Lion’s Lair Winner IRIS R&D Group Joins the TechPlace LaunchPad Program
Photo left: IRIS R&D with fellow Lion’s Lair contestants. Photo right: Mark Steffler, Manager, Innovation and Partnerships, Burlington Economic Development/TechPlace; Anita Cassidy, Acting Executive Director, Burlington Economic Development; Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward; Kevin Xia, Full Stack Developer, IRIS R&D; Mohammed Patla, Full Stack Developer, IRIS R&D
Burlington, ON, December 2nd, 2019 Lion’s Lair Winner IRIS R&D Group Joins the TechPlace LaunchPad Program
Winner of Hamilton’s 2019 Lion’s Lair pitch competition, IRIS R&D Group is the newest company to join the TechPlace LaunchPad Program. Founded in 2018, IRIS R&D Group is an Artificial Intelligence company that provides cities with the technology to solve transportation, mobility, public safety, and infrastructure challenges. Their award-winning technology, iPORT™ is an intelligent portable camera with computer vision and AI functionality that aims to change the way cities around the world inspect and detect road infrastructure problems. The iPORT™ detects road deficiencies and collects actionable data to help cities prioritize work and cut maintenance patrol costs. In addition, their FaceMatch solution software allows police forces in cities and municipalities to identify persons of interest.
Co-founder of IRIS R&D Group, Emil Sylvester Ramos, is excited about IRIS R&D’s residency at TechPlace. “The Launchpad program will allow our team to execute on our technology developments while being surrounded by likeminded innovators and entrepreneurs.” Ramos has been a Haltech client since 2018 and plans on continuing to leverage their services, saying that, “the Haltech team has supported our company growth in the past through programming and valuable network connections. Being co-located with them will encourage us to further leverage their services and resources and further grow our business.” In September 2019, IRIS R&D Group won the grand prize, $35,000 cash, at the Lion’s Lair Pitch competition in Hamilton. This well known competition spans over three months and gives ten companies the opportunity to pitch their business case to a panel of top business experts. More than 500 people attend the event every year.
Burlington Economic Development is excited to have IRIS R&D Group join TechPlace .“As the winners of Lion’s Lair, IRIS R&D is positioned for success,” said Anita Cassidy, Acting Executive Director at Burlington Economic Development. “Their team is currently expanding and hiring highly skilled tech jobs in Burlington. Our team will continue to support them as they begin this new phase of development, right here in Burlington,” Cassidy concluded.
Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward also commented. “It’s exciting to see another innovative technology company locate in our community because of the amount of support and networking opportunities we are able to offer them through TechPlace.” She continued, “Our convenient location within the technology corridor, easy access to post-secondary institutions, and access to highly skilled talent shows that Burlington’s innovation ecosystem is ideal for growth-oriented companies.”
Growing technology companies interested in joining the LaunchPad program at TechPlace are encouraged to learn more about eligibility requirements and apply online. Visit http://techplace.ca/launchpads/ to learn more.
About IRIS R&D Group Inc.
IRIS R&D Group Inc. is an AI company that is determined to bring together communities as well as foster innovation and collaboration in solving Smart City challenges. Smart Cities are described as cities or municipalities that make use of new technologies that can help make communities more liveable, sustainable, and fair. IRIS R&D Group Inc. believes that by leveraging existing city assets and invested stakeholders, they can create Next Generation Applications that solve community problems and eliminate barriers to progress. Their iPORT™ technology turns city buses, garbage trucks, employee vehicles, and other mobile and static assets into “Smart”, autonomous, and robust data collection systems.
About TechPlace
TechPlace is a one-stop destination for new and growing technology companies. With the support of partners from across the public and private sectors, it is dedicated to connecting, developing, and advancing entrepreneurs at all stages. This means providing access to space, programming, mentorship, networking, and resources that are fundamental to growing a business in today’s technology-driven marketplace. Led by Burlington Economic Development, TechPlace exists to help technology, talent and ideas come together under one roof to create and promote opportunities for economic growth.
About Burlington Economic Development
Burlington Economic Development has a mandate to enhance the growth prospects of existing companies and bring new high-value firms to the community. Burlington Economic Development’s focus is on growing the economic base to sustain Burlington’s competitive and prosperous community. Burlington Economic Development is the first point of contact for companies looking to expand, start-up or locate in Burlington.
Photo: Kevin Xia and Mohammed Patla, Full Stack Developers at IRIS R&D discuss the company’s Artificial Intelligence products with Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward