Invest Ottawa is proud to celebrate serial entrepreneur, investor, author, and community leader Rob Imbeault and his latest venture, Backboard.io.. With this new venture, Rob is once again demonstrating the strength of Ottawa’s innovation ecosystem, building not only companies but communities – and creating new opportunities to shape the future of AI.
Rob’s entrepreneurial journey spans decades and multiple industries. He is the co-founder of Assent, now one of Canada’s SaaS unicorns; the founder of 10Count; and an angel investor who has supported and mentored countless startups in Ottawa and across Canada, including Yellowbird Diagnostics, App8, and Heartee Foods – an agritech firm currently scaling at the Ottawa Smart Farm powered by FCC at Area X.O.
Backboard.io: A Platform Built for Developers
Rob’s latest vision, Backboard.io, is a powerful new platform designed to give developers a single API to access more than 400 large language models (LLMs), equipped with infinite secure memory and privacy by design. By removing integration barriers and embedding security from the start, Backboard.io has the potential to transform how teams and industries embed AI into their solutions safely, seamlessly, and at scale.
“Rob’s story is proof that when founders lead with purpose, they don’t simply elevate their companies, but entire communities,” Invest Ottawa President and CEO Sonya Shorey said in a recent post. “His investments, mentorship, and leadership continue to shape Ottawa’s innovation ecosystem. And his new venture will propel homegrown AI expertise, ingenuity and impact into the global market.”
A Developing Opportunity
In a recent post, Rob is now inviting developers to join Backboard.io’s Alpha. This is a unique opportunity to help shape a groundbreaking platform at the intersection of AI, privacy, and scalable software design. Developers who participate will provide critical feedback that informs the next wave of AI adoption globally.
- For more information on Blackboard.io and the Alpha opportunity, visit Rob’s recent post here.
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