VANCOUVER – Cossette, a marketing and communications company, has opened a branch of Cossette Labs, an incubator, in Vancouver. Since launching in Montreal in 2012 and expanding to Toronto in 2014, Cossette Labs has worked with 12 different Canadian tech-related startups, offering everything from office space, to expert advice and services.

The Vancouver program is launching with two startups: iHeart, a fingertip device that measures aortic stiffness to determine the user’s “internal age,” and Reach, a “collaboration platform” for students that brings all of their applications, groups and projects into one centralized place.

To qualify for Cossette Labs assistance, which lasts for six to 12 months, businesses must develop a technology that will benefit Cossette, its clients or potential partners.

Cossette views Labs as a demonstration of its commitment to expanding and improving its digital offering by exposing staff to new ideas and building relationships with technology entrepreneurs, while also looking for cross-market opportunities and shared interests with Cossette clients.

“Cossette has made digital a top priority across our entire organization so it makes sense to reach out to those young entrepreneurs with exciting ideas who just need that little bit of help to take their ideas from concept to reality,” said Nadine Cole (pictured), senior vice-president and general manager of Cossette’s Vancouver office, in a release.