New title sponsor has deep roots with Toronto carnival: Peeks Social signs multi-year sponsorship agreement

TORONTO, June 1, 2017 /CNW/ - Toronto's Caribbean Carnival has a new title sponsor: Peeks Social Ltd., a live-streaming App founded by Torontonian Mark Itwaru. Itwaru, a serial entrepreneur who has successfully built several technology companies, has strong ties to the ever-popular Toronto event, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

Dr. Arnold Itwaru, Mark's father, served on the festival Board in its early days. Originally from Guyana, he immigrated to Canada in 1969.

"As a Torontonian and given my family's long history with the Toronto carnival, I am thrilled that Peeks Social will be its title sponsor in 2017 and for years to come," says Mark Itwaru, Chairman and CEO of Toronto-based Peeks Social Ltd.  "Toronto's carnival is the premiere event of its kind in North America, attracting over a million visitors from the GTA and around the world.  The event continues to grow and I expect that people will soon be talking about it in the same breath as they talk about carnivals in Rio and the Caribbean!"

This year's Peeks Toronto Caribbean Carnival will feature more floats, music, celebrities and fun than ever before. The theme "Celebrating Our Heritage: From Then to Now" will infuse every aspect of the festival, from the parade route to the shows and all performers including singers, pannists and calypsonians.

"Carnival captures Toronto's vibrant multiculturalism, and the entire Peeks Social team is proud to support the 50th anniversary edition of the festival," continues Itwaru. "Especially on the occasion of Canada's sesquicentennial, it's going to be a celebration like no other and put a BIG spotlight on our wonderful city and all it has to offer." The Peeks Toronto Caribbean Carnival will have a dedicated channel on the Peeks network and users can download the free Peeks app to view livestreams of the event.

"We look forward to working with Peeks to cultivate a new global online audience and to generate new revenues for the many artists, performers, charities, and community groups that participate in the Carnival," said Denise Herrera-Jackson, CEO of the Festival Management Committee.

Peeks Toronto Caribbean Carnival will run from July 7 to August 7, 2017. Carnival events will showcase originality, culture, and history to millions of spectators attending in downtown Toronto or watching on television and online. For more info visit: torontocaribbeancarnival.com

ABOUT PEEKS

Peeks Social Ltd. is the world's first e-commerce-enabled live-streaming platform, an application that allows users to upload and share personal videos in real time and earn real cash. Peeks allows viewers to quickly and easily express their appreciation of live or archived videos by simply tapping on their mobile screens to send tips or make purchases. Users in more than 100 countries are using Peeks to share content and earn money doing it! Peeks is available free on the App Store, Google Play or by visiting www.peeks.com.

ABOUT MARK ITWARU

Mark Itwaru is a distinguished and proven innovator in the emerging technologies industry. A serial entrepreneur with over 20 years of IT and technology development experience, he has created solutions for mobile commerce, mobile marketing, social media, social-marketing, e-commerce and payment processing. Mark is the developer of the innovative 900 Pay, a mobile money transfer system that is widely used around the world. He holds several technology patents in mobile commerce and payment processing. Mark pioneered an e-wallet solution for payment transactions that has processed billions of dollars at his previous company, Navaho Networks Inc. He also founded Miiscan, an interactive ad network platform, and founded Telebuy, a mobile e-wallet payment tech platform. Mark is currently the Chairman & CEO of Peeks Social Ltd. (TSX VENTURE: PEEK) which develops retail and corporate social media and social commerce products by bringing together broadcast media, social networking and mobile commerce. Peeks Social was featured in the 2017 TSX Venture 50, a ranking of the top performers on the TSX Venture Exchange and was ranked number one overall in the technology sector.  Mark is based in Toronto, Canada.

SOURCE Peeks Social Ltd.

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