VPA3: Grant_Letter

Image Search Lab
888 Boulevard Toupique, Jincourt, QC, H3J 7B7
514-555-5555

Montreal City Council November 9, 2008
800, rue de La Gauchetière Ouest
Montréal (Québec)
Canada
H5A 1J6

Attention: Mr. Robert Lamontagne, Director General and Treasurer

Subject: Grant for image search research and development

Dear Mr. Lamontagne,

On behalf of Image Search Lab (ISL), I am requesting a grant in order to support the successful start of our company and promote its continuing growth in the next two years. Founded in 2008, ISL, a Montreal based company, focuses on image search technologies.


GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

Our goal is to create a new technology which will make the image search as easy as the text search.

For this purpose we set as our objectives:

to develop an innovative, break-through image search engine based on the latest mathematical research in visual pattern comparison;
to provide an image database available for public access by internet.


TARGET POPULATION

ISL is oriented towards Hi-Tech companies and end users.

Our technologies of image identification and image background analysis help software companies create their own software products and services. For an instance, a software company can develop a face recognition solution to secure the entrance of a building. In the same way, an anti-piracy solution can facilitate organizations monitoring and proving facts of copyright breaching.

End users can also benefit by using our web site that hosts the image database and search engine. In particular, everyone can find a lot of images similar to a search sample in a split second.


PROJECT ACTIVITIES

At the current stage, we need to involve another mathematician on full-time basis in the research and development process.

For the next quarter, we also plan to upgrade three computers in our virtual modelling laboratory.

Taking into account the increasing number of images stored in our web site database and the accordingly growing traffic, we have to quadruple the web server capacity by the end of November.


KEY STAFF

At the moment, ISL has on board two programmers, two mathematicians and two partners who manage and develop the business, and, at the same time, participate in all key processes of technological research and development.

All our staff graduated from leading universities and have sound knowledge in appropriate domains and proven records in complex long-term projects. My partner Daniel Champagne and I both have MBAs and we have successfully launched two software start-ups in the past.


PLAN FOR MEASURING PROJECT RESULTS

We will send a report on current achievements in accordance with the project plan every quarter as well as a fiscal report of our expenses every year.

CURRENT PROGRAMS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS

From the beginning of 2008, ISL has developed the basic algorithms of visual pattern search and the model of a self-learning image search engine. Besides, we are going to advance the research on the algorithm to allow for a comparative analysis of poor quality and small-sized images.

The next step in our roadmap is to release the alpha-candidate of our image search engine in the form of a web service this December; D. Champagne responsible.

Moreover, we will have extended the image database on our server up to one billion images by the end of the year; A. Levinsky responsible.

CONCLUSION

ISL has already made its first successful step; however, for the time being, we really need $300,000 financial assistance for these activities in order to achieve our challenging objectives.

This grant will allow our company to steadily evolve and to focus only on our research in next two years despite the economical crisis.

We really believe that our results will give new blood to the IT industry on the whole. In other words, hundreds of Canadian companies will get an additional opportunity to successfully run their businesses.

APPENDICES

Key Staff Resumes
Organization Operating Budget

With best regards,


Boruald Levinsky
Partner