The 2012 TEC VenturePrize Awards are a wrap. Produced by TEC Edmonton, the 10th annual awards and dinner are being called the best VenturePrize Awards ever.

VenturePrize is much more than its NanoVenturePrize, Fast Growth and Student competitions for Alberta-based  innovative startup companies. 

It’s even greater than its $300,000+ in prize money and services.

It’s a celebration of Alberta’s burgeoning innovation/high tech/start up business sector, of its hundreds of risk-taking entrepreneurs, of bringing recognition and awareness to the sector with its huge importance to future economic development.

The TEC VenturePrize Awards could not possibly have been carried off without a huge community effort.

As the saying goes, it takes a community to raise a company.

So here’s a host of thanks to the small army of volunteers and organizations who dedicated time, energy, cash and services to making the TEC VenturePrize Awards 2012 such a success.

Organizations/Companies

Alberta Innovates – Technology Futures:  AITF’s Youth Technopreneurship  and AITF’s NanoAlberta programs, for prize funding.

The Edmonton Journal and Calgary Herald: For the special VenturePrize sections leading up to the awards; for news coverage of the event and several of the contestants.

NovaNAIT, The Business Link, Innovate Calgary, Medicine Hat College and the University of Lethbridge: For providing venues, technical services and staffing for the educational component of VenturePrize. Innovate Calgary also hosted the presentation training boot camp.

Dynacor Media: All the video production.

Edmonton Economic Development Corporation: For its assistance in staging the show this year in Hall D at the Shaw Conference Centre.

Field Law: For providing cash sponsorship, volunteer mentors and seminar leaders.

Alberta Women Entrepreneurs: For volunteer mentor coordination and mentorship.

ProGrid Evaluation Solutions: Software provision.

TMX (Toronto Stock Exchange and TSX Venture Exchange): Long-time financial support and volunteer judges.

 The entire judging, screening of entries for the three categories, mentoring of contestants and setup of the VenturePrize contestant educational seminar series is done by volunteers.

And here they are:

 

Fast Growth Judges:

Shawn Abbott (iNovia Capital)
Warren Bergen (AVAC)
Rod Charko (Alberta Enterprise Fund)
Roy Homyshin (TSX Venture Exchange)

Student Business Plan Judges:

Colin Christensen (Signa Venture Development)
Troy Deck (Meyers Norris Penny)
Chris LaBoissiere (Yardstick)
Jim Spiers (Right Field Marketing)

NanoVenturePrize Judges:

Alfred Fischer (Quadrise Canada Corporation)
Don Kjosness  (CapitalRoad Foundation)
Mike Weiner (Technology Innovations LLC)

Fast Growth Screeners

Chris Astle (CastlePoint Consulting)
Pierre Cormier (Paulson Cormier and Associates)
Stuart Johnston (AMA)
Peter Kinkaide (MNP)
Lucas Matheson (Capital Power )
Gord Meeberg (Insignus Consulting)
Spencer Ord (Deloitte)
Dennis Pommen (Pommen Group)
Sam Soliman (310-DUMP)
Lisa Spinks (Alberta Innovates – Energy & Environment Solutions)
Ted Yoo (Bennett Jones)

NanoVenturePrize Screeners

David Antoniuk (Guiding Business Transitions)
Stephen Bates (PMC-Sierra Inc.)
Keith Gillard (Panagaea Ventures Ltd.)
Leigh Hill (Managing for Results)
Rainer Iraschko  (TR Labs)
Jose Raez (National Research Council)
Mark Redmond (Institute for Reconstruction Sciences in Medicine)
Diana Shaw (Institute for Reconstruction Sciences in Medicine)

Mentors

Fernanda Badano (iSoftStone)
Peter Bradbury (retired)
William Buchkowsky (Deloitte)
Bill Cogan (Mackintosh Consulting)
Pierre Cormier (Paulson Cormier & Associates)
Colin Christensen (Signa Venture Development)
Phil Doublet (Doublet Management and Consulting)
Lisa Deutscher (Checkone2 Enterprises)
Craig Elias (InnerSell)
Brian Goheen (Chiro Foods)
Norm Greenwood (Greenwood 2 Management & Operations)
Ted Heidrick (University of Alberta)
Peter Kinkaide (MNP Corporate Finance )
Van Konrad (MBA Associates)
Glynis Middleton (G. Whiz Business Services)
Jason Munsch (EPCOR)
Marty Park (Evolve Business Group)
Wayne Peters (Online Business Systems)
Dennis Pommen (Pommen Group)
David Saxby (Spark Communications)
Tracey Scarlett (Alberta Women Entrepreneurs)

Mentorship Matching

Sheila Shand (Alberta Women Entrepreneurs)

Seminar Series

Lloyd Steier  (School of Business, University of Alberta)
Grant Cool  (Alberta Deal Generator)
Phil Payne (AIM Capital Corp.)
Randy Marsden (Clean Keys)
Rick Pabst (Field Law)
Tom O’Reilly (Field Law)
Terri Susan Zurbigg (Field Law)
Ted Kouri  (Incite)
Doug Mclean (Incite)
Stephen Kent (PWC)
Cathy Goulet (The Business Link)
Cameron Schuler (VibeDx Diagnostics)
Greg Kawchuk  (VibeDx Diagnostics)
Anthony Au  (VibeDx Diagnostics)

 

Media Training Workshop

RiverCity Productions – Marilyn Jones

 

And a great big thank you to TEC Edmonton’s Kendel Ferrier as VenturePrize overall coordinator,  event manager Jennifer Roggeveen of jenn r Events,  associate James Murgatroyd of James Murgatroyd Communications and TEC Edmonton’s Alexandra Bayley, Vicki Chekan, Audrey Dolinski and Erik Einsiedel for assisting at the event registration desk.

The Alberta-wideTEC VenturePrize Awards would not exist without TEC Edmonton devoting enormous amounts of staff time, effort and financial assistance as the event’s producer. Thank you to CEO Chris Lumb and all the TEC Edmonton gang for making VenturePrize work. 

WELL DONE, ALL!