2016 class has some jaw-dropping grads
COMMENT Broader in scope and ambition
Curiosity may clobber cats, but it can also birth businesses. Kelcie Miller- Anderson was 15 when she noticed a dandelion growing out of a crack in the asphalt near her Calgary home. Where you or I might see a weed, she wondered: How does it grow in such a harsh environment?
The answer, she found, lies in fungi accumulated by the dandelion that gives it a remarkable ability to grow almost anywhere. Similar fungi, she surmised, could help solve a key environmental problem that was even then obsessing her: remediating the toxic tailing ponds produced by oilsands production in northern Alberta.
In her basement lab, Miller- Anderson experimented with dandelion fungi. Six years later, she has induced fungi to release powerful enzymes that digest hydrocarbons and transform them into more benign substances. In lab trials, her technique has eliminated toxins from soil in 21 days.
Working with Syncrude and Alberta Innovates, her discovery has won her numerous personal and industry awards, including an invitation to the Next 36, an annual cohort of outstanding university students being groomed to influence Canada’s future. Last week, at the program’s Venture Day in Toronto, Miller-Anderson introduced her new company, MycoRemedy, and its fungi- based “mats” that are set out in the field to eradicate hydrocarbons — faster than current solutions, and 98 per cent more effective.
And that’s j ust one of many jaw-dropping companies debuted by the class of 2016, which include: ❚ Mindset, a headphone- delivered solution that “reads” users’ brains and helps them concentrate on whatever they’re working on;
❚ Knote, an artificial- intelligence tool that helps organizations “redact” confidential information from documents in a fraction of the time humans would take; ❚ Lumos Energy Strips, which put instant jolts of caffeine on your tongue when you really need a boost; ❚ Hexa Foods’ sustainable brand of pet foods, made from cricket flour; ❚ Curexe, a software- driven payment system that lets businesses exchange U.S. and Canadian currency at a third of the rate banks charge; ❚ Access Now, which is mapping the world to identify stores, restaurants and other places that are accessible to people with disabilities — and call out those that aren’t; ❚ Juniper, a loyalty- building platform for video creators on YouTube who want to optimize their fan relationships; and ❚ Dyme Fitness’s pre- packaged nutritional supplements for fitness buffs, customized to meet individuals’ needs for nourishment, strength-building or muscle tone.
Next 36 wasn’t built to create companies: It’s a big bet placed by Bay Street philanthropists and idealistic entrepreneurs on Canada’s best and brightest. The hope is to instil these students with vision, courage and entre- preneurial smarts that will enable them to challenge the status quo and breed new ideas, whatever they do in life.
When the Next 36 began six years ago, virtually all the student ventures were based on apps, mainly consumerfacing: virtual businesses that were easy to start and to close down. The 15 continuing businesses from the class of 2016 are broader in scope and ambition, reflecting changes in the program’s recruiting policies ( it now invites young entrepreneurs who have startups), as well as the participants’ growing confidence.
From environmental and financial services to cricket powder and mind- altering headphones, these new startups demonstrate the growing impact of new thinking and technologies on conventional industries. Entrepreneurs in every sector need to find new ways to integrate AI, mobile, data, machine vision and new materials into their products, services and business processes, or be left behind.
What did Andrea Palmer learn from the program? A 2015 UBC graduate in commerce and mechatronics engineering, Palmer is CEO of Vancouver- based Awake Labs. It’s designing a wearable device that measures signs of anxiety in people with autism, enabling caregivers to better understand their behaviour and prevent meltdowns. Awake won the Next 36’s Outstanding Venture prize this year, and Palmer was named top entrepreneur.
“I learned so much from the classes,” Palmer said. They included guest lectures from experts on strategic experimentation, market research, managing in fastchanging environments and understanding the global economy. She also learned the game- changing importance of mentorship: By luck, she was paired with Karl Martin, founder of Torontobased Nymi, an early pioneer in digital wearables. “He’s already made all the mistakes I’m likely to,” Palmer said.
She also learned to make decisions based on incomplete information. “When you’re launching a product, you have to make decisions on what’s important and what’s not. You have to believe in your decision and go for it.”
As well, Palmer was impressed by Next 36 co-founder Reza Satchu’s “stop the car” mantra. Satchu recalled a time when he drove by three storage companies in the same area. Curious, he got out of his car and found they were all fully booked. That motivated him to cofound a business called StorageNow, which later sold for $110 million.
“It’s a reminder to always be curious about what other people are doing, and where the opportunities are in all parts of your life,” Palmer said.