The BC Innovation Council is now accepting submissions for the annual BCIC Awards, to be presented at Connect ’09 on October 19th at the Sheraton Wall Centre in Vancouver. The BCIC is the title sponsor of the 2009 New Ventures BC Competition.

Connect ‘09 is BCIC’s premier event for technology start-ups and innovators providing invaluable access to top-tier BC business leaders. Connect ‘09 will include a keynote by internationally recognized Canadian Tech Entrepreneur Leonard Brody of NowPublic, unique structured networking, and expert panel sessions.

Awards will be presented for exceptional achievement in, or potential for, commercialization of technology. Submissions for the following awards are now being accepted:

• BCIC Ripples of Hope Award in Biotechnology & Entrepreneurship ($35,000) – recognizes a graduate student, postdoctorate fellow or postgraduate collaborating on an entrepreneurship initiative in the biotechnology industry in BC.
• Emerging Technology Award (Up to $25,000) – recognizes a new venture at the pre-investment stage that has developed an innovative technology in BC.
• Entrepreneurship Fellow Award ($25,000) – recognizes a faculty member at a BC postsecondary institution who is a leader in technology innovation and commercialization.

The deadline to submit applications or nominations is Monday, September 21st.

The Wireless Innovation Network of BC (WINBC) has secured a special Qualcomm Partner Rate for British Columbia’s wireless and life science companies wanting to exhibit in the Wireless Health Pavilion at CTIA Wireless IT & Entertainment conference in San Diego this October. The $500 flat-rate package not only includes a 10′ x 10′ booth space, but additional marketing and promotional activities including a Product Display in Wireless Health Showcase, complimentary Platinum Passes for customers, and listings in the Official CTIA Show Guide Exhibitor Section.

The Wireless Health Pavilion will be where the industry will come to see innovative demos and exhibits from leading wireless manufacturers and health care providers who are advancing wireless trends in medicine.

Contact WINBC by email if you’re interested in taking advantage of this great marketing opportunity.

The SFU University Industry Liaison Office is hosting a two-day seminar to teach the best practices of successful entrepreneurs on Thursday July 30th and Friday August 7th at SFU Harbour Centre.

Build & Finance Your SME will provide techniques for building and financing an early-stage SME. Attendees will also be provided with a detailed seminar textbook and networking opportunities with other SME’s, potential professional advisors and Angel Investors.

Who Should Attend?

• Entrepreneurs who are long on ambition but short on commercialization experience.
• Founders, Managers and Directors of early-stage SMEs that need external capital.
• Professional Managers, Technicians and Inventors interested in entrepreneurship.
• Consultants, Advisors and Mentors to early-stage SMEs.
• Economic Development Officers.
• Commerce and MBA students.

The cost of the two-day seminar is $287 +GST – post-secondary students get in for $229. Contact time@sfu.ca for more details.

The second annual PICK 20 roundup of Canada’s leading Web 2.0 pioneers has been announced over at Backbone Magazine and eight of the twenty hail from British Columbia.

• NowPublic – Crowdsourced/participatory news gathering
• HootSuite – A Twitter toolbox that manages multiple Twitter profiles
• ThoughtFarmer – Intranet software which incorporates social networking features
• AfterCAD Online - Enables viewing and publishing complex data sets over the Web
• TeamPages – Website  creation and management service for amateur sports teams
• Clarity Accounting – Online accounting for small businesses and the self-employed
• Taglocity - Enterprise e-mail management and knowledge sharing
• Pixton – A site where people create, publish, share and remix comics

Of these BC-based Web 2.0 companies, you’ll recognize three from past New Ventures BC competitions. TeamPages was a runner-up in the 2007 competition and both Clarity Accounting and Taglocity were competitors in 2008.

Congrats to everyone on the list. It’s great to see BC so well represented as well as our New Ventures BC alumni.

On September 21st , the folks behinds the Angel Forum are hosting a real-world workshop on Company Valuation and Equity Term Sheets in downtown Vancouver and they’ve got nine early-bird spots left if you want to save $45 on their registration fee.

Why attend? If you are planning to raise serious private equity in the next 12 months, ask yourself:

1. Do you have a good overview of the language and ramifications of a term sheet that will be offered by an investor?
2. With US and International public equity markets down 30+%, how do you correctly value a private company?
3. Are you familiar with how angel and VC investors value companies, dilution impact and valuation negotiations?

The workshop will give you the opportunity to network with leading west coast Angel investors including Bill Payne, Dan Rosen, Basil Peters, Mike Volker and Steve Lukas.

Who should attend: Investors, CEOs or CFOs or Advisors working with rapidly growing companies that are seriously looking for multiple investors. You should already have a basic understanding of venture capital finance.

There are 9 seats left at early-bird rate of $285+GST. Register online now if you’re interested.

For the third month in a row, Mike Tan of 2007 New Ventures BC finalist TeamPages is organizing a Vancouver Web Based Entrepreneurs Lunch.

When TeamPages was back in Victoria there used be a lunch every month where all the web based companies would come together for lunch. It was an awesome way to share ideas, technology, seek advice, and build a stronger and more cohesive web based community in Victoria. I figured if we could have a monthly lunch in Victoria why not start one up in Vancouver.

The lunches are informal and there’s no monthly fee. We’ll pick restaurants that are reasonably priced (as we’re all start ups) and you can wear whatever you want (although some form of clothing is recommended). You can stay as long as you want to or can based on your busy schedules. This lunch is all about taking just a little bit of time out of our busy schedules to meet up and share. Please note this lunch is only for Web Based Entrepreneurs! Any non Web Based Entrepreneurs will have to sit at the kids table.

This month’s event is on Thursday, July 23rd at Ceili’s Pub on Smithe Street in downtown Vancouver. There are still spots available, so if you’re web-based and interested head on over and sign up now.

Toronto’s FreshBooks has been super-successful building their own Web App business, so now they’re sharing their best practices in a series of How to Build a Web App Business workshops. They’re looking at taking the show on the road and if the New Ventures BC community works together, we may be able to get them to the West Coast.

We’d just like to give a big shout out to all the folks that attended our second ever workshop on How To Build a Web App Business here at FreshBooks HQ. We had about 40 super smart FreshBooks customers and fans turn out to hear Mike share his valuable lessons and insights about how to get their own web apps started and what’s really important. Some even got a bit of a thrill from our toilet wisdom. After two back-to-back events here in Toronto we figure it’s time to take the show on the road.

So if you want FreshBooks to make their way out to British Columbia to present this seminar, let them know here.

The How to Build a Web App Business workshop is run by FreshBooks CEO Mike McDerment and includes topics such as Building Your Team, Marketing Your Product, and the 5Ws of Fund Raising. It’s targeted to budding entrepreneurs that are interested in building their own web app business.

For all those entrepreneurs in the Okanagan – New Ventures BC’s Selling Distinctive Value seminar is coming your way at the end of July.

In partnership with the Okanagan Science & Technology Council, New Ventures BC is hitting the road and Don Linder will be delivering an interactive seminar focused on acquiring revenue from customers.

Building on his original engineering background and 30 years of business experience, Linder has successfully created the concepts & structured tools that ensure complex sales are achieved profitably. He specializes in providing executive expertise and business development training to companies that sell complex products and services. Linder has over 20 years of practical executive/line management experience including being an executive with profit and loss responsibility for leading operations including sales, marketing, service, consulting, finance and administration.

This free seminar is at the Coast Capri Hotel (1171 Harvey Avenue) in Kelowna on July 28th from 2:00pm to 4:00pm. Register online or contact OSTEC by phone at 250-712-3340 or by email if you have any questions.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) is presenting a series of one-day bootcamps in September for new media and wireless companies interested in pitching VCs in California. The one-day program is part of the California Market Access Program for Canadian Technology Companies and will feature experienced investors from both the Silicon Valley and San Diego markets, and is specifically designed to help facilitate access to the California market.

Pitch Preparation topics will include:

• What are California investors looking for?
• Presenting your go to market strategy and your business model. Is your business fundable?
• How to effectively present the problem, the opportunity and the solution.
• Presenting who’s on your team, establishing credibility etc.
• How to present your evaluation of the competition.

Following the bootcamps, organizers will identify the early stage companies with the best chances for success in California and they’ll be invited to participate in formal pitching sessions which are scheduled to take place in both Silicon Valley and San Diego.

Vancouver’s bootcamp will take place on Monday, September 14th and Victoria’s will take place on Tuesday, September 15th. Deadline for applications is August 21st – so apply online today.

The Forum for Women Entrepreneurs BC (FWE) is inviting women entrepreneurs and men and women volunteer mentors with business experience in various industries to participate in the 2009/2010 Mentor Program commencing in September.

The FWE Mentor Program matches women entrepreneurs of high growth businesses with men and women business professionals. The goal of the Program is for entrepreneurs and mentors to benefit from each other’s knowledge and experiences. This highly successful program runs from September to June of each year.

The Mentor Program runs from September 2009 until June 2010 and consists of two components – mentorship and events.

Mentorship:

• Entrepreneurs are matched with mentors. Throughout this program, they have the opportunity to benefit from each other’s knowledge and experiences.
• Mentees and mentors in this program meet once a month in person or by phone. It is up to the mentee to arrange the meetings.
• Mentees pay a minimal fee of $100 (+GST), which includes all event fees.

Events:

• September 29, 2009 – Meet & Greet launch event – For all entrepreneurs and mentors in the program to get to know each other.
• Fall 2009 – Working with Your Mentor educational workshop – For all entrepreneurs and mentors in the program to learn how to maximize the mentoring relationship.
• Late 2009/Early 2010 – Mentor Appreciation Evening (for mentors) – This is a great opportunity for mentors to network with other mentors.
• Spring 2010 – Educational Workshop – For all entrepreneurs and mentors to learn and discuss more about a relevant topic.

If you’re interested in working with a mentor, the application deadline is July 31st and the application form is available online.

If you’re interested in being a mentor, please contact Executive Director Jill Earthy at jill@fwe.ca or Office & Event Manager Angel Mok at angel@fwe.ca before August 7th.