Picking up the pieces from an R&D misadventure
This is the sixth article in a continuing series chronicling the growth path of CommentAir Technologies, a startup based in Ottawa, Canada. CommentAir is developing a wireless technology fans can use at sports venues to receive the same real-time commentary as fans watching from their televisions, a wireless technology that also creates a platform for targeted consumer interaction. We invite your feedback.
By Francis Moran and Leo Valiquette
It’s been three months since we last touched base with CommentAir, a period in which the startup has gone through a near-death experience and continues to face an uncertain prognosis.
When we last spoke with Katie Hrycak, she and sibling co-founder Luke were eagerly awaiting the outcome of their research project with Algonquin College’s Applied Research and Innovation department, in which a team of students, faculty and an external engineering consultant were working with $50,000 in government funding to develop a prototype of CommentAir’s wireless earpiece.
