Chosen companies will have access to BlackBerry IVY to
deliver high-impact transportation use cases leveraging in-vehicle
data
WATERLOO and OTTAWA, ON, Nov. 23,
2021 /PRNewswire/ -- BlackBerry Limited (NYSE:
BB; TSX: BB) and L-SPARK, Canada's
largest software-as-a-service accelerator, today announced a third
phase of their joint accelerator program, which aims to grow
Canadian technology companies focused on connected vehicle
solutions.
Following the success of the first and second cohorts, the
partnership will once again help small and medium-sized technology
enterprises (SMEs) grow their businesses and bring new products to
market using BlackBerry® QNX® technology. New this year, the
accelerator will provide selected companies with access to
BlackBerry's Intelligent Vehicle Data Platform – BlackBerry IVY™,
enabling them to develop high-impact solutions leveraging
in-vehicle data to improve driver and passenger experiences.
Announced in December 2020 as part
of a multi-year, global agreement with Amazon Web Services, Inc.
(AWS), BlackBerry IVY is a vehicle first, cloud connected software
platform that presents vehicle data in a normalized format.
BlackBerry IVY insights can easily be consumed by applications on
or off the vehicle and are managed via a cloud console. The
BlackBerry IVY development environment enables insights to be
easily created from vehicle data, safely and securely.
"After two successful cohorts with L-SPARK we look forward to
going to back to the deep talent pool that exists within the
Canadian start-up scene to help identify those companies that share
our vision: a transportation industry – and in-vehicle experience –
transformed by data," said Peter
Virk, Vice President of IVY Product and Ecosystem,
BlackBerry. "As we continue to build out a robust ecosystem of
services and automotive applications to leverage the rich data
insights that BlackBerry IVY provides, we can't wait to see the
ideas and use cases that will emerge to help automakers unlock the
vast potential of next generation intelligent connected
vehicles."
"Imagine the possibilities when we combine the Canadian SME
community's imagination with the technological depth and market
reach of BlackBerry", said Leo Lax,
Executive Managing Director of L-SPARK. "The breadth of
applications, the depth of innovation, and market traction when
combined through this accelerator program will be ground-breaking.
I look forward to seeing the transformative services demonstrated
for use in the transportation industry and the in-vehicle
experience of the drivers using these applications driven by
BlackBerry IVY."
L-SPARK will again turn to the expertise of the National Research Council of Canada-Industrial
Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP), to reach out to companies
with business models and technologies that could benefit from
working with the BlackBerry QNX product group.
Applications will stay open until March
7th, 2022. BlackBerry and L-SPARK will then host
a selection day where they will choose up to six companies to join
the third cohort of the program.
For more information, or to apply, please visit
https://www.l-spark.com/accelerator/blackberry.
About BlackBerry
BlackBerry (NYSE: BB; TSX: BB)
provides intelligent security software and services to enterprises
and governments around the world. The company secures more
than 500M endpoints including
195M vehicles. Based in
Waterloo, Ontario, the company
leverages AI and machine learning to deliver innovative solutions
in the areas of cybersecurity, safety and data privacy solutions,
and is a leader in the areas of endpoint security, endpoint
management, encryption, and embedded systems. BlackBerry's
vision is clear - to secure a connected future you can trust.
BlackBerry. Intelligent Security. Everywhere.
For more information, visit BlackBerry.com and follow
@BlackBerry.
Trademarks, including but not limited to BLACKBERRY, EMBLEM
Design and QNX are the trademarks or registered trademarks of
BlackBerry Limited, its subsidiaries and/or affiliates, used under
license, and the exclusive rights to such trademarks are expressly
reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective
owners. BlackBerry is not responsible for any third-party products
or services.
About L-SPARK
L-SPARK is Canada's leading accelerator for the Connected
Cars (AV) industry as well as Software as a Service (SaaS)
companies. The accelerator offers programs focused on future
innovative B2B and B2B/B2C companies, as well as targeted programs
which partner with leading corporations in Connected Medtech, IoT
and CyberSecurity.
Since the launch of their first cohort in January 2015, L-SPARK has accelerated 95
companies across Canada who
collectively have raised over $115M
in follow-on funding. With over 10,000 investors, corporate
partners and startups now in their network, L-SPARK has curated a
dynamic Canadian tech community for participating companies to
join.
Media Contact:
BlackBerry Media Relations
+1 (519) 597-7273
mediarelations@BlackBerry.com
L-SPARK
Stef Reid
613 620 0724
stef@l-spark.com
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SOURCE BlackBerry Limited