providing because customer acquisition is the number one startup challenge at this stage of startup growth,†Annan said.
He encourages those interested in learning more to check out the , , , and attend some of the many startup-focused events going on around the city.
Big data requires big privacy
Big data requires big privacy
By Dr. Ann Cavoukian
I am a great lover of quotes. The thirteenth century Persian poet Jalal-e-din Mohammad Rumi once beautifully wrote that it is necessary to “speak a new language so that the world will be a new world.†If our present era is characterized as the information age, the world of is a new world in which we find ourselves, and algorithms are the language of this new era.
- Ann Cavoukian, Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario
Existing algorithmic tools are already struggling to manage and make sense of our unprecedented ability to capture and store data, which comes from many diverse sources, including data that organizations control as well as data over which they have no control (externally generated and less structured social media).
In response to these new conditions, new approaches in designed to harness big data have emerged. Organizations of all sizes are now able to better leverage their trapped information assets – driven by their deep interest to maximize their resources and better compete in the marketplace, resulting in more efficient operations, better customer experiences, and less fraud, waste and abuse.
Big data and privacy must co-exist
If big data is to realize its potential without eroding cherished privacy rights and civil liberties, organizations will also face new challenges. However, need not be at odds with one another. You can and must have both.
One of the true visionaries leading the effort to make sense of big data is Jeff Jonas, chief scientist of the IBM Entity Analytic Solutions group, and an IBM Fellow. In both these capacities, he is responsible for shaping the technical strategy of next generation entity analytics and the use of these new capabilities in IBM’s overall technical strategy.
Recently, I partnered with Jeff on a new joint paper entitled, , that discusses the transformative nature of big data, sensemaking systems and (PbD). This paper outlines a privacy “sensemaking†framework for big data, developed by Jeff, that takes into account a new class of analytic capability, in which new transactions (observations) can be integrated with previous transactions – much in the same way that one takes a jigsaw puzzle and locates its companion pieces on the table – and uses this “context-accumulating†process to improve understanding about what is happening in the here and now.
Jeff recently posted applauding sensemaking technology, which he says has more privacy protective features than any technology ever created by himself and his team, and perhaps more baked-in privacy and civil liberties enhancing features of any advanced analytic software ever engineered. He adds, “I would love to be wrong about this – starting a fierce competition over ‘I have more privacy features than you,’ is going to be a good thing for the planet Earth.â€
Privacy as a matter of business, not just compliance
This reinforces that as a technologist, Jeff really ‘gets it.’ He understands how technology can, and should, incorporate a number of principles, by
default – demonstrating that it is possible to advance privacy while simultaneously
preserving functionality in a doubly-enabling win-win, or positive-sum paradigm. This work serves as a prime example that consumer privacy is not simply a compliance issue, but in fact, a business imperative. Responsible innovation practices such as these are critical in order to ensure that the new world we are now creating is
one where privacy and civil liberties will continue to prevail.
PbD prescribes that privacy be built directly into the design and operation, not
only of technology, but also of how a system is operationalized (e.g., work processes,
management structures, physical spaces and networked infrastructure). Today, PbD
is widely recognized internationally as the standard for developing privacy-compliant
information systems. As a framework for effective privacy protection, PbD’s focus is more about encouraging organizations to both drive and demonstrate their commitment to privacy, than meeting some strict technical definition of compliance.
Our new age of big data, and the dynamic pace of technological innovation requires
us to engage privacy in a proactive manner in order to better safeguard this essential freedom within our societies.
Responsible innovation
In order to achieve this goal, system designers should be encouraged to practice responsible innovation in the field of advanced analytics. We envision a future where technologists will increasingly be called upon to bake more privacy enhancing technology – from conception to output — directly into their products and services.
With this in mind, we strongly encourage those designing and building next generation data analytics to carry out their work, building on the solid foundation of Privacy by Design.
What Google’s Eric Schmidt thinks of other tech CEOs 
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Don’t just tell, communicate with your audience
By Michelle Warren
Have you witnessed a powerful keynote presentation recently? During these staples of the business scene in the IT industry, senior level executives deliver to audiences ranging in size and background: from audiences of 20 senior level executives to 2,000-plus people of mixed backgrounds, including sales, marketing, technical junior and senior level professionals. Meeting the needs of the audience, while delivering and communicating a powerful message, can seem daunting.
Michelle Warren, President, MW Research & Consulting
And yet, many would argue that the ability to communicate effectively is the true sign of being an influential leader. It can, in some cases, make your career soar.“Communicating effectively†is more than just providing information. Being able to connect with audience members on a level that makes them think and consider your message, perhaps incorporating it into their lives, and committing to your message, are examples of audience connection. Your goal:  inspire a response among your audience.Consider a vice-president who wants to inspire stronger engagement among his or her reseller partners. Consider a executive who wants to introduce a new approach to delivering technical solutions. In these examples, how can they help invoke interest and commitment among their audience members?
1. Involve
Rather than present your information from your company’s sole perspective, involve your audience. Perhaps some were with you when you started your journey? “Some of you were with HP when we started the shift towards the Adaptive Enterprise….†Perhaps some were not? “I wish you could have been with us when we moved towards the Adaptive Enterprise, because we certainly learned a lot about corporate enterprise demands…â€
By acknowledging their presence and the relationship between your organizations, you will invite them into the conversation, regardless of the audience size.
2. Interest
Address the “what’s in it for me†(WIIFM) factor. Why is your audience present, aside from responding to your invitation? What are they looking to gain by investing their time? Perhaps enhanced market understanding, deeper understanding of your technology roadmap, or new business options? Identify their interests and provide answers in your presentation.
For example, “Cisco’s Smart + Connected Cities initiative gives our partners an opportunity to enter the education and industries on long-term engagements…â€
“Long-term engagements” means new business, reoccuring revenues, and money! Peak their interest on an intellectual level, but don’t forget their human side. Which leads into…
3. Senses
Appealing to your audience’s senses can get overlooked when we design presentations. Or is it? Consider our five senses: taste, sight, smell, touch, and sound. While your presentation might not address the senses of taste and smell, you can ensure that your audio system works, that sightlines are effective (to see you or to see your slide deck.) As for touch, this can be challenging to address in a presentation format, but offering a showcase of products following your speech is one option.
4. Inspire
And finally, inspire your audience to take action. Be prepared to support and connect with your audience members. I saw a wonderful example of this at a recent Cisco Canada event. CEO spoke to an audience of about 30 media and business partners, and then invited questions. One question from a business partner invoked the interest of Cisco Canada executives. The response was immediate, as company representatives approached her following the presentation.
The content of his presentation invoked a verbal response from his business partner, and his team was on hand to follow up and ensure continual communication between the two organizations.
By carefully crafting your presentation, you can connect with your audience and ensure a valuable experience. Remember the four keys: Involve Interest, Senses, and Inspire.
Michelle Warren is president of MW Research & Consulting in Toronto. She is a writer, researcher, consultant, coach and trainer with a strong IT industry background.
July 02, 2012
Startup TO: Why incubators have a bad rap
Startup TO: Why incubators have a bad rap
Incubators seem to have a growing bad rap. A good example is the hearty article Read Write Startup recently posted about the subject
Ashley Huffman, communications, INCubes
entitled: .
As much as we can , it’s just as important to point the finger of blame at the peeps behind the startups for picking them.
I wrote a few months ago about why it’s super important to choose your incubator very carefully, and I think it’s important to reinforce this so we don’t all go around hating on incubators unfairly.
An incubator is eerily similar to choosing which college you want to go to. It also involves the same kind of excitement, mixed with the prospect of big money.
What do you want to major in?
For wannabe successful businesses, this question directly relates to what do you need out of an incubator. If it’s more fame than business management, then maybe you should give a call. If it’s hands-on assistance from all different types of business experts, then something more personal is probably going to float your startup boat, like Hamilton’s or Toronto’s very own .
What are your options?
Develop a list of criteria for what you’re looking for. This literally means do your homework. It’s up to you to do your own research and due diligence first. What incubators and professional business services are in your area? Will any virtual options suffice? Do you have the funds to relocate? Take all things into account so you can choose the right incubator for your personal and business life.  If all fails, pretend you’re on . Which Dragon would you prefer to work with and why? Translate this into a list of what type of professionals (aka incubator) you’re looking to work with.
Set a Date
How will you know if you’re a good fit personally and professionally if you don’t speak and meet with the folks beforehand? You won’t. Don’t let other people’s expectations (media or otherwise) of an incubator set your standard and sway your decision. Meet and greet them in person. Like in relationship dating, you’ll just know when it’s right. If not, next!
Also, they should be just as excited about you and your business. This is an integral ingredient of the equation to finding a perfect fit. Time is all too precious in the life of a business. There’s always someone out there ready to take your idea to new heights; in geek terms this is like Microsoft’s new Surface tablet compared to Apple’s new iPad.
Yes, we could sit around and point fingers at who is crap and not, but just like the nature of being a human being, every one and thing is created for a purpose. It just may or may not be for you and your company.
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