CIX Canadian Technology Accelerator

When I heard about the CIX Technology Accelerator last week I asked the folks at CIX to write a guest post to tell us more about why they decided to partner with a SF based accelerator to put this package together. I’m not sure about the immigration visa issues around this arrangement, but I assume that is taken care of as well? — Jevon

The Canadian Innovation Exchange (CIX) is delighted to announce that, in partnership with DFAIT and the Consulate General in San Francisco, we are launching a new program to support the innovation community in Canada – the CIX Canadian Technology Accelerator.

The idea is simple. So many emerging Canadian tech companies – from the most early-stage start-ups to more developed players – have told us that they’re eager to develop stronger connections in Silicon Valley, but haven’t been able to find the right opportunity. Well, here it is: the Accelerator will put three qualified Canadian companies in the Plug and Play Tech Center (PnP) in the heart of the Valley for three months, rent paid, starting in June, 2011.

What makes this program truly unique is that PnP is more than just a fully serviced work space. Selected companies will be working alongside over 150 tech start-ups from more than 20 countries while meeting experienced mentors and advisors who can guide growth and development in the Valley and beyond. The program also offers introductions to local angel networks and VC firms and dedicated access to the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service. Finally, each company will receive a complimentary pass to CIX 2011, taking place next December in Toronto, bringing back the knowledge and experience gained in California and helping to further enrich Canadian connections in the Valley.

The program is open to any Canadian-based tech company working in Digital Media and Information and Communications Technology. Qualified companies are invited to fill out a brief profile on our website before March 11th, 2011. An expert CIX Selection Committee will review submissions, and the three selected companies will be announced in early April.

For more info and to enter, head to our website at www.canadianinnovationexchange.com.

Coffee, Co-working and Crash Pads in Toronto

Editors Note: This is the first post by Andrew Peek at Jet Cooper. I love the concept of shared spaces for the collisions of ideas. Albert and I talked about this back at Bubbleshare. I know that it is part of the ethos at the Kontagent offices in SF. And I know it’s part of the culture at Extreme Ventures, where I’m camping while starting up. It reminds me of the “Responsible use of Shared Resources” philosophy from SCS at CMU, basically you’re responsible for not ruining it for everyone else don’t abuse the privilege. The open door policy is a great way to allow for new collisions whether that’s new ideas, new employees, or just new connections. @davidcrow

If you are an entrepreneur in Toronto, you are probably familiar with the various coffee shops, co-working spaces and wi-fi zones available to you as pseudo-offices. You might even have a pattern of Foursquare check-ins that run like clockwork throughout the week.Steven Johnson refers to spaces like these (noting England’s transition from pubs to coffee houses) as environments where ideas can have sex. At Jet Cooper, we like that.

While it takes a serious commitment to invent and scale something the size of a CSI (Centre for Social Innovation), it isn’t all that hard to contribute something – even if it’s just a few desks – to the people who might be one good conversation away from a big idea. It’s for that reason that we’ve kept a handful of desks available in our office since day one. Even now, as we plan for our next office furniture re-arrangement, we try to keep in mind the people we haven’t met yet.

Thinking back on it, it has been a wonderful way of attracting a lot of bright people, which on it’s own is a great way to expose any team to a city’s creative pulse. And realistically, all it cost was a few extra desks and chairs.

There are no restrictions on who can drop in. You don’t need to be a client, or a partner, or even have a twitter handle. Just stop by and maybe let us know your coming so we can put a beer on your desk.

Consider this a ringing endorsement for this kind of simple contribution. If you have an office, open the door. The correlation between environments and innovation isn’t a secret and as per usual, more good is gooder.

Payroll for startups

The joys of starting a company and setting up the basics, you know things like finding a lawyer, getting articles of incorporation, shareholders agreement, business registration, employment agreements and setting up payroll for employees. It turns out that it has been since 2005 since I thought about the logistics of running payroll in Canada in any detail (BTW if some asks if you want to be in charge of running payroll, the answer is “<expletive /> NO”). The great news is that there is a solution for startups in Canada and it’s inexpensive. Well technically it’s free for companies with <5 employees and only $18/month for >6 employees.

The company is PaymentEvolution. It’s run by my friend Sam Vassa (@samvassa) and they were recently featured in the Financial Post. Despite the web presence that looks like it was last updated a decade ago, this is a new startup that is up and running and able to help Canadian small businesses with payroll.

Hallelujah, and it’s inexpensive

This is a great solution for startups. Basically the deal is there are no fees for the service, however, there are electronic banking fees are passed through to you as a user.

PaymentEvolution provides no cost payroll processing for smalls businesses with 5 or fewer employees. We’re serious – we don’t want payroll processing costs to encumber the growth of great small businesses. We’re small-business friendly and just want to provide a great service that allows these businesses to focus on what they do best. Like all our plans, we don’t charge extra for updates, the number of pay runs, or silly things like standard reports. We also give these firms the flexibility to pay their employees how they want – traditional cheques, direct deposit or even electronic funds transfer (fees may be incurred by the company’s financial institution).

This is just what startups need to process payroll and it’s cheap to boot.