MaRS’ JOLT accelerator announced today the latest group of companies to join its growing portfolio of startups.
“Next-level tech and boundary-pushing innovation have become hallmarks of Toronto’s JOLT accelerator, and Cohort four is no exception,” wrote the accelerator.
JOLT said that since its launch in July 2012, it has produced 17 startups that have successfully raised $7.5M of financing. Its portfolio now stands at 23 companies, with 38 percent mobile/platforms; 35 percent eCommerce and consumer web; 17 percent SaaS; and 10 percent IoT / hardware.
“We’re excited to welcome six new startups to our existing portfolio, four of which are woman-led,” said executive director Susan McGill. “We look forward to helping these entrepreneurs build global entities by leveraging our expertise, programming and active community of world-class partners and entrepreneurs.”
Here are the six startups to watch in 2014:
PostBeyond – PostBeyond’s enterprise-ready platform helps distribute approved content to thousands of employees quickly and easily to enable them to build business on social.
Think Dirty – Think Dirty educates consumers about potential toxic ingredients and empowers ingredient-conscious consumers to make the safest and healthiest choices.
tBOT – tBOT makes personalized loose-leaf tea through robotics — anywhere, anytime. Ever find yourself craving that perfect cup of tea on-the-go? tBOT’s automated kiosks blend, bag and serve your tea your way.
SilverDart Learning – SilverDart Learning develops game-based mobile apps for high school math and science curriculums. The company provides curriculum-based education content in an app gaming environment that is both familiar and engaging to students.
Peekapak – Peekapak creates a children’s monthly subscription kit, taking children on a storytelling adventure and challenging them to build ‘play props’ that extend the adventure into their world.
SKE Labs – SKE Labs makes sensory awareness and cloud-based connected devices that enable users to access information, personalize content and shop with zero-touch.
The accelerator also announced that it has expanded its program partners to include “some of the world’s top technology companies.” JOLT is the first Canadian accelerator to partner with PayPal’s global startup program, Startup Blueprint.
Last week BetaKit guest poster Simon Burns, a Silicon Valley-based entrepreneur, took exception to some of JOLT’s claims of post-program success among portfolio companies. That article can be read here.