Startup. Computer Science / en Look what happens when researchers from one of the world's top ten computer science departments launch a startup /news/look-what-happens-when-researchers-one-worlds-top-ten-computer-science-departments-launch-cool-start <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Look what happens when researchers from one of the world's top ten computer science departments launch a startup</span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>sgupta</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2015-01-26T06:29:16-05:00" title="Monday, January 26, 2015 - 06:29" class="datetime">Mon, 01/26/2015 - 06:29</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item"> Professor Craig Boutilier and Tyler Lu</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/elizabeth-monier-williams" hreflang="en">Elizabeth Monier-Williams</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Elizabeth Monier-Williams</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/top-stories" hreflang="en">Top Stories</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/startup-computer-science" hreflang="en">Startup. Computer Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/google" hreflang="en">Google</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/entrepreneurship" hreflang="en">Entrepreneurship</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/commercialization" hreflang="en">Commercialization</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-arts-science" hreflang="en">Faculty of Arts &amp; Science</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p> <a href="http://marsinnovation.com/about/">MaRS Innovation</a> and the 91³Ô¹Ï have announced that the founders of Granata Decision Systems Inc., a graduate of the <a href="http://utest.to/">91³Ô¹Ï Early-Stage Technology</a> (UTEST) start-up incubator program, have joined Google Inc.</p> <p> <strong>Craig Boutilier</strong>, a professor in 91³Ô¹Ï’s department of computer science, and <strong>Tyler Lu</strong>, a graduating PhD student in the same department, co-founded Granata Decision Systems in 2012 to develop their advanced decision-support technologies.(Read more about&nbsp;<a href="http://web.cs.toronto.edu/">computer science at 91³Ô¹Ï</a> and <a href="http://news.utoronto.ca/university-toronto-ranked-first-canada-24th-world">how it&nbsp;ranks among the world's top ten computer science departments</a>.)&nbsp;</p> <p> Granata’s software platform provided what are known as real-time optimization and scenario analysis capabilities for large-scale, data-driven marketing problems and group/organizational decision-making.</p> <p> <span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">“</span>The emerging spirit of entrepreneurship in the department is reflected by the many startup companies established by our faculty and students and rooted in our world-class research programs,†said Professor <strong>Sven Dickinson</strong>, chair of the computer science department. “Our strength in artificial intelligence is not only behind successful new startups, like Craig and Tyler’s, as well as <strong>Geoff Hinton</strong>'s, but behind exciting new entrepreneurship initiatives like the Watson Challenge.<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">â€</span></p> <p> (<a href="http://news.utoronto.ca/google-acquires-u-t-neural-networks-company">Read about how Google acquired&nbsp;a 91³Ô¹Ï neural networks company last year</a>.) &nbsp;(<a href="http://news.utoronto.ca/u-t-team-takes-second-place-ibm-watson-challenge">Read about the&nbsp;91³Ô¹Ï team taking&nbsp;second place in the IBM Watson challenge</a>).</p> <p> The company was part of the UTEST program’s first cohort. UTEST is part of 91³Ô¹Ï’s growing ecosystem of incubators and commercialization support services, and was named one of Canada’s top seven accelerators in 2013.</p> <p> “This is a significant milestone for the UTEST program and the wider MaRS Innovation portfolio,†said Raphael Hofstein, president and CEO of <a href="http://marsinnovation.com/about/">MaRS Innovation</a>. “We co-created the UTEST program with 91³Ô¹Ï to foster entrepreneurship in a meaningful way while encouraging students and professors to translate their academic ideas into commercial realities.&nbsp;</p> <p> “We hope Craig and Tyler’s success will motivate other researchers and students to consider working with MI and participate in UTEST and our other commercialization programs.â€<br> &nbsp;<br> Jointly administered by MaRS Innovation and 91³Ô¹Ï, UTEST’s mission is to support early-stage startups in computer science. Through UTEST, aspiring entrepreneurs launch a company, develop a business strategy, meet with industry representatives to get feedback on their products, secure seed funding and opportunities for follow-on investment, receive mentorship and have use of office space in the MaRS Discovery District for a year.</p> <p> “Craig and Tyler’s success is an excellent example of what can be achieved when innovative ideas are transformed into reality by the kind of support UTEST provides during critical early stages of development,†said Professor <strong>Peter Lewis</strong>, interim vice-president of research and innovation at 91³Ô¹Ï. “We're thrilled to see them take their next steps with Google.â€&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p> Unlike other start-up incubators, UTEST accepts companies in the very earliest stages of idea generation&nbsp;–&nbsp;before they’re ready for traditional incubators –&nbsp;and can be a springboard to other North American accelerator ecosystems, such as YCombinator, Creative Destruction and One Eleven. (Read more about startups and entrepreneurship at 91³Ô¹Ï.)</p> <p> <em>Watch a video from CBC's Lang &amp; O'Leary report (below) featuring Professor Boutilier and Granata.</em></p> <p> <iframe allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="348" src="http://www.cbc.ca/i/caffeine/syndicate/?clipId=2421339464" width="620"></iframe></p> <p> <em>Elizabeth Monier-Williams is a writer with MaRS Innovation, a partner of the 91³Ô¹Ï.</em></p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-picpath field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">picpath</div> <div class="field__item">sites/default/files/2015-01-22-google-grantata.jpg</div> </div> Mon, 26 Jan 2015 11:29:16 +0000 sgupta 6745 at