If your business operates in a remote, less-connected area, getting your team to the door can become a challenge in attracting and retaining great employees. Coordinating multi-stage commutes, like using a public bus route and then scrambling for a cab to cover the final distance, can create unreliability and unnecessary stress. For founders Erich Ko and Boyd Reid, that problem was a frustrating gap between public transit and on-demand services which they came together to solve.
They created Hop In Technologies, an innovative platform that makes transportation more efficient for everyone by connecting various modes of transportation. While their initial vision was broad, Hop In Technologies found its niche by tackling a critical challenge many businesses with remote or rural locations face today: recruitment and retention due to transit limitations.
In locations where public transit is sparse, Hop In Tech provides a vital link, helping employers get their talent to and from work, and in doing so, solving major economic and logistical gaps. As they grew and started gaining momentum with their solution, Hop In Tech wanted to ensure that they were scaling in a sustainable way by leveraging a network of crucial partners.
Finding the right connections within the ecosystem
The team’s journey is a great example of how the right connections at the right time can accelerate a start-up’s growth. Hop In Tech first crossed paths with Innovation Factory and the Centre for Integrated Transportation and Mobility (CITM) teams at an Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN) event. For them, the connection was instant.
“We met someone at CITM, reached out, they responded, and then they started making introductions to people within the ecosystem,” said Robin Tam, COO of Hop In Technologies. “It’s been relatively seamless. They’ve been really helpful in trying to get us in front of the right people.”
CITM, backed by OVIN, is an accelerator program helping innovators with smart, connected, and electrified transportation and infrastructure solutions to build viable and successful businesses.
Prior to joining CITM, Hop In Tech closed a significant seed funding round, attracting prominent investors like Storytime Capital, N49P, and Mucker Capital. This funding is fueling their expansion into the US, where they’re already active in Alabama. As this was taking place, the team also wanted to scale into other markets in a more sustainable way.
After connecting with CITM in 2024, the Hop In team’s strategic networking paid off when a key introduction from the accelerator led to discussions with the Four County Labour Market Planning Board in Bruce County. This potential collaboration will directly address a major need for the region, helping local companies solve their labour challenges with an innovative transportation solution.
The Hop In team successfully completed OVIN’s Demonstration Zone, which enabled them to launch its shuttle pilot for York University, in collaboration with OVIN and the City of Markham. Hop In also showcased its solution at Innovation Factory’s The Big DiF, an annual open house and showcase that brings the start-up community together to celebrate entrepreneurship and innovation. The team currently is hoping to grow as they work on scaling their start-up.
Their future roadmap is clear and ambitious. The team is developing an AI-powered route automation and optimization system, aiming to integrate the solution into larger workforce management platforms. By closing that transportation gap, they are building a vital link that ensures employers in all communities–rural or urban–can access the talent they need, and that every employee has a reliable way to get to work.
Ready to scale your transportation or mobility start-up? Explore CITM’s programs and connect with our team today!
