BlackBerry, L-SPARK Announce Four Companies for their BlackBerry IVY Connected Car Accelerator Program

Deeplite, Raven Connected, Sensor Cortek and Wedge Networks will have access to BlackBerry IVY to deliver high-impact transportation use cases leveraging in-vehicle data

BlackBerry Limited (NYSE: BB) (TSX: BB) and L-SPARK Canada's largest software-as-a-service accelerator, today announced the four winning companies that will make up the third cohort of their joint accelerator program, which aims to grow Canadian technology companies that are focused on connected vehicle technologies.

New this year, the accelerator has provided select companies with access to BlackBerry's Intelligent Vehicle Data Platform – BlackBerry IVY ™ , enabling them to deliver next-generation connected vehicle use cases leveraging in-vehicle data with a view to improving driver and passenger experiences. BlackBerry IVY is a scalable, cloud-connected software platform that allows automakers to provide a consistent and secure way to read vehicle sensor data, normalize it, and create actionable insights from that data both locally in the vehicle and in the cloud.

The companies that make up the third cohort of the program include:

Deeplite, Montreal – Deeplite provides an AI inference optimization platform for the millions of developers struggling to deploy edge-AI to products in vehicles, smart cities, 5G IoT, and the things we use every day by making smaller, faster and more energy efficient AI.

Raven Connected, Ottawa – Raven Connected provides a comprehensive video telematics platform that incorporates an array of sensors, communication modules and direct connection to the vehicle's onboard computer to capture images, video and other data elements. These components are incorporated into ML and AI models to generate real-time insights into vehicle performance, driving behaviors, road conditions and pedestrian safety.

Sensor Cortek, Ottawa – Sensor Cortek uses deep neural networks to develop advanced embedded AI-based perception systems enabling reliable understanding of real-world environments. The company creates intelligent software solutions with a focus on advanced driver-assistance and autonomous vehicles.

Wedge Networks, Calgary – Wedge Networks is a cybersecurity software vendor specializing in intelligent real-time threat prevention. With numerous patents, awards, and peer-reviewed machine learning publications, Wedge's intelligent, constantly evolving and learning threat prevention platform protects millions of connected devices - including connected and autonomous vehicles and intelligent transportation systems.

"The four companies selected for this very special BlackBerry IVY focused accelerator program with L-SPARK represent the very best of the Canadian smart mobility ecosystem. Each brings with them a wealth of talent, innovative technology and a drive to deliver high-impact, data-driven services and solutions that will one day transform the in-car experience," said Peter Virk , Vice President of IVY Product and Ecosystem, BlackBerry. "We look forward to working with them in the weeks and months ahead and are confident that their offerings will resonate with OEMs as we continue to build out the breadth and depth of our BlackBerry IVY ecosystem."

"The BlackBerry L-SPARK Accelerator has not only propelled connected vehicle technology forward, but has also paved the way for collaboration and partnership between the participating companies and BlackBerry," said Leo Lax , Executive Managing Director at L-SPARK. "We are thrilled to be at the forefront of innovation in the connected vehicle technology space alongside the incredible team at BlackBerry for the third consecutive year."

L-SPARK will, once again, turn to the expertise of the National Research Council of Canada-Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP), to support the companies involved in this program.

BlackBerry (NYSE: BB) (TSX: BB) provides intelligent security software and services to enterprises and governments around the world. The company secures more than 500M endpoints including 215M vehicles.  Based in Waterloo, Ontario , the company leverages AI and machine learning to deliver innovative solutions in the areas of cybersecurity, safety and data privacy solutions, and is a leader in the areas of endpoint security, endpoint management, encryption, and embedded systems.  BlackBerry's vision is clear - to secure a connected future you can trust.

BlackBerry. Intelligent Security. Everywhere.

For more information, visit BlackBerry.com and follow @BlackBerry.

Trademarks, including but not limited to BLACKBERRY, EMBLEM Design and QNX are the trademarks or registered trademarks of BlackBerry Limited, its subsidiaries and/or affiliates, used under license, and the exclusive rights to such trademarks are expressly reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. BlackBerry is not responsible for any third-party products or services.

L-SPARK is Canada's leading accelerator for the Connected Cars (AV) industry as well as Software as a Service (SaaS) companies. The accelerator offers programs focused on future innovative B2B and B2B/B2C companies, as well as targeted programs which partner with leading corporations in Connected Medtech, IoT and CyberSecurity.

Since the launch of their first cohort in January 2015 , L-SPARK has accelerated 95 companies across Canada who collectively have raised over $115M in follow-on funding. With over 10,000 investors, corporate partners and startups now in their network, L-SPARK has curated a dynamic Canadian tech community for participating companies to join.

Media Contacts:

BlackBerry Media Relations
+1 (519) 597-7273
mediarelations@BlackBerry.com

L-SPARK
Stef Reid , Director of Marketing
613 620 0724
stef@l-spark.com

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SOURCE BlackBerry Limited