2. AGM Agenda - MEIC
Vision
History - Company Presentation
Future Plans
Research/Policy
Global Outreach
Commercialization/Innovation - Company Presentation
Events
Membership
Formation of Working Groups
Financial Report
Board Election
3. Dr. Sara Diamond
President, OCADU
Dr. Sara Diamond is the President of the OCAD University, Canada’s “university of the imagination”. She holds a
PhD in Computer Science and degrees in new media theory and practice, social history and communications.
While retaining OCAD University's traditional strengths in art and design, she has led her university to become a
leader in digital media and design research and curriculum through the Digital Futures Initiative, towards new
research in Inclusive Design and health and design, as well as in sustainable technologies and design. She has
also led OCAD University to begin the unique Aboriginal Visual Culture Program.
She is founding Chair of the Mobile Experience Innovation Centre and current co-chair (with RBC).She is a
visualization, wearable technology and mobile media researcher, artist and designer. She is co-principle
investigator on the Centre for Information Visualization/Data Driven Design, an OCADU/York University major
initiative. Diamond was the Artistic Director of Media and Visual Art and Director of Research at the Banff
Centre, where she created the Banff New Media Institute (BNMI) in 1995 and led it until 2005. She developed
www.codezebra.net, a performance and media art, fashion and software collaboration environment.
Diamond continues to write about digital media history, digital media and design strategy for peer reviewed
journals and curates for festivals and galleries.
4. Avi Pollock
Head, Innovation and Strategic Planning - RBC
As Head, Innovation & Strategic Planning, Avi leads strategic planning for RBC's Technology & Operations
organization. His innovation team has an enterprise-wide mandate to stimulate innovative activity. He is a
member of the senior executive team that operates Technology and Operations (T&O) and is a frequent
speaker on Innovation as well as mobile and social media strategies.
Avi is a member of the Faculty for the Masters Certificate in Innovation Management program at the Schulich
Executive Education Program and Adjunct Faculty for the Masters of Design in Strategic Foresight and
Innovation at Ontario College of Art. Avi currently serves as Industry Chair on the Board of the Mobile
Experience Innovation Centre, a non-profit focused on developing Ontario's role in the mobile economy. He
is on the Advisory Board for Change Inc. a collaboration between United Way of York Region and York
University to incubate and invest in promising innovations to tackle complex social issues in York Region.
5. Our Vision
The vision of the Mobile Experience Innovation Centre (MEIC) is to provide leadership in building
innovation capacity and design excellence in Canada’s mobile and wireless industries. Founded by
the OCADU, the mission of MEIC is towards the development of a centre for excellence in applied
research, strategic foresight, design and commercialization of mobile content, services and
technology.
MEIC engages academia, industry and government through initiatives aimed at furthering research,
economic growth and the creation of value and benefit across Canada’s mobile ecosystem.
MEIC’s approach facilitates collaboration across competitive stakeholders by focusing on the
enrichment of the Canadian business landscape, enhancing networks and increasing opportunities
for growth and partnership in regional and international marketplaces.
MEIC’s core relationships with leading academic institutions, in Canada and around the world, draw
upon research expertise, creativity and imagination in the design and application of newly
envisioned futures.
MEIC’s partnerships with leading corporations, SMEs and associations, in Canada and internationally,
ensure that all MEIC initiatives are strategically relevant to the needs of an ever-changing industry
and work towards positioning that industry for future growth.
MEIC’s ongoing dialogue with regional, provincial and federal governments has created a forum for
supporting innovation, education and business.
6. • Founded in 2007
• 12 Original Stakeholders
• Over 14 months grew to a consortium of
over 30 members
• 2 major events reaching over 400 people
• Growing voice and advocate for mobile
research, commercialization + SMEs
7. Mapping Ontario’s Mobile Industry 2009
- a benchmark MEIC study informing both our perspective and our way forward
8. Recommendation Highlights
• Partnership
• Local Networking + Community Support
• Commercialization, Talent + Support
• Focus on Innovation and User-Centred
Design
9. MEIC is a non-profit organization and focuses on supporting start-ups and early-stage entrepreneurs, research
commercialization and national and international advocacy on behalf of Canadian companies, creating a strong
framework in a fragmented industry. With a philosophy tied to the rich heritage of design, MEIC’s core goals
are towards design leadership and strategic foresight, demonstrated through new research and business
opportunities.
MEIC will focus on five complementary and interconnected strategies:
Strategy 1: Applied Research and Prototyping
Strategy 2: Business accelerator & Incubation
Strategy 3: Education & Training
Strategy 4: Outreach Initiatives
Strategy 5: Partnerships & Alliances
10. A successful MEIC:
Has a dynamic membership structure
Represents Canadian mobile capacity
Promotes Canada as a leading international jurisdiction in
the mobile ecosystem
Facilitates investment
Nurtures the mobile talent pool
Provides successful incubator and accelerator programs
Leads policy initiatives
11. Michele Perras – MEIC Founding Director
Mobile Strategist – Transcontinental Media
Michele Perras is a designer and researcher focusing on digital strategy, collaborative innovation and human-
centred foresight.
In her role as the MEIC's Founding Director, Michele Perras developed the initial strategies, programs and
partnership framework for MEIC, including management of Innovation and Insight: Mapping Ontario's Mobile
Industry, leading MEIC's Applied Research and Prototyping Program and founding the MEIC Design Incubator.
Michele currently sits on the MEIC Board of Directors and is an MEIC Advisory.
Over the past decade, Michele has worked with a wide range of organizations in academia, the non-profit and
private sectors. She has spoken at international conferences on mobile and locative media,
entrepreneurialism and design. Michele is a co-founder of the Toronto chapter of the acclaimed Ignite! speaker
series, and has produced conferences across North America.
12.
13. Recommendation Highlights
• Partnership
• Local Networking + Community Support
• Commercialization, Talent + Support
• Focus on Innovation and User-Centred
Design
25. MEIC RESEARCH +
PROTOTYPING
• 18 month duration
• Mandate towards research support,
advisory + commercialization
• Supported 21 R&P Projects between
SMEs, Corporations + Research Institutes
• Findings and Model influenced MEIC’s
current mandate and programmes
30. Matthew Milan
CEO, Normative Labs
Matthew is an interaction designer with a background in software development, spatial technology
and environmental planning. Over the last ten years, Matthew has lead large design and strategy
teams, slept under his desk at successful startups and tried most of the things he’s been told he
couldn’t or shouldn’t.
A founding partner at Normative Labs in Toronto, Matthew is passionate about the
intersection of design methods, network technologies and the physical world.
31. Kathleen Webb
Director - MEIC
Kathleen Webb as the Director of The Mobile Experience Innovation Centre is committed to developing
programs and offerings in support of membership growth and value to the mobile industry.
She has consulted to most of the digital media associations within Canada and the many of universities and
colleges within Ontario. She has helped organizations such as Interactive Ontario (formerly the NMBA),
Canadian eLearning Enterprise Alliance, and Computer Animation Studios of Ontario grow into viable
associations by working with their executive teams to developing strategic plans, access program funding
and develop membership offers.
Kathleen is also a business partner of Nordicity. Through Nordicity she has worked on a number of cultural
media industry profiles and research reports for governments and industry associations including: CONCERT
– The Greater Toronto Region’s Potential for Innovation in the Screen-based Industries, Economic Profile of
the Ontario Computer Animation and Visual Effects Industry, and most recently the CANARIE evaluation.
32. MEIC R ESEARCH H IGHLIGHTS
1: Mobile Media Market Map
• Interactive presentation of Canada’s mobile media
industry
– Illustrate segments of the value chain
– Include Canadian: companies, innovators, partnering
examples
– Global opportunities
• Target Audience: Canadian Trade Commissioners
• Client: DFAIT
• Completion date: April 29, 2011
33. 2: Mobile Innovation: Ontario’s Growing Mobile Content,
Services and Applications Industry 2011
Builds upon earlier 2009 research – Innovation and Insight: Mapping Ontario’s Mobile Network
A five-pronged research approach:
Profile the current mobile Identify major
content, services, platform opportunities and gaps for
and applications ecosystem; industry growth including
the ability of these
Assess their economic industries to scale up in
impact and financial Ontario, Canada and
climate; towards the international
market;
Identify key trends that will
affect industry growth over Develop a collaborative
the next three years; framework for strategic
partnerships and ecosystem
support.
34. 3: Taking Ontario Mobile – T.O.M.
- a compelling vision for a Mobile Ontario
This comprehensive research project will:
Provide a strategy to achieve Analyze the social and
a Mobile Ontario economic benefits of Taking
Ontario Mobile
Analyze the requirements for
Taking Ontario Mobile across Propose mechanisms through
identified important sectors which government, industry
such as mGovernment, and academia can assist in
mEducation, mHealth building a Mobile Ontario
Analyze the technology Analyze the costs and provide
infrastructure needed to Take business models for Taking
Ontario mobile Ontario Mobile
Analyze and propose the Provide a road map and
collaborations needed to timeline for Taking Ontario
Take Ontario mobile by Mobile
bridging these sectors and
infrastructure requirements
35. MEIC G LOBAL O UTREACH
International Outreach:
Brazil
Mobile Convergence Summit - Rio Content Market, 2011
Working with Embassy and Ambassador to develop summit on coproduction and digital capacity
Achilles Media will be a conduit for co-development in Brazil
Continue to facilitate research collaborations with companies as partner
India
OCAD University - collaborative relationship with National Institute of Design – creating a shared
laboratory. Mobile video applications, feature phones for education, health & communication
Access research funding for Ontario companies. Partnership with Tata and other majors in India.
Planning to apply for a mission with Canadian companies in mobile space
Singapore
Participated in Minister Murray’s mission to Singapore. Met with IDA – board of Ministry of
Information, Communication and the Arts (MICA)
Media Fusion Plan (Digital economy strategy): Goal is to develop ‘intelligent nation’.
Champion development of sector, attract direct foreign investment, nurture homegrown media
enterprises
Exchange program – match Singapore and Canadian companies (host in Canada and hold competition,
with Communitech)
36. Commercialization & Innovation:
• Supporting mobile game developers use of R & D infrastructure:
– Facilitated partnership building (industry/academia)
– Access to high-capacity fibre optic network, macro cellular and WiFi
access, and compute and storage resources
• Open to two companies
• Deadline: April 15, 2011
37. Mobile Design Incubator:
• Capital support from OCADU’s Digital Media Research and Innovation
Institute
• Program funding from the City of Toronto
• Gathering place for SMEs and students
• Links to OCADU’s mobile, inclusive design, wearable technology and other
labs, as well as the resources from university and college partners across
Ontario
• Current companies: Echo Mobile, Media Lab Toronto, Guardly, Normative,
Albedo Informatics
38. Josh Sookman, Founder & CEO
Guardly
Josh is the visionary behind Guardly. He founded the company in 2010 to empower people during
emergencies by connecting them to their personalized safety networks with a single tap. Prior to Guardly,
Josh worked at the BlackBerry Partners Fund and RBC Venture Partners where he supported ten investment
transactions and developed expertise in location-aware applications, mobile business models, game
mechanics and viral distribution strategies.
Josh was a Board Observer at SocialDeck (acquired by Google). He is a huge supporter of innovation, youth
entrepreneurship and the startup community, and is the co-curator at Toronto [StartupDigest]. He
completed his Masters degree at the University of Toronto and his Undergraduate degree at the University
of Western Ontario.
He loves wakeboarding, squash and ping-pong and still enjoys the challenges of writing code to solve
complex problems.
39. Mobile Accelerator Program:
• Goal is to identify high potential Ontario mobile startups and to get
behind them with access to research infrastructure and
commercialization support
• Components:
– Six half-day workshops for growing mobile businesses
– Connecting with talent and mentors
– Incubation
• Program starts in spring of 2011
40. MEIC Partnerships
Paula Gignac
President – IAB Canada
Paula Gignac, President of the Interactive Advertising Bureau of Canada (IAB), and former Vice
President of Rogers Women’s Group of Websites, is recognized throughout the industry -- not
only as a pioneering Web Publisher -- but also as an award-winning Interactive marketer and
author of digital marketing programs for clients as diverse as AirMiles, GlaxoSmithKline, Ford,
Proctor + Gamble, Hershey, etc.
With more than 15 years of experience in Interactive media, and an unmatched record of
helping clients achieve success in the Interactive arena, she is the “go-to” expert and thought
leader on Interactive advertising trends and research in Canada; and also the creator and chief
instructor of IAB Canada’s industry-leading Intensive, One-Day Course in Interactive Marketing
+ Online Advertising.
Originally trained as a Wildlife Biologist, Gignac’s perspective on Interactive is about as yin-
yang as it gets… In fact, prior to entering the advertising field, Gignac was also a Writer and
Artist, having written for magazines as diverse as Fuse and Flare; won a Studio Magazine award
for her photography; directed the short film Excess Is What I Came For; and produced Glove as
part of InterAccess Electronic Media Arts Centre ’s first all-female digital art installation show,
Game Girls.
41. Mobile Forums:
• Complements the Mobile Accelerator Program and Commercialization &
Innovation support services
• Components:
– Tech Talks: Speaker panel sessions focused on pertinent technology issues
and providing networking opportunities
• Microsoft Window’s Phone 7 Bootcamp
– Tech Offers: Providing mobile entrepreneurs access to software and
hardware, for the purpose of developing new products and services
• Negotiated free licenses to convenient access to open source
– Tech Advisory: Providing technical advisory support services in conjunction
with the Tech Offers
• In-house technical support
42. Get Involved with MEIC!
The directors on the board who do not occupy offices may chair MEIC working groups.
Some suggestions for Working Groups are:
Research-Academic Group
International Outreach
Programming
Trends
StartUps
We want your input and would like to open this up to the floor for comments and suggestions.
There will be sign up sheets available on the way out for those who are interested in joining or
leading a working group.
43. Finance:
• MEIC funded as a coalition by OCADU and OMDC
• Incorporated as a non-profit in 2011
• Year end is June 30th
44. AUDITOR:
Mike Stoyan, CA
Partner, Fuller Landau LLP
Fuller Landau is a mid-market, regional
Mike is a partner in the Assurance division of Chartered Accountant and Business
the firm. Mike’s vision, combined with his Advisory firm offering comprehensive
insight from working in senior level positions solutions to entrepreneurially-led owner
directly within industry, provide Fuller Landau
with a unique ability to quickly establish managed businesses.
strategic solutions for their clients. As an
assurance partner, Mike is responsible for
audit engagements. In addition, he leads a
team with a business advisory focus on all
aspects of development, including up-front
feasibility, execution, due diligence and
disposition strategy.
45. Stephen Perelgut – Secretary, MEIC
IBM Canada - Toronto Lab University Relations Manager
Stephen PERELGUT is IBM Canada's University Relations Manager working out of the IBM Centre for
Advanced Studies in Markham. He graduated from the University of Toronto's Department of Computer
Science with his MSc in 1984. Since then, he has helped start a software company, Holt Software Associates
Inc., which he ran as Vice-President before leaving to join IBM.
Stephen is currently in charge of IBM's University Relations within Canada and works with universities
across Canada as well as linking to other academic and research institutions around the world. He has been
the Chair of the Consortium for Software Engineering Research, the leading software engineering research
group in the world.
Within IBM, Perelgut provides oversight for all linkages between the company and academia including
research collaborations, recruiting, sales and technical skills exchange. As well, he manages research
projects relating to Services Sciences, Management and Engineering (SSME) and mobile and social
computing
46. Nomination and Election Procedures:
At a meeting of the MEIC Interim Board, called specifically for that purpose, the desired number
of directors on the board was determined to be twenty-one.
The Interim Board worked together to put forward a slate of candidates that best represented the
mobile ecosystem.
All candidates on the slate have consented to work on the Board if elected.
Directors are elected for a two year term.
The following slide show describes each of the 20 candidates going forward for nomination.
Voting for the slate shall be through a show of hands and will take place once the presentation of
candidates is complete.
Officers of the Corporation include: a Co-Chair Industry, a Co-Chair Academic, Secretary and
Treasurer. These officers will be appointed by resolution of the board at the next meeting of the
board. Officers must be directors.
