UCalgary engineering alum builds human-first tech solutions company

When digital tools are hard to use, such as 3D models displayed in 2D, or dense datasets buried in spreadsheets, they can overwhelm users instead of helping them. 

That's a particular challenge in sectors like construction and energy, where complex information needs to be clearly understood to make fast, informed decisions. 

This inspired Jeff LaFrenz, a University of Calgary engineering alum and longtime contributor to the campus community, to co-found VizworX, a software solutions company that makes data more effective through augmented and virtual reality (AR and VR), artificial intelligence and custom web and mobile applications. 

“The kind of technologies we utilize and the kind of problems that we solve tend to be ones where the complexity of data drives challenges in understanding,” says LaFrenz, BSc (Eng)’85, MSc’88.  

“But, if we can put people into an augmented reality or virtual reality environment for instance, they can directly understand spatial relationships, leading to deeper learning and better decision making.” 

For example, in 2020, VizworX created EnsureworX Panoptica, an immersive AR tool that lets engineers and project managers remotely review and adjust infrastructure design before construction, cutting down costly rework and delays.  

By providing tools that align with how people naturally see, touch and process information, VizworX helps businesses better engage with complexity in everything from visualizing public art in the community before it’s installed, to exploring public energy data in a way that’s accessible and intuitive to all Canadians. 

From campus research to real-world impact 

The idea for VizworX grew out of a cross-Canada alliance of academic researchers, industry partners and government collaborators. LaFrenz, who studied electrical and computer engineering at the Schulich School of Engineering, was managing the network between 2009 and 2013 when he noticed researchers had promising technology, and industry had a need, but no technical pathway existed to commercialize the solutions. 

“We were looking for ways to bring technology out of the university and put it into practice,” he says. “But, then we ran into the transitional problem … no mechanism to do so at the technology level.” 

VizworX was launched to address that gap. The company was co-founded by LaFrenz along with UCalgary Faculty of Science members Dr. Sheelagh Carpendale, PhD, an adjunct professor and professor emerita, and Dr. Frank Maurer, PhD, a professor and VizworX’s current chief science officer. 

Since then, they’ve turned university research into tools such as their current next generation command and control environment, that is gaining significant global traction as a solution to help teams monitor and manage complex information in high-pressure environments like those found in emergency operations, disaster response, public safety, and security.  

A number of students who helped build these systems in UCalgary labs went on to work at VizworX. 

Bridging the gap between education and entrepreneurship 

LaFrenz has long supported university-to-industry connections, while continuing active involvement in his alma mater.  

He’s served on the UCalgary Senate and Board of Governors, has been on the Schulich Industry Advisory Council since 2012, was president of the Graduate Students’ Association and has also chaired the alumni chapter of the Schulich School of Engineering.  

“I just felt that connection since the beginning,” LaFrenz says. “I wanted to maintain that connection and see how — particularly from an industrial perspective — we could bring value back to the university.” 

For LaFrenz, that means ensuring the university’s outputs not only support strategic mandates but also align with students’ academic goals and prepare them for their future careers. 

“More and more these days, it’s a future as an entrepreneur,” says LaFrenz. “Whether you consider yourself an entrepreneur or not, you’re going to be an entrepreneur for yourself — reinventing yourself many times throughout your career.” 

He encourages students to start early and explore internships, network and gain exposure to industry while still in school.