Digital ads that talk to you

While still a business student at the University of Waterloo, Douglas Lusted is launching new technology this week that will change the way we interact with digital screens.

The company he co-founded during a Waterloo co-op term, WestonExpressions (now known as LINKETT), is accepting pre-orders for Linkett, a device that lets consumers take content from digital promotions by tapping their smartphones on display screens.

WestonExpressions is currently a startup at Waterloo’s Velocity program, a place where students and alumni can get support to kickstart companies.

“Anyplace there is a screen, people can get coupons, apps, brochures, information and even pay for things,” says Lusted.

The device, which is also motion sensitive, literally talks back to people. The device allows digital screens to detect when a person is nearby and can even call out, “Hey, come back here. I have something to offer you.

“What it does is transform any digital screen into a much more interactive experience,” says Lusted, who is currently on a co-op term during his third year of business and environment studies. “This really grabs the attention of consumers in a much more personal way."

Lusted has always dreamed of being an entrepreneur and was tipped off to Waterloo’s Enterprise Co-op program early in his degree. E-Co-op is an option for undergraduate students looking to build their own business. Last year, he launched his business with the idea of building a new advertising platform that would bring ads to escalator handrails.

Velocity Venture fund winner

In June 2012, WestonExpressions won $25,000 from the University of Waterloo’s VeloCity Venture Fund. The venture fund was created in 2011 to support entrepreneurial students starting their own companies. In addition to the money, venture fund winners receive mentorship and workspace at VeloCity. Venture Fund Finals for this term are happening on Thursday at the Student Life Centre.  

Lusted said his company changed its focus from ads on escalator handrails to interactive digital signage earlier this year because of customer feedback.

The Linkett technology is the first of its kind to offer advertisers real-time analytics.  When a business puts Linkett on a screen, they will gather information about how many people walked by the digital sign, whether they interacted with it and, finally, if they tapped it with their smartphone.  “Nobody has ever done this in the digital signage industry,” says Lusted.

One of the other co-founders, Vlad Pisanov, is a recent graduate of Waterloo’s Faculty of Mathematics. The other co-founder, Ashok Patel, is also a Waterloo math alumnus. WestonExpressions employs six people full-time in Waterloo and is actively looking to hire more people.

“Our headquarters are in Waterloo and we’ll stay in Waterloo,” says Lusted. “It’s about the network here . . . Waterloo is known to be the best spot in Canada for engineering and technology development.”