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📣 It’s happening!

At the Welcome Platform, our long-term vision is to build the backbone, in a world of fully connected communities.

The Fully Connected Community App

We imagine a future where every community is seamlessly connected. Where residents can access services in seconds, respond to polls with a tap, and get personalized support from AI-powered assistants. A world where families find the right programs effortlessly, and where newcomers, tourists, students, and workers instantly feel at home.

We believe that more connected communities lead to more prosperity for all. And we believe now is the right time for cities to reimagine how digital experiences can serve their people.

That’s why I’m so excited to share that we’re taking the first major step toward that vision this year in London, Ontario, in partnership with the incredible team at London Economic Development Corporation (LEDC).

This is a bold move—and it takes a bold city like London to make it happen. The LEDC team is building a future for residents, newcomers, students, and visitors without waiting to follow others, or being afraid of being first. From the start, we knew this type of project would require a trailblazing community. People who are, what I like to call “municipal mavericks”. LEDC has been exactly that, and more. Motivated, thoughtful, and genuinely committed to improving the lives of Londoners.I couldn’t imagine a better team to lead the charge on a first of its kind project like this.

More details to come!

Article can be found here: Article by Acadia Broadcasting (click here)

We're thrilled to launch this app, which will be a game-changer for newcomers in Western Nova Scotia

Yarmouth, NS – Western Regional Enterprise Network (Western REN) and Welcome Platform Tech Technologies are excited to announce the launch of the "Welcome to Western Nova Scotia" app, a groundbreaking tool designed to help newcomers settle into small and rural communities across the region. Unveiled as part of Welcome Platform’s "Welcome Everywhere" initiative, the app connects newcomers with essential services—from housing and healthcare to childcare and education, to ease their transition.

Available now on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, the Welcome to Western Nova Scotia app features a user-friendly directory of local programs, translation support in multiple languages, and personalized checklists to guide newcomers through starting their new lives. Whether it’s finding a doctor, enrolling kids in school, or getting a discount at a local business, this app has it covered.

“We’re thrilled to launch this app, which will be a game-changer for newcomers in Western Nova Scotia,” said Alex Rios Moreno, Local Immigration Partnership Coordinator at Western REN. “It’s about making our communities more welcoming and ensuring everyone has the tools to thrive here.” Western REN, a key player in regional economic development, partnered with Welcome Platform Tech Technologies, a leader in newcomer-focused apps, to bring this vision to life.

Liwordson Vijayabalan, CEO of Welcome Platform Tech Technologies, added, “This app builds on our mission to support newcomers in rural and smaller communities where newcomers face unique challenges. We're proud to support Western Nova Scotia and look forward to other Atlantic Canada projects on our roadmap in communities such as Halifax and also in PEI. The company’s 2025 roadmap includes partnering with more communities nationwide, amplifying the "Welcome Everywhere" mission.

The launch reflects a growing effort to bridge technology gaps in rural areas, ensuring newcomers feel at home from day one. Local settlement agencies and organizations are already on board, contributing to the app’s robust resources. In the coming weeks Western REN is inviting local businesses to submit welcome deals for newcomers by visiting https://western-ns.welcomeapp.ca/ and selecting “Contribute”.

A webinar focused on the Strategies for Newcomer Community Integration Using Digital Technology.

The biggest challenge is not just coming up with ideas for features... [it is] how do you make sure they are sustainable.

The "From New Arrival to Active Member" Webinar took place on September 20th, 2024.

Follow this link to view the webinar

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The Speaker list included:

Rupa Banerjee: Canada Research Chair & Associate Professor at Toronto Metropolitan University - Immigration and Settlement Studies

Stephanie Ferrera: Lambton LIP, Project Coordinator

Yu Jier Kou: Kingston LIP, Program Coordinator

Liwordson Vijayabalan: Founder & CEO of Welcome Platform Tech.

Storm Astolfi: Webinar Moderator

Our team is thrilled to share that The Welcome Platform has been selected as 1 of 48 Ontario Tech startups to join the ICT Mission to Collision Conference.

The Welcome Platform has been selected to join the 2024 Collision Conference

Collision is one of the largest and most influential tech conferences in the world.

The Government of Ontario has invited a select group of Ontario companies to join an export business mission to Collision 2024. Collision is North America's fastest growing technology conference that attracts more than 30,000 leaders from the global technology community every year. Collision 2023 attracted 36,370 attendees including 860 investors and more than 1,490 start-ups from 118 countries.

The Welcome Platform has received a seat through the Ontario ICT Mission to Collision - Stream 1.

This selection highlights the company's outstanding mission and promise in the technology field, and emphasizes the Welcome Platform's innovative contributions and the global impact it is positioned to achieve.

Welcome Platform Inc. was incubated by TMRRW Labs, a builder studio born out of local communications and technology firm TMRRW INC. The company closed its seed fundraising round earlier this year and was backed by VERGE Capital (London On), TMRRW Labs and 6 Angel Investors, 5 of whom are from Sarnia.

The event will provide an exceptional platform for showcasing the Welcome Platform product, as well as provide networking opportunities with industry leaders, potential partners, investors, and customers from around the world.

If you would like to learn more about Collision, you can visit the event website here.‍

Collision 2024 - Enercare Centre, Toronto - June 17-20

Welcome. I’m Liwordson, but you can call me Li, like my friends do. I’m the president of TMRRW Labs, the company that built the Welcome Platform.While the Welcome Platform now has its own dedicated team, I'm still involved working with our partners and sharing our story. But I should set the record straight: I didn't come up with this myself, and I didn’t stumble upon some stroke of genius. The reality is, it all started with an opportunity falling into our lap.

My mom was the original Welcome Platform.

If I saw a therapist (I probably should) - I believe that they would say that I’ve spent the past decade working to distract myself from a traumatizing childhood.

Although my family fled genocide in Sri Lanka and my own origin story was defined by being part of an immigrant family - by burying myself in my work, I remained oblivious to those that followed in our footsteps and how they were suffering through the process.

It wasn't until a colleague from our local immigration partnership reached out for help, that I would face the issue myself. During the pandemic, Refugees and immigrants were lost, unable to access essential services in their new homes. Moving to a new country is a socially, financially and mentally tough experience. The first few days could set the tone of optimism for a bright future, or leave families in despair.

So, we collaborated with our community, engaging dozens of local organizations and built technology that could bridge the gap. Our goal? To help newcomers access services, integrate with everything they need all in one single place and most importantly use technology to foster real connections in their new homes. This is the cornerstone of community retention.

But how did a single app evolve into a platform that we hope will be dozens of apps over the next year? Well, we owe that to my mom.

When my family immigrated to Toronto – a city known for its multiculturalism – circumstances shortly led us to a predominantly white, blue-collar community when I was just three. Fleeing domestic violence, my mom was given three relocation options, she chose Sarnia, the option that was the furthest away.

I’ll skip the sad stuff. The summary is - building a life from scratch was tough. She had 3 kids under 4, didn’t speak English and her closest family was over 3000 miles away… But we made it through. She went to college, got a job and we got by.

Now, what does this have to do with the welcome platform? Let me explain.

Once we had a half stable foundation, our two-bedroom apartment became a safe haven for East Asian women escaping domestic violence from the GTA. These families stayed with us, sometimes for weeks or even months, as my mom helped them get on their feet. At times, my mom and sister gave up the bed they shared for our guests. There was really no limit to what we’d give up to welcome them.

What I witnessed blew my mind. How in just 2–3 months did these families get their whole lives together. This had taken us years to do ourselves… Rip off?

My mom got them started learning English at our local adult learning centre, applying for jobs with Goodwill, applying for college and most importantly fast tracked their path to finding friends, family and community, through the church and other organizations.

My mom was the original Welcome Platform.

I always wanted to do Karate. We couldn’t afford it, though. But the little boy who stayed in our house, he got to do Karate. And that’s really freaking awesome.

So, this is our mission: we want to help welcome 1 million newcomers, fast-track their new lives, and help them find prosperity… Let's see you try and top that mom ;)

I joke. Love you mom.

Thanks for reading.

- Li