Five technology startups, having grown their businesses to a global scale, graduate today from Genesis’ three-year flagship incubator program, Enterprise.

Genesis is Memorial University’s award-winning innovation hub.

The five companies are Avalon Holographics, HeyOrca, Mysa, Linxpot and NOCLAND.

Genesis’ Enterprise incubator program is designed to help high-growth technology companies reach the global market. Startups in this program have access to a wide range of resources and programs, including office space, mentorship and tech services.

“On behalf of the entire Memorial community, I offer my congratulations to these five companies who show extraordinary promise after their years at Genesis,” said Dr. Gary Kachanoski, president and vice-chancellor, Memorial University. “Our emphasis on innovation and entrepreneurship is extremely important, and these remarkable success stories point directly to the impact Memorial is having on our province and beyond.”

Both the federal and provincial governments are strong supporters of Genesis.

“On behalf of the Government of Canada, let me congratulate today's graduating companies, who will take full advantage of their Genesis experience by building successful companies right here in Newfoundland and Labrador,” said Nick Whalen, member of Parliament, St. John’s East. “Your tenacity and entrepreneurial spirit and the tools and guidance provided by Genesis are a solid track for turning ideas into successful and prosperous business ventures.”

“We know the importance of building and strengthening our emerging tech sector, and Genesis is a key driver of innovation and an essential partner in our province’s economic future,” said Christopher Mitchelmore, minister, Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation. “These graduates will play a role in The Way Forward’s Business Innovation Agenda by helping to expand the innovative capacity of our province. I congratulate the five graduating companies for their ingenuity and expertise, and look forward to learning more about their entrepreneurial journey. I am proud of our government’s commitment to creating an environment where innovators and entrepreneurs can flourish. We were there for them in Genesis, and we will be there supporting their continued growth to create jobs and economic opportunities for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.”

About the businesses

Avalon Holographics is developing next generation display technology that will solve many of the problems 3D, volumetric, and holographic displays currently have. The company, which was founded by Wally Haas, began the Enterprise program in 2015. Mr. Haas built Avalon Holographics on the heels of Avalon Microelectronics, a company that also graduated from the Enterprise program and was acquired by Alterra in 2010.

“Being a part of Genesis is a special privilege and was as enjoyable the second time around as the first,” said Mr. Haas. “The value for, not just me, but for all the employees of Avalon, is really fantastic.”

HeyOrca is a software tool purpose-built for marketing agencies to plan and organize social media content. The platform allows users to communicate in real-time with their team and share social media content with any external party. HeyOrca is led by founders Joe Teo and Sahand Seifi; the company joined Genesis in 2015.

Linxpot works as the ultimate online toolbox, allowing organizations and companies to fully manage their daily activities. The program tracks an entire company's workflow and communication and business processes through one interface. The company joined Genesis in 2015.

‘’We are glad Linxpot is contributing to the local economy by supporting non-profit organizations and enterprises,” said Ivana Drcec, Linxpot founder. “Over the last couple of years, our platform locally managed some 500 volunteers, 650 employees and more than 1,900 projects. Also, approximately 3,800 events and 140,000 e-documents have been created in the system so far. As we continue to grow globally, we are looking forward to working with more and more enterprises and organizations by allowing them to focus on what matters the most: their business.’’

Mysa is the first product developed by Empowered Homes Inc. and is the first smart thermostat system designed for homes with electric baseboard heating. It allows the user to automate home heating needs, providing environmental and cost-saving benefits. Mysa is led by brothers Joshua Green and Zachary Green; Mysa joined Genesis in 2016.

NOCLAND works as an extension of their customers in a consultative manner to ensure success of their solutions and provides years of experience in designing robust network configurations. It is a fully equipped, 24/7 network management operation centre for remote management proactive device and network monitoring for organizations of all sizes. NOCLAND is led by Stephen Finn, who joined Enterprise in 2014.

“Being a part of the Genesis community, surrounded by other startups and entrepreneurs, and having access to their support systems and mentorship networks, was invaluable in accelerating NOCLAND to where we are today,” said Mr. Finn. “NOCLAND will continue to employ lessons learned from our time at Genesis as we continue to grow our business and revolutionize customer service in the telecom industry.” 

About Genesis

Since its establishment more than two decades ago, Genesis has helped more than 200 startups raise more than $95 million in private investments. Genesis alumni are among some of the top companies in Canada, including Rutter Technologies, Verafin, Virtual Marine and Genoa Design. To learn more about Genesis and its innovative programming, visit here.

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For more information, please contact Megan Dobbin, community engagement co-ordinator, Genesis, at 709-864-4721 or megan.dobbin@genesiscentre.ca.