The pandemic has deeply impacted communities across Canada and around the world. Medical professionals have been stretched to their limits, supply chains disrupted, and jobs and livelihoods snuffed out. Our entrepreneurs from the Western Accelerator* have stepped up to do what they can to support Canadians through this crisis. From donating products to front-line workers to pivoting their business models, here's how our Western Accelerator alumni are assisting during COVID-19.
*Since 2017, students and alumni have participated in the Western Accelerator to pursue their entrepreneurial endeavours. Our accelerator program runs three cohorts each year and is made possible through the support of our community sponsors: Libro Credit Union and StarTech.com.
Working for Community
We live in a world of misinformation, and during a pandemic, inaccurate information can be hazardous. Accelerator alumna Sana Mungroo recognized this issue early on. Through her venture Chatitude, Sana partnered with over 20 Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs) to develop informational websites for Ontarians. Using Chatitude's integrated platform and conversational AI chatbot, MPPs were empowered to create online sites that helped residents easily navigate accurate COVID-19 information.
The video above displays David Piccini (MPP for Northumberland - Peterborough South) announcing the launch of his region's website: covidsupports.ca. David was Chatitude's first MPP partner, and together they developed the above webpage to empower residents to learn about the latest updates around COVID-19 and financial supports.
Founder of Ascend Applications, Ryan Kelly, recognized early on that some Canadians are at a higher risk of contracting COVID-19 due to their health, social and economic circumstances. This realization inspired him to create The Atrium Project, a portal that connects community volunteers to vulnerable at-risk individuals that require assistance to weather the pandemic.
As of June 2020, The Atrium Project has over 200 volunteers and is expanding to Toronto and Ottawa. Ryan is optimistic that people will continue to utilize his platform post-pandemic, as the importance of helping our vulnerable neighbours is not unique to COVID-19.
With the growing importance of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), Erika Oakes of apparel brand Os & Oakes, ran two campaigns to help provide PPE to front-line workers. Through her buy-one, give-one beanie campaign, Os & Oakes donated 175 beanies to front-line workers. Not wanting to stop there, Erika also created fabric masks and facilitated a community campaign that gave 400 masks to healthcare workers.
Refueling Medical Professionals
In Canada and around the world, healthcare systems are overwhelmed. Right now, our front-line healthcare workers are doing all they can to help COVID-19 patients and minimize the spread of the virus. Even though times are tough for small businesses, our alumni Josh Barr, Amar Gupta and Josh Reding have stepped up to donate products to fuel the front-line.
Josh Barr and Amar Gupta of brüst donated over 7,500 bottles of their protein-packed cold brew coffee to hospitals across the Toronto area. Designed initially as a protein drink to help athletes recover between training sessions, the unique combination of protein and caffeine was a quick solution to give hospital staff an extra boost of energy for long, stressful days. If you want to provide a carton of brüst to doctors and nurses in your community, Josh and Amir are offering Western staff and students 50% off their first order with code: WESTERN50.
Additionally, Josh Reding of MakerBars joined the 'Fuel the Front-line' GoFundMe campaign with BioSteel Sports Nutrition, nomz, and BIO RAW. The campaigns goal is to fuel nurses and front-line workers with healthy energy snacks. Four weeks into the drive, the campaign has delivered 15,000 servings to ICU and Emergency teams at Toronto General Hospital, St. Michael's Hospital, and Mount Sinai Health System.
The fundraiser has almost hit its goal of donating 20,000 servings. If you'd like to contribute to this cause, please visit: https://bit.ly/2UutedF
Innovating Business Models to Address COVID-19
For many businesses, the realities of COVID-19 meant possible extinction. Over the past two years, Jenessa and Madison Olson made headlines with their clothing rental venture, STMNT. In March, the Olson sisters were on the brink a significant deal with a large Canadian retailer when the coronavirus hit. Overnight the rental industry was put on hiatus.
Quickly coming to the realization that their industry wasn't coming back anytime soon, they saw a unique opportunity to innovate. They researched and learned that their Ozone equipment (previously used to clean STMNT clothing) could be repurposed as a disinfectant to decontaminate workplace surfaces. With Ozone being highly effective at neutralizing bacteria and viruses, they quickly pivoted their business model and formed a new company Clearzone, a cleaning service to sanitize workspaces. Their venture has now grown to four franchises in Ontario and Alberta.
Another fantastic innovation story comes from alumnus Reid Thornley of Aquatell. When the COVID-19 crisis hit and dwindled N95 and surgical mask supplies, a need for reusable PPE arose. Reid responded to this challenge by partnering with scientific experts Rob Brunet, Dr. Housyn Mahmoud, and Ronald Hall. Together they created SteriSpin™, a solution for mask decontamination. Using multi-layered disinfection of UV light and Ozone, their solution can kill coronavirus strains like SARS and other harmful pathogens on N95 and surgical masks. This disinfectant technology gave front-line healthcare workers the option to reuse personal protection equipment, which helped reduce shortages and waste generated by disposable masks.
Supporting Families During COVID-19
The concept of social distancing was a real challenge for founder Zach Havens of Miistro.com, who’s company relied on connecting local music teachers with eager music enthusiasts.
When the crisis hit, Havens decided to give away free online lessons for a month. "We just saw it as a cool way to serve families and give our teachers an opportunity to do some good," said Havens.
The positive response from students and teachers has prompted Havens to incorporate online music lessons as a primary part of his business post-COVID-19. Additionally, by converting his platform to allow online lessons, Havens opened up his venture to new partnerships. Miistro.com is now partnered with the Southwestern chapter of the YMCA, offering Y-members discounted virtual music lessons.
Similarly, the new COVID-19 restrictions have had significant impacts on people's mental health across Canada. Accelerator alumnus, Morgan Rosenberg, founder of Resili (formerly Supports Health), opened up his mental health platform for all Canadians - free of charge. Resili is a mental health app, bringing leading mental health science to Canadians through simple skills.
Resili is also partnering with SME employers throughout Canada to offer pay-what-you-can mental health, resilience and stress workshops via Zoom for their employees.
Last (but certainly not least), our incredibly talented alumna, Nicole Snobelen of Evelynn by Nicole Snobelen, has given back to our community. In the first few weeks of COVID-19, Nicole quickly sewed and donated over 150 cloth masks to St. Francis Advocates essential workers.
However, Nicole's generous spirit did not stop there. Every year Nicole donates her time and expertise to The Abby Fund charity, a yearly fashion show that uplifts the spirits of sick children by designing their dream princess dresses and superhero outfits. However, due to physical distancing restrictions, this year's June fashion show was cancelled.
Ever persistent, Nicole found another way to give back to the foundation. She developed an exclusive, one of a kind clothing collection, where all of the profits were donated to The Abby Fund. Within a few hours, the collection sold out, and a large amount was raised for the foundation.
Now accepting applications for the virtual Western Accelerator (Fall 2020 Cohort). Accepted founders will receive online mentorship, training, and up to $12,000 in funding. Applications close July 5, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. ET. For more information, please visit: uwo.ca/accelerator.