WATERLOO, Ont. – The Centre for Bioengineering and Biotechnology at the University of Waterloo is pleased to host Suneet Singh Tuli (pictured), founder and CEO of DataWind Inc., as guest speaker on November 11. The session will be held at the university’s Davis Centre.

The subject of the talk will be “The Next 3 Billion” – What are the challenges and obstacles that stand in the way of the next three billion joining the internet age? Learn about a Canadian company’s efforts through frugal innovation in overcoming these barriers, and the opportunities created by the next 3 billion internet users.

Agenda:

2:30 – 4:00: Guest lecture and Q&A (DC 1302)

4:00 – 4:30: Networking reception with light refreshments (DC 1301)

Please register for this FREE event via EventBrite or email Krystina Bednarowski, as seating is limited.

DataWind is a leader in low-cost Internet connectivity for emerging markets. DataWind’s mission is to bring the Internet, which has the ability to create tremendous social and economic benefits, to billions of unconnected people in the developing world. The Company’s Internet Delivery Platform offers a low-cost Internet browsing solution by bundling an affordable tablet device with an inexpensive, pre-paid, 2G Internet service plan.

Based on several international patents, DataWind’s breakthrough technologies solve the bandwidth limitations of cellular networks by accelerating content delivery by factors of 10x to 30x – resulting in a superior mobile web experience at a lower cost.

Most recently, DataWind’s Aakash/UbiSlate tablets have received worldwide attention, as the company executes a vision to empower the next 3 billion people with computing and internet access.

DataWind has offices in London, UK; Montreal and Mississauga, Canada; Dallas, USA; Amritsar and New Delhi, India.

In September, DataWind Inc. announced that it has partnered with Spice Retail, the largest mobile device retail chain in Northern India. Adding this distribution partner increases DataWind’s reach to customers in Northern India and expands its national retail footprint to more than 1000 sales locations.

In the first phase of the roll out, Spice Retail will make DataWind products available in the National Capital Territory of New Delhi and soon thereafter expand the distribution to cover its entire chain of 320+ storesspread across Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.

This new partnership comes close on the heels of DataWind’s partnership with another major retail chain in southern India and is expected to deliver significant growth to the company’s overall sales volume in India. Since its product launch in India in mid-2012, DataWind has consistently ranked as one of the top players in the tablet PC segment in India.

DataWind will now offer its entire product range of UbiSlate Tablet PCs and PocketSurfer smartphones available off-the-shelf at Spice Retail’s HotSpots.

Centre for Bioengineering and Biotechnology (CBB)

The Centre for Bioengineering and Biotechnology at the University of Waterloo, is a catalyst for advancing bioengineering and biotechnology research and innovation through industry collaborations and partnerships. More than 120 faculty members, from every faculty on campus, are actively engaged with the centre, working in collaboration to provide a resource of varying expertise. Our mandate is to build healthy, active partnerships between centre researchers and corporate members through collaborative projects, mutual interest building, and networking events. For more information, please visit https://uwaterloo.ca/bioengineering-biotechnology/