JOLT announces six new startups to join its Winter 2013 accelerator program

Startups head to Silicon Valley to officially kick off their JOLT experience at 2013 LAUNCH Festival

TORONTO, Feb. 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ - JOLT, a leading Canadian technology accelerator, today announced the addition of six new companies to its portfolio.

JOLT, launched by MaRS Discovery District in July 2012, invests in emerging web and mobile startups and provides them with the tools, seed capital and advice they need to compete and succeed on the global stage.

"We're extremely excited to introduce our next wave of companies, each led by a talented CEO who has assembled a great team of passionate entrepreneurs," said Sue McGill, Executive Director, JOLT. "These six promising startups are innovating across a diverse range of categories and are rethinking technology-enabled experiences in unique and disruptive ways."

The following startups were selected to participate in JOLT's Winter 2013 program (February - June 2013):

• FlyerFlo: A mobile platform and application that allows consumers to discover new brands and receive personalized promotions from all of their favourite local retailers.
• HypeJar: An open, social platform powered by people who are passionate about the most hyped consumer product releases of tomorrow.
• PUSH Technologies: PUSH is an app-enabled fitness device for analyzing, managing and tracking the progress of your weight training workout.
• Singspiel: A learning platform and tablet application that turns traditionally tedious music practice into a more fun and engaging activity for music students.
• Flee: A travel recommendation application that combines a beautiful user experience and streamlined booking process with highly curated original content.
• Stylekick: Without any 3D scanners, personal body measurements, complicated machines or gimmicks, Stylekick can help online shoppers find the perfect fit they want.

To jumpstart their JOLT quest, the six teams are heading to San Francisco to attend LAUNCH, one of the world's leading tech conferences for launching a startup, raising money, networking with entrepreneurs and connecting with some of the top journalists in the industry. JOLT has partnered with LAUNCH to provide this opportunity to its startups.

For more information on the participating companies, visit JOLT's startup channel on the Financial Post website. Take a look at what goes on behind the scenes of building a company from the ground up and get weekly video snapshots of their work in progress.

About MaRS
MaRS Discovery District (www.marsdd.com) (Twitter: @MaRSDD) is a mission-driven innovation centre located in Toronto. MaRS works with partners to catalyze, accelerate and amplify innovation. MaRS supports entrepreneurs building Canada's next generation of growth companies.

About JOLT
JOLT (www.joltco.ca) (Twitter: @joltco) is a Toronto-based startup accelerator dedicated to building high-growth Canadian web and mobile companies. JOLT offers these selected companies working space in the MaRS Commons, seed financing and mentorship, as well as access to seasoned partners and some of the top angel and venture capital investors in the industry. By combining the expertise of its numerous partners in the creative arts, design and technology sectors with MaRS' business-building experience, JOLT provides the selected companies with business validation, streamlined market entry and a greater opportunity for success.

SOURCE MaRS Discovery District