Reimagining Systems for People — Three remarkable companies stand out as winners of $20,000 each.
Following the launch of the first London Innovation Challenge, TechAlliance, alongside an adjudication panel of London industry leaders have selected Caring Support, Locorum, and Zersent as the winners of the first Challenge. These three companies each have a unique focus on what it means to Reimagine Systems for People and address system inequities with innovation. In addition to advisory support through TechAlliance’s venture growth team, each company will receive $20,000 to advance their innovation and contribute to London’s economic recovery.
Focusing on inclusivity to drive sustainable growth, these three ventures represent a variety of sectors including health care, equitable talent acquisition, and small business support.
Caring Support, founded by Joseph Jongsma, is a dedicated healthcare employment platform transforming the hiring process in the industry. By going directly to the source – post secondary healthcare education programs, they are reimagining the healthcare hiring process. By developing this end of the business, Caring Support can capture the full funnel of healthcare workers seeking equitable and inclusive workplaces.
Locorum, spearheaded by Co-Founder and CEO Jeff Duke, removes the barriers to entry for entrepreneurs wanting to start a small local business. Locorum is a business rewards platform for local merchants. Their goal is to expand locally, foster entrepreneurship at every level, and reach more business owners in London that can benefit from barriers to market entry.
Zersent, led by Founder and CEO Aniket Bhatt, is a digital tool powered by AI and machine learning, to facilitate inclusive and equitable hiring practices in any organization. The software highlights and removes cultural insensitivities, biases, and misused language from job postings to ensure inclusivity remains at the forefront of the talent acquisition process. To reimagine these systems, Zersent will host digital training sessions with London employers to understand the concept of equitable hiring, and the value that lies within a system like this.
“The adjudicators came together and prioritized disruptive and innovative businesses that are strategically focused on fostering change” shares Christina Fox, CEO of TechAlliance of Southwestern Ontario. “These champions have a deep understanding of what it means to innovate for London. Not only are they disrupting industries, they also embody TechAlliance values of being bold, impactful, and real, all of which drive immediate and equitable growth and prosperity in our local innovation economy.”
London Innovation Challenge Two launches November 22, 2021.
Read more about Challenge One: Reimagine Systems for People recipients here: www.techalliance.ca/londoninnovationchallenge