The Red Herring editorial team selected the most innovative companies from a pool of hundreds from across North America. The nominees are evaluated on both quantitative and qualitative criteria, such as financial performance, technology innovation, quality of management, execution of strategy, and integration into their respective industries.

This unique assessment of potential is complemented by a review of the actual track record and standing of a company, which allows Red Herring to see past the “buzz” and make the list an valuable instrument for discovering and advocating the greatest business opportunities in the industry.

“This year was very rewarding,” said Alex Vieux, publisher and Chairman of Red Herring. “There are so many great companies producing truly innovative and amazing products and technologies. We had a very difficult time narrowing the field and selecting the Finalists from such a group of future stars. LocAZu shows great promise therefore deserves to be on the short list. Now we are faced with the difficult task of selecting the Top 100 winners.”

“We are honored to be recognized for our innovative approach to  solving college students’ education cost, quality, and access problems and to be selected as a finalist for the Red Herring Top 100 award,” said Dawn Sheirzad, CEO of LocAZu. “We’re extremely proud to be joining an illustrious list of past finalists like Facebook, Google, Skype, Salesforce, and look forward to meeting like-minded business leaders.”

2012 Red Herring’s Americas 100 Finalists award are selected based upon their technological innovation, management strength, market size, investor record, customer acquisition, and financial health. During the several months leading up to the announcement, hundreds of companies in the, security, Web 2.0, software, hardware, life sciences, cloud, mobile and other sectors completed their submissions to qualify for the award.
The Finalists are asked to present their winning strategies at the Red Herring Americas Forum in Santa Monica, California, May 21-23, 2012. The Top 100 winners will be announced at a special awards ceremony the evening of May 23 at the event.

About LocAZu

LocAZu connects students to each other and the A to Z of what they need to get through University.

Connect. Save. Study Smart.

LocAZu is local, campus-based, and free for students to use. It is the largest college student community and a one-stop-shop providing a suite of tools and resources to make college more rewarding.

About the Red Herring Top 100 Americas Award

Finalists for the 2012 edition of the Red Herring 100 Americas award are selected based upon their technological innovation, management strength, market size, investor record, customer acquisition, and financial health. During the several months leading up to the announcement, hundreds of companies in the, security, Web 2.0, software, hardware, life sciences, cloud, mobile and other sectors completed their submissions to qualify for the award.

The only network of its kind in Canada, LocAZu is the comprehensive resource for Canadian students. CEO of LocAZu and SFU and UBC alumnus, Dawn Sheirzad explains: “LocAZu puts everything in one place. It allows students from across the country to connect with one another by sharing study material and campus events, evaluating professors and courses, and trading textbooks.”

LocAZu was created in 2009 by a group of British Columbia post-secondary students who were concerned with rising student debt. According to the Canadian Federation of Students, Canadian student loan debt currently over $14 billion. According to a study released by Statistics Canada in 2010 titled “Study: The Financial Impact of Student Loans” the average Canadian student graduates $18,800 in debt. LocAZu’s goals are straightforward: lower student debt and empower students to change the Canadian post-secondary education system.

Sheirzad argues, “The Internet has given us so many tools to share with one another, yet the predominant post-secondary model is based on traditions from the 1700’s. University is about sharing knowledge and resources; not controlling.”

LocAZu’s solution? Bridge the gap and create change by encouraging students to share knowledge and connect to one another both within and across campuses. LocAZu was launched in 2009 at a few campuses around the lower mainland. At that time, it had only one module: textbook trading. Fast forward to 2012 and LocAZu is Canada’s largest student network. It is active at 72 campuses across the country and boasts over 350,000 total postings.

Student Network LocAZu

For Sheirzad, who has earned two B.A.’s from SFU and an MBA from UBC, it isn’t the continued growth of the company that is most fulfilling; it is the individual student success stories “LocAZu allows students to extend their personal and professional networks before they graduate. We give students the opportunity to get the most out of university. ”

She fondly recalls a University of Calgary Veterinary student connecting with a Veterinary student from the University of Prince Edward Island via a lecture note sharing. LocAZu provided the perfect forum to make the cross-country connection.

With five modules – textbook trading, study materials, event posting, professor evaluation, and course evaluation – students have plenty of opportunity to connect and share. Users are encouraged to participate through a points system. When a user shares, they earn A+ points which can be redeemed to download study materials or be traded for cash or gift cards. A top LocAZu user Andrew, an SFU student, has posted over 500 quality lecture notes which has earned him over 15,000 A+ points and $300 cash in just over one weekend.

Students can also trade books directly with each other to receive cash for used textbooks without paying commissions to a third party. Jason K. has sold 86 textbooks and made $5,660.

Some professors and academic institutions worry this kind of sharing could threaten academic integrity, particularly when it comes to lecture notes and study materials. However, LocAZu argues that the exchange of lecture notes and study material is a common student practice. LocAZu stresses that notes posted must be the sole property of the user, and there are consequences for policy violations.

Jenna, a fourth year Communications student from SFU, says, “Sharing notes and textbooks happens all the time. It’s really great to have one site that I can go to and connect with other students from across the country.”

At the rate LocAZu is growing, it has quickly established itself as the Canadian student network and is making Vancouverites proud as a local technology success story.

You’ve worn a winter jacket to class for 35 days straight. You simply can’t stay awake in your eight am class. And, even your most charismatic professors are starting to sound like the teacher from Charlie Brown. You, my friend, are experiencing mid-semester burnout. Fear not! Dr. LocAZu is dancing his way onto campuses around Canada, getting students to join student network LocAZu to share lecture notes and study materials.

Wearing nothing but a Speedo and a beat-box, Dr. LocAZu, mascot for the student network of the same name, took the SFU campus by storm.  Playing a redubbed version of LMFAO’s “Sexy and I know it” Dr. LocAZu danced his way through campus. He crooned. He wiggled. He may have even busted a move. His goal was simple: get students to take advantage of LocAZu.

LocAZu is Canada’s leading student network. LocAZu specializes in textbook trading, professor and course evaluations, sharing events, and lecture note and study material sharing. In short, LocAzu is the one-stop-shop for student empowerment in the digital age.

Dr. LocAZu, who earned his PhD in getting through school with maximum fun and minimum pain, encouraged SFU students to start sharing study materials and lecture notes. He wants you to do the same.

Dr. LocAZu Shares Lecture Notes

Whether you’re cramming for a mid-term, have slept through class, or simply want to look at lecture notes written from someone else’s perspective, LocAZu is the largest student network in Canada. Active at 72 schoolds nation-wide LocAzu’s resources are unparalleled. Even better? LocAZu offers points for sharing lecture notes, and these points can be redeemed for cash or gift cards. This reward system is the only one of its kind in Canada.

Isn’t that kind of sharing cheating? Dr. LocAZu doesn’t think so. After all, it isn’t different than exchanging notes with a classmate. Plus, LocAZu protects students and professors by having clear guidelines directly addressing academic integrity.  Dr. LocAZu doesn’t want to help you cheat; he wants to empower you, the student, to make university easier and cheaper.

Founder of LocAZu network Dawn Sheirzad explains that “LocAZu wants to be the place students can go to trade textbooks, share lectures notes, post events, and rate classes and professors. All in one place. We’re here help students get more out of school.”

Share Lecture Notes with LocAZu

Dr. LocAZu crashed SFU campus and “when he walked on by, girls be looking like, damn he fly …”

So, take Dr. LocAZu’s lead and beat mid-semester burnout. Head over to LocAZu.com to post lecture notes, earn redeemable points, find campus events, rate professors, and buy and sell textbooks.

LocAZu will be able to offer yet another essential tool and free service to university students, fulfilling its dedication to “helping students save money, and making their lives easier”.

Bookboon, being located in Europe, will now have the opportunity to expand its reach to North American college students via LocAZu.

“Education is about sharing knowledge. And we enable students to share while cutting down their cost of education.” states Dawn Sheirzad, the company founder. “Our focus is the university and college students. Our objective is to help them connect, save, study smart. If we can bring them free etextbooks, then we’re meeting our objectives.”

Bookboon pays college professors for writing textbooks from its in-book advertising revenue. This has been a win-win design leading to 25 million annual downloads primarily in Europe, which is now expected to expand in North America.
About LocAZu
LocAZu is the student network connecting college students to each other, and the A to Z of what they need to get through school from textbooks to parties. LocAZu is free for students, local, and campus-based. It enables students to trade textbooks, share study materials, share course / prof / university reviews and ratings, post/find events, and get rewards for their contributions all from one convenient site.

About Bookboon
Bookboon is the fastest growing eBook publisher in the World. Established in 1988 and originating in Denmark, it now has current headquarters in London as well as offices in Copenhagen, Stockholm, Amsterdam, and Munich. It offers ebooks in three separate categories: textbooks, business, and travelguides. Through advertising it’s able to offer free ebooks, and currently boasts 25 million downloads per year.

For more information please visit http://www.LocAZu.com.

The holidays are here. You can tell from the music in the malls, the television commercials, and the general merriment and mayhem on the streets. This occasion has dangled in front of you all semester like a carrot, and now upon its awaited arrival, you question why it looked so appealing. It was, after all, a carrot. Not exactly the most coveted of edibles.

But for what the carrot brings in disappointment, and for what the holidays may bring in further stress to your life, they make up for it in nutrition. That is, if one knows how to properly prepare (for) them.

Just like when you’re getting ready for next semester and opt for the inexpensive and intellectual option of avoiding the chaos of the bookstore, and instead purchase your books online through LocAZu.com, you will find it easy and affordable to use reputable online retailers to obtain those pesky gifts.

Avoid the overcrowded malls, temperamental service staff, high prices, and shop from the comfort of your very own home. But order soon as the day approaches quickly.

Then comes that treat: the carrot. Although not as sweetly delicious as you may have anticipated. Where the carrot deters scurvy with vitamin C, the holidays deter isolation with togetherness. And you don’t want to be lonely or have scurvy. The time you spend with family, friends, or strangers at the soup kitchen (depending on your economic status), offers both good and bad things. It can be stressful—yes, it can be bothersome—most definitely, but it will provide the community spirit that will recharge you for another year.

So take the stress out of holiday shopping and get everything you need online delivered right to your door. And when this inevitably pleases you, go to LocAZu.com and buy/sell all your books in the same fashion, post your previous semesters notes and earn redeemable points, and rate your classes and professors. Then grab a handful of nutritious carrots and begin lining up, because the soup kitchen line for that holiday dinner is already around the corner.

So let’s start with some basics. And this may sound a bit obvious, but you must have a pen and paper in front of you at all times. If even just to create the appearance of attentiveness, write a header at the top of the page and write down the date and the subject matter of the current lesson.

Now comes the more difficult part: extracting the useful information from your professors bumbling monologues. The pedantic tendencies of your instructors will make them powerless to omit useless information from the lecture. It is your job to sort through what material is testable, and what is just verbal diarrhea. Pay close attention to dates, names, and anything written on the board or overhead. And Repeated information, as well, is usually a good indication that it will appear on an exam.

Sounds easy enough. But then an overly keen student throws a curve ball and asks for some esoteric elaboration on something otherwise trivial. Do not panic. Study the professors body language. If they seem to break character, by putting down the chalk, or walking away from the overhead, in order to answer this intrusive question, then cease your note taking. Professors will take the time to go into painstaking detail about whatever this inconvenient intruder has asked. It is your job to simply listen and not absorb the information if it is irrelevant.

Remember: we are only human and have an intellectual capacity. By that I mean we can only be asked to learn so much. One of the most important skills that university teaches us is to sort good information from bad, which note taking is literally a microcosm for. In life, you complete this task everyday without even realizing it.

Think of that exuberant personality you know who never stops talking. Useless detail after detail falls from their lips at the mere acknowledgment of their presence. If even slightly provoked for information these people will let loose a landslide of language leaving you to search for the relevant survivors under a blanket of inconsequential words. This is the same skill you need to exercise while taking notes.

And for those of you still incredulous to my initial claim that your memory will fail you, tell me, without looking at the top of the page, how many tips I promised to give on note taking. If you remembered the correct sum then I congratulate your immaculate memory. Otherwise, maybe uncap that pen once and awhile, or maybe just check out our Lecture Notes section under Study Materials at LocAZu.com.

By Bryan Short

Need UWO textbooks?

The University of Western Ontario wants students to shell out thousands for their UWO textbooks each year. When you’re done with your courses, the UWO bookstore offers you very low used textbook buyback rates (50% of what you originally paid) after you waited in line for hours to sell your textbooks.

Want to save time and money during textbook season and beyond? Read on!

No line-ups!
Buy, sell, and trade your UWO textbooks online. Avoid long line-ups at the UWO bookstore by doing business with your peers directly. Ask another student for tips on the course you want to take, or sell your notes to someone who needs them instead of throwing them out. A few clicks could mean a new study buddy, or even an unexpected best friend.

Save Money—lots of it!

The UWO bookstore has a 25% mark-up, money you could have received and invested into your education, next month’s rent, or that trip to Europe. Sell your UWO textbooks directly to other students online to redeem what is rightfully yours.

Textbook Buyback For Way More!

The UWO bookstore buyback is 50% of what you paid—on a really good day. Why wait in line when you can trade directly with other students and avoid the middle man? Put your used textbooks on LocAZu.com. The buyer pays less because YOU decide on a fair price, and YOU receive more for your UWO textbooks because YOU are in control. Everyone wins!

Let LocAZu Do The Work For You and Save, Save, Save—for FREE!

Make an account with LocAZu.com to start capitalizing on your UWO textbooks today.

Search thousands of detailed online used textbook classifieds at UWO or nearby schools. All UWO textbooks are automatically posted with full details after typing in your ISBN, so you don’t have to keep reposting to be noticed or flip through repeated ads to find your textbooks. Easy is the key.

You’ll also study smarter with the lecture notes and exam study guides in related information, so you study smarter—not harder! Completed a course? Share your study notes on LocAZu to get rewards and help other students along the way.

Create Wishlists to tell everyone which UWO books you need. You’ll receive an automated alert whenever someone posts a book on your Wishlist for sale.

Sell Your Used Textbooks!

As soon as you’re done with your UWO textbooks, post them back on LocAZu for sale!

Type in the ISBN to automatically load your used textbook details, set a price, and your UWO textbooks get marketed throughout the University of Western Ontario (and nearby schools) faster than you can lace up your shoes to walk to the UWO bookstore.

And that’s it!

No more posting your UWO textbooks on Facebook or Kijiji and waiting around for weeks. Make your free account on LocAZu to start saving money today!

By: Millie Ho

Millie Ho is a third-year student at the University of Western Ontario, completing her first year of an Honors Business Administration degree at Richard Ivey.

If there is one thing I have learned, classes can be repeated; parties can’t. Don’t miss out on the fun, live it up! Capitalize your University experience – let the good times begin! 

1. Get the Party Started! Always show up with the required tools to make your night memorable – booze, ID, money, cell phone, and a camera (so you can do a post-party recap).

2. Tired? Have an energy drink; only pre-party napping is acceptable. Bailing out early is not an option; trust me, no one looks back at their university experience saying “I wish I didn’t have so much fun!”

3. It’s a themed party?! Go with it and go BIG! No one likes the person that is ‘too cool’ and shows up in their normal garb expecting to be a part of the festivities. Themes are not over rated; they’re an excuse to dress up and get a little crazy – embrace these moments.

4. Unsure of the required attire? It is always better to be over dressed. There is nothing wrong with looking better than everyone else.

5. Ladies: don’t wear skirts or dresses to keg parties, unless you’re not shy.
Guys: leave your sleeveless shirts and track pants at home – unless it’s the theme of the party!

6. Yes, you’ll play the next game of [insert drinking game here]!

7. Music: it’s the life of the party, don’t be the one to depress it! Here are some of my favourites go-to songs that will get the party going!

• Don’t Stop Believing  – Journey
  
• Shout  - The Isley Brothers
• You Shook Me All Night Long – ACDC
• Shots  –  LMFAO
• Memories  - David Guetta ft. Kid Cudi

8. Party’s over!? If circumstances arise and the party comes to an abrupt end, don’t fret, move on to the next one whether it be down the street or to the bar. Walk or take a taxi – they’ll get you to your next destination to keep the party going!

9. A helpful tip – no bar staff enjoys an aggressive customer – be patient but assertive and always be polite – If you want good service, be a good patron – take turns buying rounds, smile, and always tip!

10. Dr. LocAZu Prescribes: A bite to eat and a glass of water before bed to ward of the threat of a hangover. Need to treat your post party woes? Rest, shower, and do it all again.

By: Alicia Mandic

Alicia Mandic is a graduate of the University of Ottawa, with a Joint Honours in Communication and in Political Science, following her dream to continue writing and building her career in the marketing industry. @LivingAsMe or www.aliciamandic.blogspot.com 

U Ottawa Textbooks

It’s the first week of classes and after receiving your list of required textbooks, you come to the realization that The University of Ottawa expects students to budget about $1,000 for books each year. In addition, when you’re done with your university textbooks, the U Ottawa bookstore offers very low buyback prices (50% of what you originally paid at best).

Here are some tips to save you time and money on your textbooks.

Avoid Long Line-ups

Buy, sell, and trade directly with your peers! No line ups! Meet new people; people who have already took that course. Get some pointers from them; input about course difficulty, prof teaching style. Beats lining up at the U Ottawa bookstore! You might even meet someone cute!

Save Money

The bookstore has a 25% mark-up. This money gets reinvested on the bookstore, salaries and better services for you. But if you trade directly and keep the mark up, YOU spend that money on you and your education.

Buyback

The most you get from Agora or U Ottawa bookstore buyback is 50% of what you paid. That’s assuming your textbook is in great condition and the store hasn’t reached its quota yet. Otherwise this % drops and as you get to the front of the buyback lineup, and as the bookstore reaches its quota, you’ll be lucky to sell just a few of your textbooks. If you trade directly with other students, you get more for book, and the buyer pays less because there’s no middle man. Everyone wins!

 Let LocAZU do the work for you – FREE!

Make an account with LocAZu.com. It’s easy and FREE to use!

Check out the thousands of detailed textbook classifieds at your school and at nearby schools. Unlike typical Facebook wall postings or Craigslist/kijiji ads, each book is posted once with full details and they are very searchable, so you don’t have to browse through repeat ads.

As you search for books, you’ll also see on the side related lectures notes, exam study guides and other study materials so you can study smarter. And if you take good quality notes, share them via LocAZu – get rewards for your hard work that you’ve already completed, helping other students study smarter.  .  

 Create a “Wishlist” of the U Ottawa Textbooks you need next semester, and add a maximum price if you like. You will only get an automated alert if the book you want, under the price cap you set up, gets posted. Saving you time and piles of cash!

De-Clutter & Make Money! Sell Your Used textbooks!

As soon as you’re done with your textbooks, post them back on LocAZu for sale!

Simply type in the ISBN and the site will automatically load all the book details so that you don’t have to spend time typing. Add a price and your book gets marketed throughout the campus, at nearby schools (Carleton University), on Google, and via the wishlists so that you sell your textbooks fast! No more reposting your ads and postering around campus!

By: Alicia Mandic

Alicia Mandic is a graduate of the University of Ottawa, with a Joint Honours in Communication and in Political Science, following her dream to continue writing and building her career in the marketing industry.

Good luck to everyone heading back to school today! We hope you all have a fun and productive semester.

And for all your student needs, from used textbooks, lecture notes, study guides, and practice exams, to campus events, don’t forget to check out the new www.LocAZu.com. Stay tuned for new and extra features coming your way soon!

Welcome to the new LocAZu!

The Locoz and Locaz salute the first year students and wish you luck finding your classes and with Yr. 1 survival:)