Design for Startups

Fall 2024

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

Fall 2024 company-student partnerships are:

Apex Resource Management Solutions (ApexRMS) specializes in a unique combination of consulting services and software development for ecological modeling and decision support. For the past 15 years, our team of scientists and developers have been working with government agencies, academic institutions and non-governmental organizations from around the world to deliver map-based forecasts and help them implement science-based decision-making. The primary way we achieve this outcome is through the development of generalizable geospatial forecasting tools. These tools typically integrate custom model scripts – written in programing languages such as R, Python and C# – and existing third-party models or programs representing domain-specific best available science. The tool along with input and output data, are typically bundled together and delivered to end-users using our new SyncroSim Desktop software and shared online via our SyncroSim Cloud platform.

Emilie Jingyi Liu will work with ApexRMS.

Broadsight Tracker – A secure, first of its kind, collaboration platform helps media relations and issues management teams maximize their productivity and ensure consistency of messaging. Our systems, analytics and reporting were designed by media and issues leaders to help communications teams track and show their impact in a way that can’t be done by generic project-management tools or Google Sheets.

Zubda Tahir will work with Broadsight Tracker.

Crosswordr is an online crossword platform with everything you know and love from your favourite crossword sites and so much more.

Prayag Nanjappa Kalianda will work with Crosswordr.

MacHydro – We are a niche firm providing high quality professional services to support land and water resource management.

Avid Alamzadeh Harjandi will work with MacHydro.

Ontoly Carbon is a carbon registry for the buildings sector. We enable carbon credit buyers to fund building decarbonization projects, in exchange for certified carbon credits. We quantify, certify, and verify the emissions reduction units associated with building decarbonization projects, allowing buyers to retire certified carbon credits on a secure registry. Our anticipated role in the market is to certify carbon credits for buildings, at scale. We are a neutral third party that certifies carbon units according to standards set by the Integrity Council for Voluntary Carbon Markets and other international emissions compliance regulations.

Abhishek Singh Bais will work with Ontoly Carbon.

Trailmark is a cutting-edge software designed to empower Indigenous communities to collect, control, and mobilize Indigenous knowledge and support meaningful participation in resource management decisions. Trailmark software enables Indigenous communities to autonomously generate and manage their own data for monitoring, mapping, and lands-based engagement, consultation, and decision-making.

Grishma Shah will work with Trailmark.

Tuktu Care is transforming senior care by leveraging cutting-edge AI and mobile technologies to seamlessly connect aging adults with personalized caregiving services. Our platform revolutionizes how care is delivered by empowering local providers, enhancing accessibility, and reducing costs, fostering community-supported solutions. With a significant presence in Canada and expanding into the United States, Tuktu Care has demonstrated rapid growth and substantial impact, reshaping the landscape of elder care with innovative, scalable solutions. With each connection we make, we’re not just offering care—we’re restoring independence and revitalizing communities, one senior at a time.

Sania Siddiqui will work with Tuktu Care.

Withe is an on-demand video interview and virtual hiring event platform designed to be the fastest way to connect qualified candidates with volume-hiring teams. We make it simple for hiring teams to create and host virtual hiring events at scale and share them with prospective candidates—all the hiring team has to do is show up to interview. Withe does all the work, including qualification, scheduling, facilitating, queueing, and hosting video interviews with candidates.

Olivia Chung will work with Withe.

This project is generously supported by the National Research Council of Canada’s Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP) Fall 2024 – Spring 2026.