Toronto was represented well today at the DEMO Spring 2011 event in Palm Desert with Guardly, Thoora, Trendspottr, and Viafoura all getting some solid coverage on VentureBeat.
- Conrad Egusa covered Guardly’s application that allows smartphone users who find themselves in an emergency situation to alert, connect, and then collaborate with their personal safety network and authorities with one tap.
- Cody Barbierri wrote up Thoora’s content aggregation and curation platform that helps consumers and businesses find and share relevant, original content.
- Anthony Ha reported on TrendSpottr’s real-time search tool that automatically curates and filters content and helps users find the hottest content on social networks.
- Anthony Ha was at it again blogging about Viafoura’s commenting system for publishers that incorporates text, audio, and video.
The four Toronto startups represent different routes to DEMO. While TrendSpottr is small, self-funded, and still in beta, Thoora has 14 employees and has secured an undisclosed amount of funding from Rogers Ventures. Viafoura is a MaRS client and working with advisors there to refine their model, increase awareness and connect with the VC community.
Guardly is somewhere in the middle with 4 employees and a CEO who previously worked at the BlackBerry Partners Fund and RBC Venture Partners. Want to get a feel for DEMO – check out Guardly CEO Josh Sookman presenting:
