When Matt was in high school he had no idea he would be an entrepreneur. That all changed when he discovered a passion for technology and the way consumers interact with it. The English major got involved with REAP (Research Entrepreneurs Accelerating Prosperity), which is a UWaterloo-affiliated program that brings academic and private-sector partners together to explore new technologies. Through that partnership he was able to start his own business called POET (Point of Experience Technology) while still in university.
POET takes existing digital signage technology and uses it to improve retail experiences, letting consumers learn more about products in an interactive way before purchasing them. At the 2014 Toronto Digifest, Matt competed against 40 teams from 13 post-secondary schools and earned the ‘Best Integrated Media Project’ award for POET.
“Digifest was great. It was refreshing to talk about the creative process and the ideation behind the actual design, rather than trying to ‘pitch’ the idea. It was about the artistic elements behind the project.”
Visit the Faculty of Arts website or visit the University of Waterloo’s undergraduate admissions site.
