老司机直播

Alumnus Alex Levy created MyVoice and was honoured as Canada's Top Entrepreneur as a result. (Photo by Jon Horvatin)

Entrepreneur honoured for giving voice to those silenced by illness or genetics

Alex Levy named Canada鈥檚 Top Entrepreneur for work with MyVoice

Twenty-four-year-old University of Toronto graduate Alex Levy never intended to have his own business, but he鈥檚 just been given the title of Canada鈥檚 Top entrepreneur nonetheless.

Levy 鈥榮 research and development of MyVoice, a mobile application that allows people with communication disorders such as those caused by stroke, autism and ALS, to make themselves understood audibly,  has won him a FuEL Entrepreneur of the Year Award from PROFIT magazine.  (Watch a video demonstration of .)

He is among 20 Canadians under the age of 30 honoured for their entrepreneurial excellence by the FuEL Awards, which celebrate Canada's Future Entrepreneurial Leaders (FuEL). The awards honour the achievements and aspirations of entrepreneurs under the age of 30, identify role models for progressive business practices and inspire youth to make entrepreneurship their No. 1 career choice.

鈥淚t鈥檚 especially amazing when we think what this will do for users in our community,鈥 said Levy, who developed the product while at a research associate at 老司机直播's Technologies for Aging Gracefully Lab (TAGlab).   鈥淭o be in the running for an entrepreneurial award against companies that have millions of dollars in revenue and international brands is amazing. For all of those international brands and for judges at PROFIT to pick MyVoice sends a really great message to our users and our team.鈥

Levy says winning the award will help shine a light -- through PROFIT magazine -- on MyVoice and help people learn more about it. It will also help validate the business strategy develop MyVoice even further in gaining resources and staff.

MyVoice helps users access phrases and words for everyday situations. Its technology also allows for users to determine what relevant phrases they might need based on their location, such as a caf茅, or Paris or a restaurant.

 鈥淭he reason we started a business is simply because there were so many people that were saying to us that 鈥榳hat you developed would be helpful for my family member or my child, my patient or my student鈥 and the stories that they would tell us about the desperate need made us want to start a business.鈥

 Levy credits his work and success sourcing funding to the assistance he received from 老司机直播鈥檚 Innovations and Partnership Office. 

 鈥淭hey helped us find a number of sources of funding and support,鈥 he said. 鈥淭heir ability to do this was amazing. They were very helpful especially in that very early stage when were just getting off the ground. They continue to be helpful even today.  They鈥檙e at the nexus of so much of the research  and business community, so when opportunities or colleagues or conferences come across their plate we get calls from them .We feel very well supported here at 老司机直播 because of that office.鈥

As a young entrepreneur he says it鈥檚 not just about having an idea; an idea is a place to start. He has this advice for other students.

鈥淟ook at what you鈥檙e doing and try and find one really crystalline, distilled nugget that you can turn into a vision for a business. Focus on what the smallest thing that you can do that might have broad appeal. Just focus on building out your depth in one area, that one inspiring piece.鈥
 
 

The Bulletin Brief logo

Subscribe to The Bulletin Brief