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Continued from page 15 tamiliar with their operational pains One client‘s building, tar instance, has 400 units. So at the beginning of the month, they have to deposit 400 cheques, which can be a bookkeeping nightmare Product connecting with clients "At that point. this light bulb just went off that there must be a better way to operate those kinds of things. to use automatic systems to replace all those mundane, repetitive manual works that don‘t really generate a lot of value to the business. It‘s just things that have to be done," Li said. From there, SparkMatrix developed an onlineâ€"based property management software, called Bamboo. The package is divided into three modules: the tenant one handles application processes and scheduling for moving; the workâ€"order module takes care of maintenance requests and tenâ€" ant complaints; and the accounting and payment sysâ€" tem allows tenants to pay rent online, thereby reducing the amount of time landlords spend at the bank. This software ties into Sparkâ€" Matrix‘s philosophy â€" to enhance its clients‘ profitability through increased revenues and reduced costs. "Through our network soluâ€" tions, the revenue increases. Through our software side we Sales associate Andrew Wilâ€" gar said the clients reaction to the software has been "phenomâ€" enal." help them tv achieve cost reductions and business scalaâ€" bility." Li said. "We really try and build a relationship with our clients. It‘s been a really interesting road because we‘re flexible enough to develop â€"Andrew Wilgar SparkMatrix sales rep In many cases, clients weren‘t using a property management software before signing up for Bamboo â€" and afterwards, they realize how much maney and time they‘re saving, he said. This role has been different from others Wilgar has held because SparkMatrix does more than just close a deal. "We really try and build a relaâ€" tionship with our clients," he said. "It‘s been a really interestâ€" ing road because we‘re flexible enough to develop some of the applications that really help some of the applications that really help them get through dayâ€"toâ€"day operations." them get through dayâ€"toâ€"day operations." SparkMatrix moved from its Kitchener office into the Accelâ€" erator Centre, located in the UW Research and Technology Park, in September 2006 thanks to advice Li received from one of his mentors. Paul Guild, the former viceâ€" president of research at UW, brought the centre to Li‘s attenâ€" tion, and he soon realized he couldn‘t pass up on the opporâ€" tunities available there. "The centre‘s administration has been really helpful in proâ€" viding us with mentoring proâ€" grams and different courses on sales and technology, and allows us to interact with a lot of startâ€" up companies who are in a simiâ€" lar boat," Li said. in the next year or two, SparkMatrix will graduate from the centre, although they‘re not in a rush for that day to come. When they do move on, Li would like to stay in or near the Research and Technology Park, making it easy for him to come back and volunteer at the cenâ€" tre. Also in the works are plans to launch an online standardized version of Bamboo so smaller clients around the world can use it. This article is part of a new Chronicle series on local startup companies. The series will run on the last Wednesday of each month. Instantly compare what you‘re paying to over 30 other insurance company rates. InsuranceHotline.com arranges them by price, and gives you the 3 lowest. Rates between insurance companies can vary by 100‘s, even 1,000‘s of doltars. Jump onâ€"line and compare. Plus your quote will be emailed to you, instantly. You‘ll be shocked how much savings you‘ll find in less than a few minutes. You may be paying 4 times higher, over 300 more for the same thing. We dare you to compare your insurance rates. $1,098®. WATERLOO CHRONICLE + Wednesday, july 25, 2007 * 17 $4,513 %