TxtCircle: Another Quick Success in Toronto

When my US colleagues ask me why I'm excited about the future of Canada's innovation community, I don't focus on the handful of players who successfully attracted venture capital this year. Instead, I point to the increasing number of young entrepreneurs who are building great technology, selling early, and using that experience to move on to the next innovation.

Tom Whitaker is one of these. Just a few months ago, Tom and I met to discuss his plan to build a mobile messaging service that would push text promotions to subscribers according to their preferences. The technology was neat, but it was the service itself which was sleekly designed to tap into the student market at the right time.

This is not Tom's first successful wireless venture, and it's clear that he knows what he's doing. Fast forward a few weeks, and not only has Tom secured some first rate partners for launch (including the University of Toronto, Ryerson, York University, and George Brown College student unions) but he's sold the company, too.

Student Phones.com, a leading provider of communications products to student across Canada, whose shareholders include, the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) has scooped up the service and Tom, who will remain on as CEO.

Not bad for a few months' work. And I'm betting Tom's not done yet. Congratulations, Mr. W.