The Clinic Effect is a new series, where we highlight current and past IP Innovation Clinic clients from our 15-year history of helping advance IP sophistication and support in Ontario and across Canada.
Kay Boamah sees a critical disconnect in traditional marketing: brands often use top-down strategies that can lack authenticity or relevance for the intended audience. Meanwhile, trusted community groups, including educational institutions, non-profit organizations, and artist collectives, are under-resourced and often excluded from major marketing opportunities. Boamah and his co-founders Daniel Mohanrao and Mike Hong launched Swiirl, a brand-tech platform promoting “community marketing” to address this.
The Innovation
Swiirl is a two-sided platform connecting brands and agencies with high-trust community organizations and educational institutions. Brands are matched with groups based on their marketing needs and goals. The team developed their community engagement model, Swiirl Pulse, where brands use conversational AI Agents to join real community conversations. If the AI agent is given permission to enter a conversation to gain authentic insights, the group leading the conversation is compensated. These interactions, then, inform the co-creation of purpose-driven campaigns, including artwork and social media content. Creators have full control over which projects they choose to participate in.
“Swiirl is building a more equitable and effective creative economy.”
- Kay Boamah
The Impact
Boamah calls Swiirl’s impact “profound,” citing the creation of sustainable revenue streams that support local programs including arts and financial literacy efforts. One major initiative is the financial literacy campaign created in collaboration with former NBA player Jerome Williams. The campaign, powered by Swiirl Pulse, began with a 40-city North American tour starting in on November 1, 2025. The initiative is backed by major sponsors, including banks, lifestyle brands, and the local professional sports teams in each city.
According to Boamah, Swiirl’s primary clients are marketing and engagement teams seeking authentic connections. Community partners serve as the “insight and creative engine” behind campaigns.
"We are so excited to partner with a platform that engages communities directly in creating content—capturing authentic stories of financial freedom through mini-documentaries, ads, and more.”
- Jerome Williams
The IP
Swiirl received pro bono intellectual property assistance from the IP Innovation Clinic including patent and trademark searches and due diligence. This support helped the team determine how to protect their innovation.
The broader 첥Ƶ innovation ecosystem has also played a key role in Swiirl’s commercialization journey. The company recently completed the YSpace Technology Accelerator and continues to benefit from YSpace resources. Additionally, the provided early support through its Venture Catalyst program.
“The IP Innovation Clinic has been a pivotal resource. YSpace at 첥Ƶ was a catalyst for us, connecting us to vital resources like the IP Innovation Clinic. We simply did not know what we did not know, and the ecosystem these programs build around founders is a critical accelerator to success.”
- Kay Boamah
The Next Steps...
ɾcontinues to scale up, they welcome brands, agencies, community organizations, and platform partners to join themovement,“transforming insight into authentic advocacy and empowering communities to lead the conversation.”
To learn more or connect, please visit or email partnerships@swiirl.io