30/04/2009
Ambitious entrepreneurs from across Alberta let their presence be known at the 2009 TEC VenturePrize Awards Luncheon.
TEC Edmonton’s VenturePrize program is targeted at helping Alberta’s entrepreneurs convert business visions into ventures. Three entrepreneurs - CIE: Seek Your Own Proof, SmileSonica Inc. and Swiftclips Media Networks – risked it all when they gave their final pitch and unveiled their corporate videos for the Fast Growth Award, in front of a lively crowd. The winner CIE: Seek Your Own Proof received over $90,000 in prizes with the finalists each receiving over $40,000 in prizes.
“Alberta’s best entrepreneurs were showcased today,” said David Cox, CEO of TEC Edmonton. “By targeting the needs of entrepreneurs – for education, guidance, incentives and connections, TEC VenturePrize enabled Alberta’s most ambitious talent to realize their business dreams.”
For several years TEC VenturePrize, Alberta’s best business plan competition, has offered assistance to entrepreneurs through a six-week business planning seminar series, followed by mentorship, the competition, and professional feedback. Through these efforts, TEC VenturePrize has contributed to Alberta’s entrepreneurial culture by boosting small businesses, creating ties between established business leaders and start-ups, and developing high-growth businesses that are making an economic impact and bringing investment dollars to our province.
The second award announced at the event celebrated Alberta’s post secondary youth and their role in enhancing Alberta’s inventiveness. Through the support of Western Economic Diversification Canada and Alberta Ingenuity, TEC VenturePrize awarded KennelSeek.com with the Student Business Plan Competition Award. The winner was chosen from the top finalists of the northern (CEFE) and the southern (STIC) business plan competitions.
"The West has a strong entrepreneurial spirit and our Conservative Government will continue to support a new generation of western Canadian innovators in bringing their ideas to market," said the Honourable Lynne Yelich, Minister of State for Western Economic Diversification. "This award inspires young entrepreneurs to rise to the forefront of their industry and continue growing as leaders."
“This award marks the sweet spot for Alberta; a program that gives a leg up to the inspired young entrepreneurs who are already using new technologies, to create new ways of doing business. These students are showing us what Alberta’s future looks like, and we’re happy to be investing in them,” said Dr. Peter Hackett, President and CEO of Alberta Ingenuity.
The event also awarded Carrie Read with the Screeners Award of Merit (SAM) for her business vision of a Crosswalk Café, which will specialize in alcohol-free entertainment such as live Christian music, comedians, DJ parties and guest speakers - fusing music with fellowship and faith. This award is designed to encourage entrepreneurs to further develop their business plan for resubmission next year. This year’s award was sponsored by Digital Tea Group Inc. and University Technologies International. The TEC VenturePrize program would not be possible without the support of our partners and sponsors.
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Contact
Nadia Andersen
Communications and Marketing Manager
TEC Edmonton
(780) 492-1865
nadia.andersen@TECedmonton.com
Backgrounder
2008 TEC VenturePrize Award Fast Growth Winner:
• CIE: Seek Your Own Proof is a subscription-based community where kids ages 9 and up are challenged to investigate history as agents of a fictional agency called the "Central Institute for Exploration". As an alternative to pure online virtual worlds, CIE offers kids and families unique opportunities to play both online and offline through real-world activities that take place at local museum attractions. For more information contact Ken Bautista at (780) 993-8794 ; ken@seekyourownproof.com or visit www.seekyourownproof.com
Fast Growth Award Runners Up:
• SmileSonica Inc. is a medical device company focused on commercializing the first ultrasonic dental technology which heals the natural teeth on site. The treatment procedure is non-invasive and creates no pain or discomfort for the patients. Our easy-to-use dental product will create a pleasant treatment experience for patients while generating new revenue opportunities for dentists. For more information contact Cristian Scurtescu at (780) 710-2034 ; cristian.scurtescu@smilesonica.com or visit www.smilesonica.com
• Swiftclips Media Networks provides turnkey touch screen solutions for retail environments, public venues, and advertisers. Offering a complete service platform for interactive product information and advertising, Swiftclips' management software can remotely deploy H ..D videos, images, text, mp3s, etc. It also collects invaluable user statistics and demographic information directly from screen level. Swiftclips offers an interactive solution for an information-hungry generation of consumers. For more information contact Trevor MacDonald at (780) 634-2547 or visit www.swiftclips.com
TEC Student Business Plan Competition Winner:
• KennelSeek.com is a user-friendly website that provides an online reservation and management system to connect pet care providers, namely boarding kennels and catteries, with pet owners in Canada and the United States. Pet owners receive real-time availability, maps, reviews and real-time streaming videos of pet care facilities. For more information contact Gordon McKinlay at or email info@kennelseek.com.
TEC Student Business Plan Competition Runners Up:
• Neurologic Medical Solutions, ’’brain plug,” is designed to reduce the procedural risk of chronic subdural hematoma drainage (CSDH). The biocompatible device would fit inside the burr hole in the skull and guide a catheter to the desired location. It would then stay in the skull for the lifetime of the patient, providing structural support and being reabsorbed by the surrounding bone. For more information contact Justin Waghray at (4... or email jrwaghra@ucalgary.ca
• D&R Optimization Services developing a software tool, focusing on improving oil upgrading and refining performance and profitability. Through this technology, D&R will improve operators ability to meet or exceed hydro-processing production and profit goals, by improving throughput by over 13% translating to increased revenue of $15-25MM/yr for a 15,000 BPD hydro-processing unit or reducing the number of $20MM shutdowns required in a 10 year period. For more information contact Darius Remesat at (4... or emaildremesat@ucalgary.ca
Screeners Award of Merit – winner: Crosswalk Café. For more information contact Carrie Reid 780.466.1118 or 780.977.2386. E-mail: carrie@crosswalkcafe.ca