From our friends at VEF Momentum:

Stimulus – a Momentum Connect Event on March 11th from 6PM-9PM @ SoCial (322 Water St)

Following up on the successful “State of Entrepreneurship” and “Now More than Ever” networking and speaker events – VEF Momentum brings you “Stimulus”our first event in 2009. As part of our “Momentum Connect” series, the event will be focused on helping aspiring and early-stage entrepreneurs connect with the people, resources and answers they need to succeed – all in an inviting, fun and casual environment.

At this event, dubbed “Stimulus”, experienced start-up veteran Rizwan Kheraj (now with NRC-IRAP) will share his lessons on stimulating your start-up’s cash flow during a recession and getting back to the basics in finding the resources to help you succeed.

Expect delectable refreshments throughout the evening (included in your ticket, just $6!) and the great company of young entrepreneurs, up and comers, mentors, investors and successful leaders from across Vancouver. The event will be held at the very inviting, very trendy SoCial at Le Magasin in the heart of Gastown (322 Water Street) on March 11th from 6PM to 9PM.

Register Online at: http://momentumconnect.eventbrite.com

Contact Kerry Liu at kerry@vef.org or e-mail 604-418-8867 for more details.

THe SFU TIME Ventures Incubator is launching a group called the Vancouver Greentech Forum (VGF) on March 5th, 2009.

The launch event will include a keynote by Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson and local pitches from greentech companies.

The event is on March 5th, from 5:30 to 8:00pm in downtown Vancouver at the SFU Segal Graduate School of Business – 500 Granville street. Registration is free and space is limited. Go here to register and for more details.

Here’s the description from VGF:

In response to climate change, there is a rapid global movement towards Greentech – technologies and enterprises that create positive environmental impact.  The purpose of VGF is to connect Greentech professionals to pitch ideas and develop synergies to advance the tremendous growth and profitability of this field.

Event includes keynote presentations by Gregor Robertson, Mayor, City of Vancouver and Paul Richardson, President, Renewal2, Greentech company pitches by Habitat Enterprises and 3rdWhale.com, networking, and an elevator pitch competition for Greentech companies, the winner of which will present at the next VGF.

From our friends at FWE – looks like a great event…

FWE presents
ANNUAL GALA – March 2, 2009
A Dinner Celebration Featuring Women In Sport at The Fairmont Waterfront Hotel in Vancouver

Silent Auction & Reception 5:30pm
Dinner & Program 6:30pm

We will hear inspiring words from The Honourable Gordon Campbell, Premier of British Columbia

FEATURING OUTSTANDING FEMALE ATHLETES:
·         Andrea Holmes – Paralympian, 4 time Long Jump Champion & BC Disabled Alpine Ski Team Member
·         Carol Huynh – Olympic Gold Medalist in Wrestling, Beijing 2008
·         Silken Laumann – Olympic Medalist in Rowing, Inspirational Speaker, Author and Child Advocate
·         Catriona Le May Doan – 2 time Olympic Gold Medalist in Speed Skating
·         Lilo Ljubisic – 5 time Paralympic Champion in Discus and Shot Put

Panel discussion with the athletes facilitated by Randene Neill, Anchor/Reporter, Global BC

TICKET PRICES
Members: $180;
Non-members: $200;
Table of 10: $1,800;

Please note that GST will be added onto all sponsorship opportunities and ticket prices.

Contact Angel Mok at angel@fwe.ca or call 604 682 8115 to purchase tickets today. The 2008 gala sold out – so don’t delay!  Registration form is available on www.fwe.ca.

This to CBC Newsworld for this info. Mike Tan and Teampages (2nd place winners in 2007) will be featured on CBC Fortune Hunters this Saturday, Feb. 14th.

Synopsis from the CBC:

Fortune Hunters looks at emerging trends in the marketplace and features Canadian entrepreneurs cashing in on them, even in today’s economy. On February 14th, our episode “Facebook Factor” will examine the social networking trend in Canada.

Viewers meet Mike Tan and his team as they try to take Teampages to the next level. Web experts Leila Boujnane of Idee Inc. and Evan Carmichael of evancarmichael.com weigh in on their chances of success.

The episode ends with the story behind the huge success of Lavalife – how Bruce Croxon attracted people looking for love. A fitting story for Valentine’s Day!

The episode airs on CBC Newsworld on Saturday, February 14th at 3:30 pm and 8:30 pm PT; and on Sunday, February 15th at 10:30 am and 1:30 pm PT. It will also be available on our website on Thursday, February 12th at www.cbc.ca/fortunehunters

For everyone who’s contacted me about the 2009 competition – thank you for your interest!

NVBC 2009 gets rolling in March. Right now, I’m working behind the scenes with Bob de Wit and the NVBC board of directors on rules, sponsors, schedules, and all that extra stuff needed to ensure a smooth competition. We’re also moving the entire site over to Wordpress in March and making some improvements to the site navigation (and yes, the font will be bigger!).

However, one piece of news I can share now is that our annual seminar series is expanding to a 9-week seminar package. We’ve restructured a couple topics and added a seminar on “Perfecting your Pitch.” NVBC will also offer additional seminars in the series throughout different regions of Province, in partnership with our title sponsor, the British Columbia Innovation Council.

Now, here’s a sneak peek at the 2009 seminar series schedule. Speakers and location TBA shortly.

2009 NVBC Seminar Series
April 1: Seminar 1- Assessing the Opportunity

April 8: Seminar 2 – Managing your Intellectual Property

April 15: Seminar 3 – Market Research and Product Marketing

April 20: COMPETITION REGISTRATION DEADLINE

April 22: Seminar 4 – Corporate Structure

April 29: Networking Event

May 6: Seminar 5 – The Business Plan

May 13: Seminar 6 – Financing Structure

May 20: Seminar 7 – All about (early-stage) funding

May 27: Seminar 8 – Perfecting your Pitch

June 3: Seminar 9 – Start at the end: exit strategy