Former Centennial College student returns to partner with WIMTACH

A former Centennial student has returned to College to bring his project to life.

Jacob Moshinsky, CEO and founder of Monkey Jabber, has returned to Centennial College to collaborate with WIMTACH to enhance his product, NutureWatch. He graduated from Centennial College in 1999 with an International Business Diploma. Today marks his first return to the campus where he had a meeting with Dr. Purnima Tyagi, Director of WIMTACH, which offers small companies the resources to take their applied research innovations as far as possible.

“I got a huge impression on how advanced Centennial College has progressed. I came to understand what AI (Artificial Intelligence) and cybersecurity co-development opportunities exists, and [I] was amazed at how ready Centennial College is to advance my project”, Moshinsky explained. “I’m really excited on the collaboration opportunity that exists on helping my company differentiate itself in the marketplace”

The project is still in the development stages, but it is an exciting one nonetheless: Moshinsky wants to use the expertise of WIMTACH to increase the value of NurtureWatch by implementing more cybersecurity measures into it and exploring AI algorithms. Centennial College was one of the first to begin offering its one-year graduate program last year, and WIMTACH has a high level of expertise with AI algorithms. In other words, Jacob Moshinsky came to the right place.

Moshinsky founded his company two years ago, while NurtureWatch, which was launched August 2018, was created after the tragic passing of his great-uncle. Moshinsky and his family found their great-uncle unresponsive by the bed because no one was alerted that he had fallen. An electronic device that detects falls and alerts caregivers and family members may have changed that.

Enter the NutureWatch: a wearable communication device that monitors the wellbeing of whomever wears it.

Moshinsky explains an all too common scenario: “[Imagine] is a grandmother goes for a walk on the icy, cold streets of Toronto, and she trips and falls on the ice; what can she do? A NutureWatch can automatically send an SMS to the grandmother’s caregiver and reveal her GPS coordinates on a map. [And,] it will initiate a phone call if the grandmother also has shaky hands or has some mobility issues.”

Using GPS technology and an accompanying mobile app, the smartwatch tracks the whereabouts of the wearer to confirm the welfare to their loved ones. It’s recommended for seniors and people with disabilities because of its numerous features which come in handy in the case of emergencies. The NutureWatch can detect falls, includes a red SOS distress button and a heart rate monitor, allows two-way calling and an auto-answer feature.

Currently, Monkey Jabber has different clients in the United States and Mexico, the latter hosting one of the largest home medical distributors. Moshinsky is focused on strategic partnerships, which is why he returned to his alma mater.

Graduates who return to Centennial College are not uncommon. As one of Canada’s top colleges for research, innovation and entrepreneurship, the opportunities for continuing education, part-time studying and working on applied research projects are endless; several graduates return in hopes of enriching the same community that enriched their college experience.

“Through word-of-mouth, I heard that Centennial College had something involving applied research projects available. I reached out and got [a meeting] with Dr. Purnima. What better way to complete my project than to go back to where I started?”

For more information about NutureWatch, please visit www.nurturewatch.com. To learn more about this collaboration, please visit www.wimtach.centennialcollege.ca.