Northumberland CFDC and Spark Centre are pleased to announce the first two members of the N100 Power Panel.

Our first Power Panelist has over 40 years of experience in innovation and commercialization: Pauline Walsh (BA, MA Physics – Cambridge, Masters in Management Science – MIT Sloan School of Management) is currently Industrial Technology Advisor with Canada’s National Research Council – Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP). Throughout her career, Pauline has worked in R&D, management consulting, and entrepreneurial development. Her areas of expertise range from physics (optics, photonics) to software development to manufacturing. Previously with Metarq Consulting, the University of Toronto and McKinsey & Company, Pauline has extensive experience in supporting the strategic development of hi-tech startups and in managing intellectual property, inventions and disclosures. At NRC-IRAP, Pauline works with Canada’s advanced manufacturers to accelerate the growth of their business through technology innovation. Her office is co-located with the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) at MaRS Discovery District in Toronto.

Our second Power Panelist is a business law partner in Gowlings’ Toronto office and a coordinator of the Cleantech practice: David Pamenter has more than 30 years of experience in technology law, business and commercial law, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance issues and private corporate finance. David advises a wide spectrum of domestic and international clients, including development stage clients, on matters of both a day-to-day and a strategic nature. He has acted as legal counsel on a diverse range of transactions from acquisitions to dispositions, including licensing and other technology issues for science-based enterprises as well as for companies in traditional manufacturing and distribution industries. David is co-chair of the International Trade Subcommittee of the International Business Law Committee and chair of the International Transactions Committee of the Mid-Market Committee, Business Law Section, American Bar Association. Designated an Institute-certified director, ICD.D, David is a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors. David is a founding member of Cleantech North, a group of concerned service providers working collaboratively to mentor Canadian Cleantech companies. He sits on the Business Incubator Management Advisory Committee (BIMAC) of Northumberland’s business incubator, IdeaHub, located in the Municipality of Port Hope where he also serves as a Director of Friends of Music.

N100 is pleased to welcome Pauline Walsh and David Pamenter to the N100 Power Panel.

To apply go to: http://n100.ca/registration/

Applications open for 2013 BDC Young Entrepreneur Award – $100,000 Grand Prize

If you’re a young business owner looking for resources to finance your company’s growth, we have a contest for you. The Business Development Bank of Canada is accepting applications for the 2013 edition of the BDC Young Entrepreneur Award. Canadian business owners aged 18 to 35 now have a chance to win a $100,000 Grand Prize and a second prize of $25,000 in consulting services. To enter the contest, participants must create a short video to present a turning point their company has reached and the solution they propose to take their business to the next level. The deadline for receiving applications is April 2, 2013, at noon Eastern Daylight Time. More details about the 2013 BDC Young Entrepreneur Award application process are available at bdc.ca.

Business Development Bank of Canada | Calling Canada’s young entrepreneurs to compete for $100,000 Grand Prize

Applications must be filled out and submitted before April 2, 2013. More information about 2013 BDC Young Entrepreneur Award eligibility criteria, the application process, the rules and regulations and the format of the video submissions is available on the contest’s microsite: http://www.bdcyoungentrepreneuraward.ca/

About the BDC Young Entrepreneur Award contest:  Created by the Business Development Bank of Canada in 1988, the BDC Young Entrepreneur Award contest pays tribute to remarkable Canadian entrepreneurs between 18 and 35 years of age. Eleven finalists — one for each province and one for the combined territories — are short-listed to compete for a $100,000 Grand Prize. The winners are selected by public vote and a second prize of $25,000 in consulting services is awarded to the contest runner-up. www.bdc.ca/yea

Tickets now available. Reserve your seat today!

Join us for a celebration of entrepreneurship in Durham Region following the 6-month Ignite Durham journey!

When: Evening, Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Where: Regent Theatre, Oshawa

Featuring:

Keynote Speaker Tim Ferris
Tim Ferriss, “lifestyle design” guru, author of The 4-Hour Work Week and The 4-Hour Chef is an entrepreneur, investor and kickboxer.

The Ignite Journey: Short Film
102 entrepreneurs applied for Ignite in January 2013. Don’t miss the full story of this entrepreneurial journey as we move from 30 companies at Pitch Night to the five Finalists, and ultimately the top two Ignite Start-ups. Then, see how the real work begins as the two Ignite Start-ups begin their 4-month boot camp to accelerate their business.

Q & A with the Ignite Power Panel
Hear some of Canada’s best entrepreneurs in a lively discussion.

Tickets:
$45 general / $25 student includes a free book: The 4-Hour Chef by Tim Ferriss.
$100 VIP pass includes private reception with the Ignite Power Panel and more!

Proceeds support innovation and entrepreneurship in Durham Region through Ignite. Spark Centre is a not-for-profit organization that helps innovative companies start, grow and succeed.

Ignite Durham Rounds Down to the Final Five Entrepreneurs after Pitch Night

WHITBY, ON Feb 5, 2013 – A final group of 5 entrepreneurs have been chosen to move on to the next phase of Ignite Durham. On Monday, February 4th, a short list of 30 Ignite participants pitched live in front of the Power Panel and 250 members of the community. The 30 were selected from a pool of 102 applicants for Ignite Durham (www.ignitedurham.ca), a brand-new start-up boot camp that will set two local companies on the path to success.

Ignite is presented by Spark Centre, a not-for-profit organization that offers services and support to local entrepreneurs; The Region of Durham; and VentureStart, a program that helps technology entrepreneurs in Southern Ontario.

All applicants took part in a five-night Pitch School where they learned to write a business summary, best practices for pitching, anxiety-management strategies, and how to cultivate strategic vision for their company. They also heard personal stories from local entrepreneurs Jason Atkins from 360 incentives, Jeff Quipp from Search Engine People, and Jenn Atkinson from 5 Minds Mobility.

Here are the five Ignite Durham finalists:

Squabble Studios Ltd — http://www.squabblestudios.ca/
Participants: UOIT alumni: Matthew Stephan, Aaron DeChamplain, Eric Rosendale, Ian McCabe and Veronica Cole.

Squabble Studios is a game development studio with a focus on serious games, simulations and training applications. We work with other companies and institutions to develop original games that meet needs across various domains.

The Mobile Experience Company (Mobile X Co.) — http://www.mobilexco.com/
Participants: Peter Pinfold and Andy Bruce.

As a context marketing company, we tackle the age-old problem that, “half the money spent on advertising is waste; the problem is, we don’t know which half.” By providing agencies and brands with tools to gain real-time insight into how marketing dollars perform across online and offline media channels, Mobile X Co makes calculating marketing ROI easy.

They Innovate — http://www.theyinnovate.com/
Participants: Jeff McLarty and Danilo Malanczyk from They Innovate.

They Innovate Inc. develops solutions for consumer and commercial applications. They Innovate’s pilot solution is a fashionable way for anybody to secure any smartphone or tablet, to any clothing or surface.

Element34 — http://www.element34.ca/
Participant: Adam Goucher

With the explosion of complexity in today’s applications, managing the test cases and testing ideas needs to change and adapt. Element 34 will create a next-generation, cloud-based, test-case management system based on mind maps.

Moxie Retail Solutions Inc. — http://www.moxieretail.com/
Participant: Joshua Tibdano, UOIT student.

The Moxie suite of services combines insights gathered from customer mapping, POS and
loyalty data to create distinct communications and in-store environments that result in meaningful customer engagements.

Hot on the heels of Ignite Durham is N100, a new entrepreneurship competition for up to $100,000 in private equity investment. This new initiative is brought to you by Northumberland CFDC and Spark Centre in partnership.

What are you waiting for?

For more information and to apply go to: N100 website