Innovation Saskatchewan is responsible for implementing the province’s innovation priorities and helping grow Saskatchewan’s tech sector. Effective April 2022, this includes operation of the Innovation Place technology parks in Saskatoon and Regina.
A Year of Advice
As 2020 (finally) winds to a close, we’re looking back at our Meet the Tenants series that profiled tenants from Innovation Place in Saskatoon and Regina. We had a great first year of tenants sharing the reasons they love working in Saskatchewan, what they think the future of Saskatchewan tech is and why they love Innovation Place (we had to, okay!).
Before things come to a close, we’re rounding up all the amazing advice our tenants gave to celebrate their success and maybe inspire some resolutions in you for the new year. Happy holidays, happy new year and enjoy our year of advice!
“Find the people that you can celebrate your wins and navigate your mistakes with, not just sit there and point fingers at each other.” – Coconut Software team
Coconut provides a customer engagement platform for the financial sector and is modernizing how banks and credit unions engage, creating a streamlined experience for both staff and customers.
Coconut had a banner year, with it and CEO Katherine Regnier receiving multiple awards and distinctions, including participating in the prestigious 2020 Women in Tech Silicon Valley Program and the Google for Startups Accelerator for Women Founders.
“Find great mentors. You don’t need to make all the mistakes yourself.” – Katrina German
KatrinaGerman.com makes good ideas louder through digital marketing strategy, increasing leads and sales for companies and organizations, and has developed a growth-hacking marketing approach called Action Tracking.
Katrina German is the go-to tech guru for CTV Saskatoon Morning and hosted the Women Entrepreneurs of Saskatchewan’s (WESK) Founders Table, a technology-focused mastermind group that helps Saskatchewan female founders and women in tech take their tech business and management skills to the next level.
“Follow your dreams, be creative and open-minded. In this century, life evolves at the speed of light and technology is the driver. Take your time to reflect and analyze your environment and embrace change.” – Fedoruk Centre Team
The Sylvia Fedoruk Canadian Centre for Nuclear Innovation provides expertise to industry and government on nuclear energy and engages with the public about nuclear energy and ways in which it could contribute to a sustainable future.
The Fedoruk Centre was crucial in the battle against COVID-19 ensuring the Royal University Hospital could continue essential scanning services and nuclear-imaging while the pandemic affected daily operations.
“Don’t give up. If you truly believe in your idea, don’t be discouraged if others don’t. You may need to adjust your idea to suit changing conditions and needs, but don’t ever give up.” – Kinemek
Kinemek’s team specializes in designing products requiring innovative mechanical solutions, focusing on mining and ag-tech sectors.
Kinemek continued its operations, working closely with clients, and ensuring the best possible solutions.
“Don’t be afraid to fail and don’t be afraid to ask for help.” – SalonScale
SalonScale is a software platform that helps hair salons globally make data-driven decisions in their businesses.
SalonScale grew by 101% this year attributing its success to committed team work and prioritizing their clients over competition or profits and focusing on engaging with their community through innovative series like #TogetherWeTalk and social media campaigns like #SalonScaleMovement.
“Do what you love with the ones you love. Do one thing every day that scares you. The biggest rewards in life are found outside your comfort zone. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough. Gratitude is one of the simplest ways to improve satisfaction with your life. Life is all about managing expectations. Know your worth.” – Roy Romanow Provincial Laboratory (RRPL)
RRPL works to identify, respond to and prevent illness and disease in the province and is a part of the Laboratory Medicine Program under the Saskatchewan Health Authority.
RRPL was critical to the fight against COVID-19 in Saskatchewan, conducting confirmatory testing for the virus and allowing the province to act quicker during this fast-moving outbreak.
“FORTITUDINE VINCIMUS” – Shiverware
Shiverware creates innovative mobile applications solutions for human problems, working in a wide array of technical fields from mobile application development to hardware integration services.
Shiverware saw a resurgence in their app SpeakBeat Metronome which allowed music students to work independently from their teachers and still keep practicing.
“There is untapped potential in Saskatchewan that is just waiting for the opportunity.” – ZYUS
ZYUS is a life sciences company focused on the global development and commercialization of innovative cannabinoid-based therapeutics and product candidates.
ZYUS successfully synthesized the protein as an antigen of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in plant cells for development of a plant-based COVID-19 vaccine, creating a new scientific body of knowledge for future vaccine development.
Stay tuned for our new crop of Meet the Tenants profiles in 2021. Want to be profiled? Email us!
Subscribe to the Scene newsletter for the latest information on Innovation Place and our tenants.