Toronto Global

Transforming Ontario Into a Global Biomanufacturing and Life Sciences Hub

Erika Lewis — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 16:02:08 +0000

This past fall was big for the life sciences sector in Ontario. MedTech 2024 was held right here in Toronto – the largest of its kind to-date and hosted for the first time outside of the U.S. On top of that, the Ontario government announced a major $146 million investment in life sciences. It’s a critical step to establish the province as a global biomanufacturing and life sciences hub. That means more R&D, capital and jobs dedicated to discovering the next medical breakthrough, right here.

Toronto Inc leadership speaking at MedTech 2024 in Toronto. From left to right: Michael Fedchyshyn, Stephen Lund, Shelley Carroll, Vic Fedeli, Andrew Weir.

At Toronto Global, we have taken a proactive approach to investment attraction in this sector. In recent years, we have welcomed leading international companies such as Recursion, Cepheid and Sanofi. They are seeking something unique that is happening in the Toronto Region – the existing strength of our technology sector has converged with the life sciences industry to build a truly unique ecosystem.

Artificial intelligence is being applied to improve the quality and efficiency of health care. And where else do biotech and pharmaceutical companies have access to the world’s top AI researchers? Increasingly, the world’s most promising researchers in deep learning and AI subfields are looking to Toronto as a hub with many opportunities to collaborate, advance research and develop applications.

We have also advocated for the development of specialized laboratory space – wet labs – to support the demand for cutting-edge life sciences research. Recently, our team has run into this challenge: while companies are interested in expanding here, the type of real estate they need to operate is essentially non-existent in the Toronto Region. The lack of lab space – and wet lab space in particular – hinders not only Toronto Global’s, but all of Ontario’s, ability to land international life sciences investments.

This advocacy work aligns with the province’s commitment to allocate $15 million for a new wet labs program to reduce the time and barriers companies face when seeking to access lab spaces. Today, as a result of our collective advocacy efforts, the story is changing. University of Toronto Mississauga just opened SpinUP, and new wet lab facilities are under construction in Mississauga (Spec Labs) and Toronto’s Junction neighbourhood (Seeker Labs – Catalyst), with others in pursuit, referencing Toronto Global’s Wet Labs white paper as a key resource.

As described by Minister Fedeli, Ontario is making this “hard pivot” to life sciences and is looking to replicate its aggressive investment in the EV sector in a bid to become a global leader in biomanufacturing and health sciences. The province has an ambitious goal of growing employment in life sciences to 85,000 jobs by 2030, which would be a significant increase from the 72,000 jobs that currently exist. That’s a bold vision that we can get behind and that’s where we come in.

We are also focusing our efforts on investment attraction and job creation in this sector. We’ve helped dozens of life sciences companies set up operations, creating more than 1,000 jobs throughout the Toronto Region.

Additional and sustained funding for life sciences in the Toronto Region and Ontario will mean more growing companies – both domestic and international – will come, stay and scale here, further strengthening the industry. This commitment by the province is a step in the right direction.

As the home to medical breakthroughs such as insulin, the pacemaker, and stem cells, we have a reputation for innovation and excellence in this field. The life sciences and health care sector is too important – to our economy and to Canadians – to risk falling behind.

Adaptavist continues to grow and attract Toronto’s best tech talent — despite a global pandemic

Erika Lewis — Tue, 10 Aug 2021 22:25:00 +0000

Having doubled the size of its team during the COVID-19 pandemic, agile software solutions provider Adaptavist is now looking to continue the expansion of its Toronto office by onboarding more of the city’s top talent.

Over the past year, Toronto has strengthened its position as a thriving technology hub, attracting tech giants and innovative start-ups from all over the world seeking to benefit from one of the brightest and most diverse talent pools.

Founded in the U.K., global digital transformation leader, Adaptavist was one of the companies that identified the city’s potential early on, expanding to Toronto in 2014. The rapidly growing team doubled in size during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it’s current goal is to grow even further to support local clients, including the City of Toronto.

Toronto Global worked with it to expand its product development office in Toronto, seeking to capitalize on the technology talent pool in the Toronto Region. Toronto Global provided Adaptavist with introductions to postsecondary institutions for potential partnership opportunities; information on the Toronto Region tech ecosystem, talent availability, tax credits and salaries compared to other Canadian and U.S. jurisdictions; and made introductions within the local business community.

A growing Canada-based team

Since the Toronto office opened five years ago, it has succeeded in attracting some of the best tech talent the area has to offer. “Despite the challenges faced over the last year, we managed to successfully transition to a fully remote working environment, and train and onboard more than 30 new local employees. Our Canada-based team currently accounts for almost 20 percent of our global workforce,” says Harp Athwal, Managing Director of Adaptavist Canada and Global Head of Client Services.

In addition, it‘s Montreal team is still growing and recently moved into a new state-of-the-art office in the bustling Mile-Ex neighbourhood, near many of it’s financial, IT and video game creation clients. Expansion in Calgary, Halifax and Ottawa has begun as well.

“We are a well-supported region within a global team, and in turn, strongly support local talent and professional growth within the company,” says Harp Athwal. “Adaptavist is a great place to build and advance a career in flourishing areas including DevOps, while focusing on our mission to help complex organizations transform and find advantage in a climate of constant change.”

Supporting leading Adaptavist global businesses

Established as the number one Atlassian partner in Toronto and the whole of Canada, it delivers services, products and support to businesses that want to improve how they design, develop and manage their software. Adaptavist’s team helps businesses, including half of the Fortune 500, gain competitive advantage from their software and IT, using tools such as Atlassian’s Jira, Confluence, Trello and Bitbucket, as well as Slack and frameworks such as Agile and SAFe. Additionally, Adaptavist also announced within the last year its partnership with platform GitLab, reaffirming its commitment to digital transformation through streamlined DevOps solutions.

With 50 full-time employees and rapidly growing, Adaptavist’s team in Toronto supports some of the leading organizations across sectors including financial, healthcare, travel and retail, such as Sun Life Financial, Sick Kids Foundation, NDI, and Air Canada.

If you’re interested in joining Adaptavist in Toronto, visit www.adaptavist.com/careers to view the latest job opportunities.

Cimlogic is Driving World-Class Manufacturing… and Doing it Right Here in the Toronto Region

Erika Lewis — Sun, 08 Aug 2021 22:23:00 +0000

Cimlogic is a provider of Digital Manufacturing Solutions and Services, with the emphasis on solving business challenges through technology and services. The company uses its unique RAISE™ process to understand its clients’ business requirements, ensuring its solutions are designed to address these, while maximizing ROI and delivering real business value. It operates across the whole manufacturing supply chain, from Operational Technology (OT), Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) to Manufacturing Analytics, Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence.

U.K.-based Cimlogic offers complete manufacturing improvement solutions for businesses to improve efficiency and maximize productivity, with a goal of supporting its clients on their digital manufacturing journey. The company’s strong reputation for customer retention is earned through exceptional customer service, project delivery, and solutions that deliver on expectations and investment. It aspires to be an integral part of its clients’ continuous improvement journey, helping them engage with technology, whilst ensuring value is added at every step of the way.

Introduced to Toronto Global through the Trade Commissioner Service in London, U.K., Cimlogic was looking to expand its presence to provide better support to its existing clients in North America, as well as sought to work with new clients in the Food and Beverage, Consumer Packaged Goods, and Life Sciences sectors, among other innovative industries. Toronto Global assisted in it’s expansion process, providing data and information on the region’s manufacturing sectors, talent, and cost comparisons. Toronto Global made several introductions to service providers, including recruitment and law firms, banks, and real estate professionals, as well as provided advice on recruitment and talent acquisition.

In the Toronto Region, Cimlogic will deliver digital manufacturing solutions and services through MES, OT, Predictive Manufacturing, Manufacturing Analytics, and support services throughout the North American manufacturing market. It already has considerable international experience, with 400+ production system deployments across 18 countries, offering multi-language support across different time zones. This move highlights it’s commitment to supporting its manufacturing clients on a global scale.

The Toronto Region served as the ideal location for it to serve and support its existing clients. The region is also a leader in Food and Beverage, Life Sciences and Energy manufacturing, which presents huge opportunities for Cimlogic’s marketing activity and outreach. Most importantly, the region is rich in culture and innovation, and provides access to a diverse, educated and talented work force – all critical factors in the company’s decision-making process.

About Cimlogic

“Cimlogic is delighted to expand our services to this market and we look forward to helping more manufacturers become digital factories of the future! It’s primary focus is to establish long-term trusted partnerships with our clients and provide maximum business value, and this expansion will enable it to excel at this, whilst strengthening our position as experts in the field of Digital Manufacturing.”

Richard Stone, Managing Director at Cimlogic

Happy Canada Day, Sudrania!

Erika Lewis — Wed, 30 Jun 2021 22:21:00 +0000

This Happy Canada Day, we have so many reasons to celebrate. As we emerge from this pandemic andfi embark on a road to recovery, Canada, and the Toronto Region remain top-of-mind for international investors. Our message remains the same: we grow, attract, and retain talent like no other.

Just ask Sudrania Fund Services (“Sudrania”)! This Canada Day is extra special for them, as the company celebrates its five year anniversary and its first expansion to the Canadian market. Sudrania is a global fund administrator based in Chicago, serving the global investment fund management community with its Seamless platform, a cloud-based fund administration application that integrates portfolio, fund accounting and investor reporting. In five short years, the company has grown to 600 employees, serving over 500 clients, globally.

Sudrania is wasting no time in scaling up its operations in Toronto. The company has found the talent it needs, and quickly, with five people currently employed and plans to hire 20-25 people by the end of 2021. The growth that Sudrania has experienced in the last five years is a testament to the company’s client servicing and flexibility.

The pandemic has accelerated digital transformation, pushing companies over the technology tipping point, and changing business forever. Sudrania didn’t miss a beat, transitioning its workforce to a work-from-home model in fewer than 48 hours. The company capitalized on the opportunity to disrupt the financial services industry – one that had remained predominantly office-based. Sudrania’s expansion to Toronto represents a strategic market for growth. With our location in the Eastern time zone, immigration-friendly policies, strong financial services sector, and access to a wealth of global talent, Sudrania expects its Toronto office to amplify its already tremendous growth.

About Happy Canada Day

“We see our Toronto location as pivotal to achieving our goal of becoming a dominant global fund administrator,”said Nilesh Sudrania, Co-Founder and CEO, Sudrania. “We have been very impressed with the level of talent available in Toronto and the impact the team has made already. Overall, we have fantastic representation with a presence in India, the U.S. and now, Canada.”

The Toronto Region talent story is well-worn for good reason. To grow, financial technology companies like Sudrania need people, and there’s no better place to be than in the fastest growing financial market in North America.

We welcome Sudrania to the Toronto Region and join the team in celebrating its first-ever Canada Day!

NuScale Sees Unique Opportunity to Invest in Durham Region’s Energy Innovation Sector

Erika Lewis — Thu, 17 Jun 2021 20:12:00 +0000

NuScale’s mission is to provide scalable advanced nuclear technology for the production of electricity, heat, and clean water to improve the quality of life for people around the world. The company works to create an energy source that is smarter, cleaner, safer, and cost competitive.

We spoke to Nuscale about the future of nuclear energy as a sustainable source of power, and the unique investment opportunities that Ontario and Durham Region provide for companies in the energy innovation sector, such as Nuscale.

Nuclear power has been around for several decades, but in recent years the popular emergence of small modular reactors (SMRs) has buoyed the future of nuclear energy. What are SMRs, and why are they having a moment and gaining traction in the U.S. and Canada?

Small Modular Reactor (SMR) generally refers to a nuclear reactor that is smaller (app. in the size range from 50 MWe to 300 MWe) than a reactor found in a traditional nuclear power plant, is able to be fully fabricated in a factory, offers innovative features and functionality, including the benefit of increased flexibility in size, design, and output (load following), as compared to traditional nuclear reactors and improved safety performance. SMRs all have variable capabilities. NuScale has the only U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission-approved SMR design for the operation of flexible, safe, and zero carbon small modular nuclear energy reactor. For Ontario, our design is small and nimble enough to adjust the output from the facility to integrate with renewables and match peak consumption, resulting in a more resilient and stable electricity system for customers.

We are excited about the continued significant global interest in SMRs and estimate the market size to be over $100 billion by 2035.

Post-pandemic, we’re working towards building back better in the Toronto Region. A critical component of this is building back greener. What’s the role for nuclear power and SMRs in the fight against climate change?

Many studies have shown that achieving climate goals simply cannot be done without nuclear energy as part of the equation. Non-emitting resources like solar, wind and hydro power along with nuclear have an important role to play in mitigating climate change. Adding our reliable, flexible, carbon-free energy to the mix provides a complement to Ontario’s fleet of renewable generators, which can make a real difference in achieving climate and emission targets – including Canada’s clean energy goals of achieving 90 percent of electricity coming from non-emitting sources by 2030.

Our plants produce no greenhouse gas emissions during operation, all wastes are accounted for and managed during the entire life cycle of the plant, and a suitable fund is maintained by regulation to pay the cost to decommission the facility at the end of its life. NuScale’s plants have exceptional load following capabilities for grid systems that integrate intermittent wind, solar, and hydro-electric generation, adding the flexibility needed to maintain grid stability no matter the time of day, season, or weather. In a province such as Ontario, where there are already predictions for greater energy demand on the horizon, we believe NuScale’s SMR solution is an ideal fit for building a greener, cleaner economy.

Ontario is a global leader in nuclear power, with almost 60% of the province’s electricity generated by nuclear in 2020. What are some of the unique advantages that Ontario provides businesses in the nuclear energy sector, and how may it benefit NuScale and other companies investing in the nuclear power supply chain?

Canada, and specifically Ontario, has a long history as a world-class leader in nuclear operations with deep operational experience and a well-established supply chain. NuScale is excited about the opportunity to add value to the Ontario market and become a part of this history and experience. We have established engagements with key Canadian stakeholders that we value greatly, including Ontario Power Generation (OPG) and Bruce Power. Building onto and continuing to engage the well-established Ontario supply chain that has been instrumental in the success of the Major Component Refurbishment Projects at OPG and Bruce Power is a win-win for those interested in the long-term economic activity in the region.

NuScale’s engagement with these and other interested stakeholders in Canada reflect a growing enthusiasm across the country for the unique features, capability, and performance of our SMR technology that can meet current and future demand for carbon-free energy. We also see a direct alignment with our smaller power plant solutions designed to give customers more options in terms of size, power output, operational flexibility, and cost, ideal for Ontario’s remote off-grid communities, industrial and government facilities, and customers with clean air mandates.

We maintain strong momentum toward commercialization of our SMR technology and believe that the Ontarian and Canadian markets are well-aligned for implementing our world-class technology.

As a leader in SMR technology and with Durham Region being a hub of nuclear and energy innovation, how does NuScale hope to invest in Durham Region and contribute to the local ecosystem?

Together with our majority owner, Fluor, NuScale has developed an extensive supply chain in Canada for serving both Canadian and global customers. Fluor Canada already invests over $2B annually in Canada supporting projects in eight provinces and territories, with offices in four of those locations including Ontario. Fluor also has extensive partnerships within the province, including supporting Ontario Power Generation (OPG), providing procurement and construction support as part of its refurbishment of the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station and working with the Canadian National Energy Alliance, managing and operating Canadian Nuclear Laboratories.

About NuScale Sees

Additionally, the results of a recent in-house study estimates that localization capability in Canada for NuScale-supplied equipment is greater than 80 percent, including substantial opportunity for nuclear suppliers in Ontario. Durham Region, with its longstanding history and experience in the nuclear sector, is an excellent example of how our local supply chain integration and capabilities can work positively with the innovations already at play in the region to enhance economic benefits and growth.

How Presto Used the Global Talent Stream to Grow in the Toronto Region

Erika Lewis — Tue, 13 Oct 2020 19:41:00 +0000

Presto is transforming the restaurant industry by offering innovative, enterprise-grade technologies. With over 100 million monthly active users and over 300,000 systems shipped across the U.S., Presto is the restaurant industry’s leading enterprise technology platform in North America. Presto recently expanded its operations to the Toronto Region for its globally renowned and growing technology sector and the large pool of highly-skilled candidates that could be recruited through local and international hiring.

Presto was drawn to Canada, particularly to take advantage of the Global Talent Stream (GTS) program – a timely, responsive and client-focused service to help companies access highly-skilled global talent to expand their workforce in Canada. The Global Talent Stream is designed for innovative firms in Canada that require unique and specialized foreign nationals in order to scale-up and grow, as well as firms that need to fill an in-demand highly-skilled position.

For Senior Software Engineer at Presto, Reaz Masud, the process of immigrating from Bangladesh to Canada as part of the Global Talent Stream program could not have been smoother. Masud moved to become part of Presto’s team in Toronto in September 2019.

“I have always wanted to learn more, work with different technologies, and develop large scale software,” says Masud. “Working for Presto, I have everything. There are so many talented engineers here whom I learn from every day. I also want to travel, see different places, and learn about different cultures and I think there are not so many places in the world like Canada, where we can meet so many people from different countries.”

Reaz Masud with the Presto Toronto team

The Global Talent Stream can be likened to the H1-B visa program in the United States, a popular visa for talented individuals seeking employment in technology and other specialty occupations, now suspended for the remainder of the year. However, the Global Talent Stream program boasts advantages such as fast processing times – candidates can be approved in approximately four weeks – and this pathway can help to increase the odds of individuals eventually seeking Canadian permanent residence. Since launching in 2017, the Global Talent Stream has helped to facilitate the arrival of an additional 40,000 tech workers to Canada.

For Masud, his experience with the program was a positive one. Presto took care of most of the necessary paperwork and fees, as well as provided guidance to Masud throughout the application process. Presto even made it a priority to obtain a work permit for Masud’s wife, allowing her to accompany him in Toronto.

Canada’s reputation for being welcoming endures. Even with the coronavirus pandemic affecting travel and immigration worldwide, the Global Talent Stream remains open. Masud’s advice for international applicants is that it’s never too late to apply, as Presto builds out its Toronto team and continues to seek diverse and skilled talent from around the world.

“We try to understand if someone has a basic understanding of software development while hiring engineers. They might have to brush up their problem-solving skills a little bit before appearing for a technical interview. I think it’s important to be confident and communicate effectively. I would say not to worry too much if you cannot solve a problem during the interview as we are always looking for someone who does not give up and keeps trying.”

“Reaz is humble, hardworking and curious to learn and improve the product,” says Milan Dhanani, Sr. Engineer Manager, Presto.

Masud’s first year in Canada has been anything but ordinary, but despite a global pandemic and the chilling winters, he has embraced the sense of community and multicultural environment that Toronto has to offer. In his free time, Reaz loves to listen to music and has started to learn to play the guitar during the pandemic, working his way up to learning a few chords and practicing during his leisure time.

About Presto Used the Global Talent

Reaz also enjoys traveling and adventure sports, including mountain trekking and skydiving.

“I think celebrating diversity is one of the most important factors that made Canada a great
country to live in. I believe that organizations like Presto stand by the same set of beliefs. People from different parts of the world can bring different ideas on the table and can lead us to a way of building excellent technology products for everyone. As we grow, I think it is fundamental to understand the software localization so that we can scale, adapt, and add value to the people’s lifestyle.”

Join Toronto Global and Partners at World Summit AI: Why the Toronto Region is the Leader in Artificial Intelligence

Erika Lewis — Mon, 05 Oct 2020 19:36:00 +0000

Join Toronto Region

The Toronto Region boasts a globally recognized AI ecosystem that encompasses academia, research institutes, and incubators/accelerators. This dynamic environment nurtures innovative companies dedicated to addressing humanity’s most pressing issues through AI technologies. This ecosystem serves as a magnet, drawing talent from diverse backgrounds and geographical locations. Furthermore, it attracts substantial investments from multinational industry leaders such as Uber, IBM, Samsung, and others. This convergence of talent, expertise, and investment propels the region’s AI sector to the forefront of innovation on the world stage.

On October 8th, the World Summit AI will gather the global AI ecosystem of Enterprise, BigTech, Startups, Investors and Science, and the brightest brains in AI to tackle head-on the most burning AI issues and set the global AI agenda. This year, Toronto Global will be a part of a unique collaboration between Invest in Canada, the Trade Commissioner Service in the Netherlands, the Vector Institute and the Region of Durham, showcasing the world’s most innovative companies, talent and researchers solving the biggest AI challenges – all happening in the Toronto Region.

The Toronto Region has emerged as a global hub for pioneering research in deep learning, marking a significant milestone in the evolution of artificial intelligence (AI). Through strategic investment in both public and privately funded research institutes, the region has firmly established itself as a frontrunner in shaping the future landscape of AI technology.

With a concerted effort towards fostering innovation, the Toronto Region has attracted attention on the international stage, serving as a beacon for those dedicated to advancing the frontiers of AI research. The collaborative spirit and commitment to excellence within our leading research institutes have set the stage for groundbreaking discoveries and transformative advancements in the field.

At the heart of this burgeoning ecosystem lies a profound dedication to facilitating meaningful connections between researchers and industry stakeholders. By nurturing a collaborative environment that encourages knowledge exchange and interdisciplinary cooperation, the Toronto Region has become a fertile ground for cultivating synergistic partnerships that drive innovation forward.

From cutting-edge startups to established industry leaders, the region offers unparalleled opportunities for collaboration, providing a rich tapestry of expertise and resources to fuel the development of groundbreaking AI technologies. Whether you’re a seasoned researcher seeking to push the boundaries of possibility or a forward-thinking organization eager to leverage AI-driven solutions, there’s no better place to find the best minds and resources than the Toronto Region.

As we continue to chart the course towards a future shaped by AI, the Toronto Region stands at the forefront of this transformative journey. With its vibrant ecosystem, world-class research institutes, and unwavering commitment to excellence, the region remains poised to lead the way in unlocking the full potential of artificial intelligence for the betterment of society and the advancement of human knowledge.

At the Summit, we will be joined by the Vector Institute, a globally recognized corporation dedicated to research in the field of AI, excelling in machine and deep learning. Led by Chief Scientific Advisor and ‘Godfather of AI’ Geoffrey Hinton, the Vector Institute is establishing the Toronto Region as a global epicentre for R&D in AI. Backed by more than USD $120 million in public and corporate funding, Vector is driving educational change to meet emerging market needs. The Institute’s collaboration with industry, academia, and government is turning us into the world’s leading producer of deep learning graduates. Notable corporate partners include Google, Shopify, Loblaws, Accenture, Thomson Reuters, Magna International, NVIDIA, Uber, Air Canada, and all five major Canadian banks.

About Toronto Region

We are thrilled to collaborate with our esteemed colleagues from the Region of Durham, including representatives from Ontario Tech University. Situated in the bustling manufacturing hub of Durham Region, the Durham College Hub for Applied Research in Artificial Intelligence for Business Solutions (the AI Hub) provides industry partners with invaluable resources. From cutting-edge technical expertise to state-of-the-art facilities and platforms, the AI Hub empowers companies to harness the power of artificial intelligence for enhanced productivity and sustainable growth. By fostering close collaboration with industry stakeholders, the Hub is dedicated to tackling specific AI challenges and driving innovation forward.

Are you feeling any #FOMO yet? Come visit us in the Toronto Region and get in on the action.

We’re looking forward to meeting you…virtually! Join us at our #WSAI20 Virtual Booth on October 8th from 8:30 – 11:30 EST (14:30 – 17:30 CET) and connect with us to learn more about the opportunities for your business here in the Toronto Region.

Click here for discounted tickets to World Summit AI.

Presto Has Arrived in the Toronto Region to Transform the Restaurant Industry

Erika Lewis — Fri, 28 Aug 2020 19:33:00 +0000

Presto modernizes restaurant dining-rooms, enhancing the guest dining experience, streamlining operations, and increasing its clients’ brand value. With it, diners can order food, provide feedback, play games, and pay their bill at the table, without waiting. The system includes not only specialized hardware, but also a complete software solution designed to meet the specialized needs of restaurants.

Toronto Global began working with the restaurant after direct outreach to the company prior to a mission to the San Francisco Bay Area. Presto chose to expand to the Toronto Region for its globally renowned and growing technology sector.

The company was also drawn to the large pool of highly-skilled candidates that could be recruited through local and international hiring. Toronto Global worked with the restaurant, facilitating introductions to a host of service providers, including incorporation, real estate, immigration, finance and accounting.

“Our experience with Toronto Global has been excellent,” says Ashima Suri, Head of Toronto Operations, Presto. “The staff have been helpful in meeting the current needs of our company and connecting us to the right resources. The partnership we have with Toronto Global has been pivotal in our success here in Toronto.”

The company recently launched a free Contactless Dining Kit for restaurants, including locations in Toronto such as Pizzeria Defina, offering contactless menu display, ordering and payment technology solutions.

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, restaurants are currently reopening their dining rooms and struggling to find ways to take orders and payments in a socially distant, contact-free manner. Available completely free to any restaurant and designed to be set up within an hour, the restaurant Contactless Dining Kit was created to specifically help restaurants navigate the new government guidelines, as well as new guest and staff expectations for safety and sanitation.

The Contactless Dining Kit is customizable based on restaurant needs and works for restaurants in all categories—full service, quick serve, and more.

About Presto

Presto is continuing to find ways to help restaurants make their guests and staff feel safe in the age of COVID-19, while remaining profitable and delivering an outstanding guest experience.

“I’ve opened up offices for international companies all over North America, but Toronto stands out from the crowd as a city that encourages and actively supports innovation and has a diverse global workforce that understands international business,” says Martin Cooke, VP of People, the restaurant.

“The academic institutions turn out a talent pool that is top-tier and the quality of life and excellent social infrastructure of the city help me ensure that my employees also have a great place to work, learn and grow in a vibrant tech community. I am delighted that we have the opportunity to create another tech success story for Toronto.”

moneycorp Breaks into the Canadian Market with Expansion into the Toronto Region

Erika Lewis — Thu, 13 Aug 2020 19:32:00 +0000

Since 1979, the moneycorp Group has served the growing foreign exchange and payment needs of global businesses, online sellers and personal clients.

moneycorp offers a state of the art online payments portal, while providing its customers the ability to mitigate their foreign exchange risk through a sophisticated suite of FX hedging solutions.

With operations across the globe, this
Online Money Transfer is a leading provider of global payments and currency risk management, delivering high touch service and customized products that put its customers’ business first.

moneycorp’s North American operations has served clients in the U.S. for over two decades, focused on private clients’ money transfers, corporate risk management and global payments solutions.

The company’s recent expansion into the Toronto Region marks a major step in this
Online Money Transfer’s global expansion plans to provide a comprehensive and unique offering to the market.

The Canadian market was attractive to moneycorp for a number of factors. Over 80% of businesses in Canada have some form of foreign exchange requirement and Canadian businesses are particularly savvy in mitigating and eliminating currency risk exposure – a core competency of
Online Money Transfer.

Finally, the decision was strengthened by the high caliber of experienced talent in the industry, located right here in the Toronto Region.
moneycorp was referred to Toronto Global through a service provider in the financial services sector and we worked with the company to deliver an overview of the Toronto Region’s business ecosystem. Toronto Global provided

Online Money Transfer with guidance on the process of setting up a subsidiary in the Toronto Region, as well as insights on employee benefits in Ontario and information on relevant local conferences and events.

The company will work with private clients, such as high-net-worth individuals looking for real estate purchases in the U.S. and abroad. For corporate clients, risk management hedging solutions are essential in these volatile currency markets and moneycorp has a team of seasoned FX specialists ready to meet clients’ business objectives by providing strategies that mitigate foreign exchange exposure.

A dedicated payments team will help companies access the intuitive trading platform, moneycorp online, which streamlines and integrates global payment processing.

About moneycorp

“There are some fantastic cities and areas of Canada, and I have been very fortunate to have traveled throughout Canada during my career, but Toronto is easily my most favourite city,” said Bob Dowd, Chief Executive Officer, Moneycorp North America.

“I know it best as I traveled for business for a week each and every month for over twenty years. I am blessed to have worked with colleagues and customers that grew into life-long friends. Those friendships and memories are all based in Toronto.”

Kalamuna Brings its Transformative Tech Services to the Toronto Region

Erika Lewis — Wed, 24 Jun 2020 19:29:00 +0000

Before Kalamuna, each of its employees worked with causes that meant something to them. They worked with political campaigns and arts organizations and every other kind of endeavour that means something to people. And at some point, they decided to apply their skills in technology, communications and design to these causes—to work on something bigger together.

The Kalamuna Team

Kalamuna partners with socially impactful institutions, associations, agencies and government to help solve today’s most pressing problems. They empower clients like Fair Trade USA, the American Foundation for the Blind, and UC Berkeley with the research, strategy, design and technology that will transform their organizations so that they can better serve the needs of their communities.

“Technology is something that we want to put at the service of a cause, it’s not the driving force behind what we’re providing,” said Andrew Mallis, CEO and Co-Founder, Kalamuna.

Andrew Mallis, CEO and Co-Founder, Kalamuna

Mallis chose to move back home to Toronto after a decade living in the San Francisco Bay Area for a mix of personal and professional reasons. The ability to conduct business here in the Toronto Region was impactful in the decision, along with the relative costs of living and doing business in Toronto versus San Francisco. The expansion to the Toronto Region presented an interesting opportunity to create social change and the great acceleration in technology innovation in the region was an additional draw for investment.

After being introduced through mutual contacts at Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC), Toronto Global set up a full program of meetings for Kalamuna in Toronto and facilitated connections to the necessary legal, financial accounting and banking services in the Toronto Region, as well as provided information on office spaces, conferences, and events to attend for further business development.

“It’s nice to come back here and work with Toronto Global to see the intersection of different levels of government help lift up business. It’s not the kind of organization that would really exist and flourish state-side,” said Mallis.

About Kalamuna

Coming to Canada, Kalamuna is poised to invest more in research and development to create a space of incubation and idea generation that will help to address societal problems in a more proactive way. Kalamuna is already working with clients in Canada such as Action Canada for Sexual Health & Rights and the Centre for Social Innovation. With a goal to build out, ‘Kalamuna Labs’ in the future, centred in Toronto, the company is looking to forge partnerships with governments, non-profits and academia to build collaborative models. To realize this goal, Kalamuna’s growth and expansion in the Toronto Region has just begun and the company continues to hire to meet the demand.

“We’re answering the call and the challenge that’s posed to us by our clients. We want to get ahead of the curve or, better yet, build the curve.”

Click here to learn more about Kalamuna’s pledge to stand against injustice and inequality and what the company is doing to support the movement.