Saskatoon tech company picked for Google accelerator program

Cadence, a service to help settle a loved one’s affairs after a loss, is the first Sask. company selected for the accelerator program.

Rachelle Perron, Krystian Olszanski and Rachel Drew are the founders of Cadence, a Saskatoon tech startup working to simplify and automate the tasks of settling a loved one's affairs after their death.
Rachelle Perron, Krystian Olszanski and Rachel Drew are the founders of Cadence, a Saskatoon tech startup working to simplify and automate the tasks of settling a loved one’s affairs after their death. Photo by Michelle Berg /Saskatoon StarPhoenix

Executives at a Saskatoon company are hoping a little help from Google can help them expand beyond Canada.

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Rachel Drew started working on what would become Cadence following the loss of her mother. Getting her mom’s affairs settled turned out to be a tedious, complicated process that also came with added reminders of her recent loss, she said.

“I thought it would be fine, and it absolutely was not.”

She described the experience as “heartbreaking and broken.”

Drew said Cadence attempts to simplify and automate tasks that fall to a deceased person’s loved ones, such as handling insurance and pension claims, cancelling subscriptions and sorting out benefits.

She said Cadence’s questionnaire-based system is not unlike software people might use for filing their own taxes, with the same idea of consolidating myriad forms and processes in one place. While it doesn’t replace lawyers and accountants for complex situations, she said Cadence can help people narrow down which tasks to bring to the professionals.

Chief technology officer and co-founder Krystian Olszanski met Drew at a mentorship program not long after he lost one of his closest friends. He has a background in tech, including stops at Saskatoon’s Vendasta and 7shifts. Olszanski said Cadence has allowed him to use his technical know-how to help solve problems everyone will face.

“The software just simplifies and automates things, but our advantage is just the amount of knowledge we have in-house about how to deal with all this paperwork,” he said.

Cadence has grown to serve individuals and businesses in Canada. Drew said they hope their recent admission to a three-month Google accelerator program can provide some guidance on how to expand into the U.S.

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Ashley Francisco, Google Canada’s head of startup developer ecosystems, said the company’s Cloud Accelerator program gives participants access to experts in everything from software and marketing to leadership. Cadence is one of 11 companies selected this year, and the first from Saskatchewan.

“We’re best able to support companies that have a product they are selling, really know their customer and what they’re offering,” she said.

Olszanski said he hopes Google advisers can help Cadence avoid a common startup problem of chasing “quick wins” that can end up hampering long-term success. He said he’s also looking forward to talking shop with some of the global tech giant’s software and cybersecurity experts.

“Google obviously has been an expert at this for a long time, so I’m looking forward to working with them directly,” he said.

Drew said she hopes the Google program is another step on the path to building a “compassionate, thoughtful, user-centred product” that can be used worldwide.

“We’re trying to understand how people interact with technology during grief, and that’s something that’s not really studied.”

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