L-SPARK and TELUS have partnered to launch the Secure IoT Accelerator program in collaboration with BlackBerry Limited and Solace. The Secure IoT Accelerator program is hoping to enable Canadian Internet of Things (IoT) ventures by providing them global market reach capability with a Secure by Design technology.

 

“TELUS is dedicated to fostering [an] IoT ecosystem in Canada, capable of both serving the needs of Canadians and providing reach to markets around the globe. Ensuring that next-generation security products and services are available to that ecosystem is vital to its success, so we are proud to support L-SPARK’s Secure IoT Accelerator,” said Ibrahim Gedeon, CTO, TELUS. “The mentorship and resources that participants receive as part of the Secure IoT Accelerator, including access to the TELUS LTE-M network, provide a springboard for these companies’ growth and, ultimately, strengthening the entire Canadian IoT market.”

With the global IoT market predicted to reach USD $1.1 trillion by 2021, more complex applications, and the need for greater security, are driving innovation within the industry.

“Adoption of IoT products and services by Canadian firms is accelerating at a rapid clip, and industry analysts predict the global connected IoT devices market will grow at a CAGR of approximately 19% through 2023,” said Leo Lax, Executive Managing Director of L-SPARK. “We’re excited to create an accelerator program that provides the tools and technology necessary for Canadian IoT innovators to scale their businesses and compete internationally.”

Since the launch of their first cohort in January 2015, L-SPARK has accelerated 47 companies across Canada. With over 10,000 investors, corporate partners and startups now in their network, L-SPARK has contributed a forceful Canadian tech community for participating companies to join.

“We believe the winners in IoT will be the companies that realize security is not an added cost but a valuable differentiator,” said Charles Eagan, Chief Technology Officer, BlackBerry.

“The desire to help developers and entrepreneurs grow their ideas into game-changing applications and successful business ventures is at the heart of everything we do, as reflected by our tagline: That’s Possible,” said Paul Fitzpatrick, Solace’s chief business development officer. “We’re proud to partner with leaders at BlackBerry, TELUS and L-Spark to make world class data distribution part of the Secure IoT Accelerator.”

Solace provides unified advanced event broker technology that supports publish/subscribe, queueing, request/reply, message replay and streaming using open APIs and protocols across hybrid cloud and IoT environments. Companies such as SAP, Barclays and the Royal Bank of Canada use Solace.

Utilizing the strengths of its strategic partners, the acceleration program will support its portfolio companies in developing innovative IoT products and services.

Companies taking part in the four-month program will receive:

• Exclusive access to LTE-M ready software development kits (SDK) from the corporate partners to facilitate the development and demonstration of new applications prior to the general market availability of the platform
• Technical mentoring from TELUS, BlackBerry and Solace experts
• Business mentoring from L-SPARK to accelerate company growth and facilitate business development opportunities with corporate accelerator partners as well as outside entities
• All other benefits associated with L-SPARK acceleration programs, including Access to L-SPARK’s extensive SaaS, cloud and IoT technology community.

The Secure IoT Accelerator program is currently accepting applications from growth stage companies, with a Canadian headquarters, which are developing IoT products in automotive; healthcare; access management; smart home and building; retail and supply chain management; logistics and fleet management; natural resources; asset management; among many others.

Interested applicants are encouraged to visit www.l.spark.com/secureiot to learn more.