Ottawa startup helps to protect fellow entrepreneurs and firms in Canada’s capital while scaling-up across the country
November 10, 2021 – OTTAWA, ON – CANImmunize, a leading digital immunization solution provider; Invest Ottawa, lead economic development agency for knowledge-based industries; and Bayview Yards, Ottawa’s one-stop-business acceleration shop, are rolling out CANImmunize Shield at Ottawa’s innovation hub.
Invest Ottawa and Bayview Yards are using this digital immunization tool to track and report vaccinations to facilitate and manage the safe return of entrepreneurs and companies to their 50,000-foot facility at Bayview Station Road. CANImmunize Shield is helping these organizations deliver on updated pandemic protocols they have established and keep the entrepreneurial community they serve healthy and safe.
CANImmunize collaborated closely with Invest Ottawa and Bayview Yards on implementation and officially launched CANImmunize Shield at the innovation hub in October. At Bayview Yards, more than 100 people are currently using this digital tool to report full vaccination status as part of a safe and managed ‘return to office’ initiative.
Developed by Ottawa-based CANImmunize, CANImmunize Shield is a cloud-based solution that helps organizations protect their workers and the public and safely stay open by:
- Collecting vaccination records;
- Prioritizing and maintaining consent, privacy and the security of personal health data in accordance with current privacy regulations;
- Encouraging vaccine uptake with intelligent secure messaging; and
- Actively tracking vaccination rates to inform decision-making.
A high-growth homegrown startup, CANImmunize is a company that has benefitted directly from programs and services delivered by Invest Ottawa to scale up across the country. The rollout of their digital immunization solution creates a unique opportunity for CANImmunize to help protect fellow founders and firms at Bayview Yards.
“We are committed to keeping the entrepreneurs, companies and community we serve healthy and safe, during and beyond the pandemic,” said Michael Tremblay, President and CEO of Invest Ottawa, Bayview Yards and Area X.O. “CANImmunize is helping us to achieve these goals while driving our economic recovery. Founded here in Canada’s Capital, this Ottawa tech startup is implementing its novel solution coast to coast. They are achieving national economic, social and health impact while building our regional economy. We are proud to collaborate with CANImmunize and deploy their made-in-Ottawa solution at Bayview Yards.”
“We are thrilled to partner with Invest Ottawa, which has been a major support in helping CANImmunize scale as we develop digital vaccination solutions for Canadians through this difficult time,” says Dr. Kumanan Wilson, CEO CANImmunize. “Knowing who is vaccinated in workplaces will be key to protecting employees and customers as more people return to in-person work. CANImmunize Shield is designed to help protect both vaccinated and unvaccinated employees, which will reduce preventable illness, keep workplaces safe and open and protect the community. Our system can help stop outbreaks before they happen.”
“I’m a huge fan of CANImmunize and the digital solution they’ve created,” said Nick Quain, Vice President of Venture Development, Invest Ottawa. “We were supporting their team before COVID-19, so it has been impressive to watch them scale so rapidly through the pandemic. And now to see the traction, revenue growth and impact this team is achieving, it’s incredibly exciting.”
“We are helping businesses and organizations in Ottawa and across Canada securely manage the risk of COVID-19,” says Alicia St. Hill, Vice President, Business Development, CANImmunize. “Our team is committed to helping businesses reopen and operate safely. We have the tools and know-how to implement these new measures privately and securely and scale to companies of all sizes.”
“After 20 months of working from home, the team was thrilled to have the opportunity to safely work together once again in the great collaborative environment Invest Ottawa provides at Bayview,” said Dave McIlhagga, Founder and CEO, MapSherpa, an IO Accelerator client company at Bayview Yards. “The CANImmunize App made the process seamless, ensured our team’s personal data was protected, and gave us the confidence that everyone in the building would be vaccinated as well.”
“We are thrilled to see an Ottawa-based company, CANImmunize, equipping entrepreneurs and businesses supported by Invest Ottawa and Bayview Yards with an important tool as they strive to protect employees, stay operational and contribute to the economic growth of our region,” says Sueling Ching, President and CEO, Ottawa Board of Trade. “The rollout of the CANImmunize Shield tool addresses these shared goals. Over the last few months, we collaborated closely on the distribution of rapid COVID-19 test kits to local businesses. The rollout of this digital immunization tool is another critical step will propel founders and firms in the Capital forward safely.”
About CANImmunize
CANImmunize is an Ottawa-based technology company specializing in immunization software and 2021 recipient of the CANHealth Network’s Company of the Year award. It developed the CANImmunize app, a pan-Canadian digital immunization tracking system that helps Canadians keep track of their vaccinations with a mobile app and web portal. The team offers digital solutions to businesses, health care organizations and governments for vaccinations and tracking for the COVID-19 vaccine and other immunization needs. For additional information, please visit: www.canimmunize.ca.
About Invest Ottawa
Invest Ottawa is the lead economic development agency for knowledge-based industries in Canada’s Capital, facilitating economic growth and job creation in Ottawa. Guided by a vision to help realize Ottawa’s full potential as a globally recognized, innovative, inclusive, and future-ready city, Invest Ottawa delivers venture development, global expansion and talent programs and services that catalyze the growth and success of entrepreneurs and firms. These include small business training, mentorship, acceleration for technology firms, foreign business and investment attraction, local business retention and expansion in targeted sectors, commercialization, and marketing Ottawa’s diversified economy and high quality of life. Invest Ottawa is also the founder and manager of Area X.O, the futureplex of innovation and collaboration. Since 2012, Invest Ottawa has worked with thousands of startups, scale-ups and SMEs; helped firms to attract more than $992 million in capital; contributed to the creation of more than 11,178 jobs; and attracted more than $1 billion in domestic and Foreign Direct Investment. For additional information, please visit: investottawa.ca
About Bayview Yards
Bayview Yards is Ottawa’s one-stop business acceleration shop and the first entrepreneurial hub of its kind in Canada’s National Capital Region. An epicentre for job creation, Bayview Yards serves as basecamp for some of Ottawa’s greatest homegrown technology talent, capabilities, and companies. It is the ultimate mash-up of technological, business and market capabilities that help entrepreneurs and firms to launch, grow and thrive. Leveraging $38 million from the City of Ottawa, Province of Ontario, and the Government of Canada, and more than $1.3 million from founding sponsors, Bayview Yards brings together many organizations that provide services and support to entrepreneurs and firms.
This includes Invest Ottawa, anchor tenant and strategic partner, which delivers its economic development programs and works with fellow academic, public, and private sector partners. Harnessing the power of these partnerships, Bayview Yards assembles many ingredients for commercial success under one roof. These include incubation and meeting space; business programs, services, and support; prototyping tools and technologies; market linkages; and access to investment. These offerings work together to accelerate business growth and success and stimulate new jobs and wealth creation in the Ottawa economy. For more information, please visit: www.bayviewyards.org
Media Contacts
Kim Barnhardt
Communications Lead
CANImmunize
Sonya Shorey
Vice President, Strategy, Marketing and Communications
Invest Ottawa, Bayview Yards and Area X.O
Cell: 613.851.9416
Photo 1: The CANImmunize team celebrates the rollout of their award-winning digital immunization tracking tool with Invest Ottawa and Bayview Yards to support the safe return of entrepreneurs and companies to Ottawa’s innovation hub.
Left to right: Nick Quain, Vice President, Venture Development, Invest Ottawa; Kathryn Denize, Senior Product Manager; Alicia St. Hill, Vice President, Business Development; and Dr. Kumanan Wilson, CEO, all of CANImmunize.
Photo 2: Launched in October, CANImmunize Shield is helping Invest Ottawa and Bayview Yards track and report vaccinations and keep the entrepreneurial community they serve healthy and safe.
Left to right: Nick Quain, Vice President, Venture Development; Megan Maltby, Manager, IO Accelerator, Invest Ottawa; Dr. Kumanan Wilson, CEO, and Alicia St. Hill, Vice President, Business Development, CANImmunize; Lisa Hewston, Senior Manager, Infrastructure Services, Invest Ottawa and Bayview Yards; Marissa DiNardo, Community Engagement Specialist, Invest Ottawa; and Kathryn Denize, Senior Product Manager, CANImmunize.