"MaRS was extremely important in helping us nurture our network base. Further, we have had access to awesome mentors and professional advisors that have been invaluable to the progress of Hypejar."

"Carol Leaman recently raised $3.3-million for her Waterloo-based startup, Axonify. The funding round involved two U.S. investors: Harmony Partners, a venture capital firm, and education giant Kaplan. Ms. Leaman, who sold another company, PostRank, to Google in 2011, had the choice of adding a Canadian investor to the round, but declined. "

It's time for a checkup. And the patient is the Canadian healthcare system. According to Peter Adams, the healthcare system is having problems.

It is the bane of every teacher's existence: grading. Though essential, it's also repetitive and time-consuming. It is also increasingly prone to concerns about inequity: from grade inflation to inconsistent standards across different classrooms, sometimes parents, students, and even teachers themselves have a hard time deciding just what the grades they have assigned actually mean.

What are the chances that the pair of jeans you just bought online will fit like your favourite worn in pair? Not good. In fact, 40 per cent of apparel purchased online is returned, and 75 per cent of those returns are because of a poor fit, according to Stylekick. The new Toronto-based search and comparison engine uses your wardrobe as a guide to help you buy the right size online.

"Dr. Joshua Landy is envisioning a new way for doctors to learn from one another. A Toronto-based intensive care physician by trade, Landy is the co-founder of Figure 1, a "crowdsourced photo sharing app for health care professionals." Launched just two weeks ago, the iPhone app is already populated with images both clinically significant and arguably beautiful -- without even the benefit of a filter."

"Figure1 is a new photo-sharing network specifically for health professionals: cute cats, vacation scenes and other mainstays of social media are nowhere to be found."

"A new convergence of startups and Internet companies has come together to provide other early-stage companies with the tools required to get up and running quickly, and most importantly, cheaply. It's sort of like a Humble Indie Bundle, except instead of gaming, GetStartupTools.com offers software from Wave, Box, MailChimp, Zendesk, Uberflip and General Assembly that most brand new internet companies would need or at least appreciate."

"The surge of interest in impact investing is a relatively recent phenomenon, although the practice of deploying capital with the intent to create measurable social and environmental benefits encompasses and builds on decades of market-oriented international and community development, and microfinance. "

On June 6, MaRs Data Catalyst announced it would be releasing a report on June 20, featuring information gleaned from the data of 34 different accelerators and interviews with 11 accelerator managers.

"The Scotiabank EcoLiving Innovators Award valued at $15,000 was awarded to Quinzee from Toronto , Ontario, a company that built a web and mobile application to enable Ontarians with smart meters to be smarter homeowners. Using consumer social benchmarking as a motivator for influencing efficient energy choices and behaviours, consumers can easily track and compare their energy use for free."

From wearable technology products to reimagining advertising flyers, tech-driven entrepreneurs gave their best pitch last night  at the Jolt Demo Fest in Toronto as the accelerator showcased its most recent cohort of early stage startups.

Jolt Demo Fest Showcases Six Startups: Hypejar, Stylekick, Flee, PUSH, Singspiel, and FlyerFlo

So word that Euan Robertson is joining MaRS in the newly created role of president and chief operating officer is welcome news, says Derek Newton, executive director of U of T's Innovations & Partnerships Office.

"The expansion of the Keystone XL pipeline has become a lightning rod for the battle between long-term climate concerns and shorter-term economic benefit. Opponents say Canada's tarsands are one of the world's most carbon-intensive and environmentally destructive sources of oil. Proponents argue they're a politically stable source of oil in a world fraught with risk. Both are correct. A compromise on Keystone is essential if Canada is to become a responsible energy superpower in the complex 21st century world of carbon constraints. "

"Antibe Therapeutics Inc. has filed a preliminary prospectus for a proposed initial public offering (IPO) to raise up to $3 million.

Garten's headband is called Muse, a fashion-forward brainwave sensing wearable device which monitors and collects data from your brain and sends to your smartphone or tablet. Think this sounds like a concept we will see only in the future? Think again. This device is expected to hit the market later this year.

Everything you need to help your biotech company can be found in Toronto and MaRS. 

Waterloo-based ClevrU has made no secret about its strategy to target the e-teaching sector in emerging markets like China, India and Brazil.

"Toronto company GreenMantra Technologies is working with the City of Vancouver to incorporate its eco-friendly material into the asphalt used to pave roads. The material, a type of industrial wax, is doubly good for the environment. "