Wavefront is a not-for-profit organization that has been active on the West Coast since 2009. It's now embarking on a national expansion, establishing a presence in Toronto, Montreal, Waterloo and the nation's capital.
CEO James Maynard says Wavefront focuses on removing the "friction points" wireless firms encounter in commercializing apps by providing companies with mentoring, connections to customers and other resources.
One tangible example comes from a partnership with wireless giant Ericsson allowing developers to use the Swedish company's network to test applications while they are under development.
"When they come out of that they can say they have been scaled and certified in an Ericsson-managed network," says Mr. Maynard.
For its part, Ericsson benefits from the exposure to the some of the city's rising startups, says Larry Murat, Ericsson's vice-president of R&D for the next generation of wireless standards known as LTE, or long-term evolution.
He adds that he hopes to increase entrepreneurs' chances of success by making his company's networks available.
"It helps (companies) de-risk their development, to take the unknowns out of the equation ... so when they do go and gauge the operators, those problems are already solved."
Wavefront will also establish a mobile handset library at OCRI's Aberdeen Street location where, for a nominal fee, firms can test applications on different models. Creating a similar cache of devices in Vancouver saved that city's wireless community close to $1 million last year, according to Mr. Maynard. Lessening the financial burden means companies won't need to raise as much through financing rounds, he adds.
The library should be in place by March, says OCRI president and CEO Bruce Lazenby. Ericsson's network should be available in a matter of weeks.
Mr. Maynard says the organization will connect companies with potential Canadian and international clients. It
will also provide mentoring with high-profile executives from companies such as Rogers.
Wavefront's vice-president of Eastern Region is Hélène Joncas, an Ottawa resident with experience working with Nortel and several startups. She says the first order of business is to discover the needs of the city's wireless companies and tailor the organization's services accordingly.
Ms. Joncas says Wavefront will work with OCRI as a partner and avoid duplicating services and competing with the economic development agency.
Mr. Lazenby says he wants to make sure Ottawa receives its fair share of Wavefront's expanded Canadian presence, given Ottawa's sizable wireless sector in comparison to other cities such as Montreal.
