“Seniorpreneurs,” MaRS’s new gamified energy apps, and other encouraging launches
by The CommerceLab — Dec 2 '13
Every Monday, CommerceLab brings you a roundup of all the gamification, user experience and interactive display news that’s fit to print. (Or the stuff we liked best, anyway.)
Is Canada an unproductive nation? According to a story in the Financial Post last week, the answer is a resounding yes. But there’s a silver lining. The story asserts that Canada is rich in technology resources like brainpower and existing research—all of which are ripe for investment. Canada is primed for a wave of tech startups, and investors should start making them happen.
And it’s not just young people we should be investing in. If this boomer has his way, “seniorpreneurs” might just be the way of the future.
It looks like some VCs are already heeding the call to action. In extremely encouraging startup news last week, OMERS Ventures and the Ontario Centres of Excellence launched OneEleven, an accelerator aimed at entrepreneurs who require access to big data and high-performance computing. The aim is to foster a community of new tech ventures by sharing access to research and information. Plus, it’s located just a few floors below Google Canada’s HQ in Toronto.
More news out of Toronto incubators: MaRS Discovery District announced that it will be deploying four—yeah, four!—new apps to help Ontarians manage energy consumption. By gamifying energy usage, they’re hoping consumers become more aware of their environmental footprint.
Still not convinced this interactive stuff works? A case study out of the UK suggests otherwise. Digital signage company ComQi installed digital screens in a handful of British McDonalds and tracked the results. They’re now claiming sales are up 11 per cent as a direct result.
And finally, the Globe and Mail’s much-heralded (and somewhat confusing) “documentary game” Fort McMoney went live last Monday. We’re not sure what to make of it, exactly, but it’s an intriguing combination of interactive design and traditional storytelling that’s worth exploring.
