Design for Startups Fall 2020

Over the course of 12 weeks, ten student designers will work directly with the technical and business leads of ten BC companies to explore and develop a new methodology for connecting design to Internet startups as part of Design for Startups.

Student designers will consider existing design gaps, perform user interface/usability studies, and develop design strategies for the companies in residence.

Fall 2020 company-student partnerships are:

Brave tools prevent overdose deaths. Brave technologies connect people with support when they’re alone and at risk of overdose. Anonymous and private, these tools can keep anyone using drugs safe(r) from overdose – anywhere, anytime.

Alex Livsey will work with Brave.

CodeZero makes the most powerful cloud technology available to everyone. People can find, install and run apps in the cloud as easily as they do on an iPad. App developers can easily bring their products to our marketplace. Companies can quickly transform to the cloud with reduced cost and risk.

Cassandra Grdovic will work with CodeZero.

ehsAI is a next wave compliance technology company that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to help organizations reduce the cost and risks of permitting and compliance. A woman-led business, eshAI is committed to integrity, diversity and innovation in all its transactions and developing disruptive solutions that transform environmental, health and safety and compliance management for business. ehsAI serves the technology, manufacturing, energy, chemical, construction and retail industries.

Nikoo Farvardin will work with ehsAI.

Lighthouse Labs‘ mission is to ensure that technological change is an opportunity for all Canadian through efficient and personalized skills training programs. Over the past seven years, we have introduced over 30,000 Canadians to data analysis and coding and launched over 3,000 graduates into careers as professional developers and data scientists.

Binoodha Kunnath will work with Lighthouse Labs.

Olive simplifies and de-risks technology purchasing decisions by enabling a streamlined, yet thorough, technology evaluation process. By bringing modern technology to a legacy process, we are removing the bias and unnecessary costs of software evaluations and sales, enabling companies to make more informed, more successful, and more rapid purchase decisions.

Isabella Samantha will work with Olive.

Open Ocean Robotics is revolutionizing the way we understand our ocean by creating autonomous solar-powered boats. Equipped with cameras and sensors, and capable of travelling for up to one year at sea, our vessels autonomously collect data and relay this back to users in real-time. We offer a cheaper, easier, and safer method of exploring our ocean while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, noise pollution, and risk of oil spills.

Colby May will work with Open Ocean Robotics.

RCU (Responsible Cannabis Use) is a cannabis education company that brings awareness to cannabis facts, laws, regulations, and research. Our mission is to empower individuals and organizations with products and insights needed to make informed cannabis choices.

April Tian will work with RCU.

Salus is a digital safety solutions provider for the North American construction industry. Founded by the former head of a high-rise window installation company, Salus has incorporated real-world site-level safety experience into the design of its flagship SaaS platform, SalusPro – consisting of a web-based management solution for the business and mobile app for the field. With a platform that mirrors site-level workflows and enables companies to manage end-to-end compliance with powerful reporting capabilities, as well as to manage subcontractors, assets/equipment, and incident reporting, Salus is driving innovation and transformation in the labour industries and helping companies to make the move to digital for the countless companies still reliant on paper-based programs for safety compliance.

April Nguyen will work with Salus.

Simbi is an online reading platform that allows global students to read along with local narrators. Through a personalized reading curriculum and access to instant feedback & insights, readers have improved their reading fluency by 2x within 3 months using Simbi!

Thejus Kayanadath will work with Simbi.

Sredio is a solution for technology companies who are benefiting from government funding programs and required to extensively document their work as a result. Our platform connects to their systems, performs data analysis, and uses smart algorithms to automatically create detailed project documentation for their teams.

Selina Huang will work with Sredio.

This project is supported by Digital Technology Supercluster for the duration of 2020 – 2022. Student salaries are provided by Innovate BC.