Some things in life can’t be learned in textbooks and being a Board Director is one of them. These things can best be learned through experience and communication with peers. The upcoming Angel Forum workshop Being a Board Director in the 21st Century promises to let you channel the experience of experienced investors Basil Peters, Mike Volker, and Bob Chaworth-Musters. It will take place October 27th from 8am to 4pm, at SFU Harbour Centre (Room 7000 at 515 West Hastings Street).

The format will be a blend of presentitions, stories, and panel discussions, with time for Q&A and networks. The workshop will be confidential so that real world examples can be discussed, and participants will be required to sign a non-disclosure confidentiality agreement.

Check out the Angel Forum website for more information or to register.

Thanks to an innovative new use of EDC’s Export Guarantee Program, exporters now have the opportunity to receive an advance against their Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SRED) tax credits. Experts say that means exporters will be able to invest more money in critical research and development without sacrificing cash flow, particularly at a time when credit is increasingly hard to obtain. In the Winter 2009 ExportWise newsletter from EDC, Bruce Gillespie outlines how the Export Guarantee Program can be used to turn a SRED tax credit into cash.

In the past, many small- and medium-sized businesses were reluctant to apply for SRED tax credits because of the work involved and the time it took to receive the payout. “Companies often incurred a cost related to R&D months before they actually got the refund based on their investment since the waiting period is four to six months after the fiscal year end,” explains Vicky Brouillard, EDC Sector Advisor, Light Manufacturing. “For most Canadian companies, there is a federal rebate of 35 per cent in addition to add-ons that vary by province.”

So, four years ago, with that in mind, EDC started to work on a way to help exporters reduce that lag time and encourage investment in R&D. The result is an innovative application of the Export Guarantee Program that sees companies doing eligible work receive an advance against their SRED tax refund in a fraction of the time it normally takes.

Essentially, with a guarantee from EDC that reduces their risk exposure, banks agree to establish R&D operating facilities for companies doing work that is eligible for SRED tax credits. To qualify for an EDC guarantee, Brouillard says an exporter must have been involved with the SRED program for at least two years.

At that point, the company engages the services of an external consultant who provides an expert opinion as to whether their current work would qualify for SRED tax credits and how much of a refund they could expect to receive. Based on those findings, the bank advances the exporter a percentage of the costs that are deemed eligible, usually between 60 and 75 per cent.

“It’s a working capital solution that provides a kind of real-time R&D financing,” says Brouillard. “It’s a type of bridge financing until they receive that cheque from the government in 18 months.” She says the shorter wait time makes a big difference to exporters. “I’ve talked to some companies that say, ‘If I’m concerned about payroll, I might retract on the research I’m doing,’ so I think this will encourage companies to invest as they see fit in R&D and not hold back because of working capital restraints.”

The Mid-Island Science Technology & Innovation Council (MISTIC) is hosting an upcoming New Ventures BC session facilitated by well-known Vancouver Angel Investor Basil Peters. Start at the End – Your Exit Strategy will take place on October 8th from 9am – 11am in Nanaimo.

Every company should have an exit strategy before they contact their first investor. Most companies have an exit strategy even if nobody knows what it is. Many entrepreneurs scare off investors by presenting the wrong exit strategy. Most entrepreneurs end up selling their companies for far less than they could have – learn how to avoid this costly mistake. Get practical advice on how you can maximize the exit value for your company – even if your exit is still years into the future.

To register, please email Darba Wakefield at info@mistic.bc.ca or call the MISTIC office at 250-753-8324.

The Vancouver Enterprise Forum is hosting an evening with Technology Maverick Kevin Ham on September 15th at the Vancity Theatre.

Kevin Ham has been described as the most powerful dotcom mogul you’ve never heard of. He was featured on the cover of Business 2.0 magazine in 2007 as “The man who owns the Internet” and is one of a handful of major-league “domainers” in the world. Even in a field filled with unusual career paths, Kevin’s stands out. Formally trained as a family doctor, he taught himself programming so he can dabble in the internet, When his web ventures started pulling in more money in one month than what he made in one year as a resident, he decided to put medicine on hold to pursue the riches of the web. Since 2000 he has amassed a portfolio of more than 300,000 domains that some estimate is worth more than $300M. Now, Kevin is out to surprise again. His newest venture – Reinvent Technology – aims to build a powerhouse of Internet businesses around his portfolio of domain assets. Kevin will talk about how this maverick of domains built his empire and what it takes to succeed in the new emerging economy.

Pre-registration tickets for the event are $45 each online or $50 at the door. If you have an important message to share with the technology community, consider applying for a 100-second lighting pitch by completing an application online.

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.

The deadline to apply is tomorro – Friday, August 21st – so apply online today.

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’re almost at capacity. Luckily they’re offering the New Ventures BC community $50 off their registration even though the early-bird registration cut-off date has passed.

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.

Register online now if you’re interested and use the discount code ‘NewVentures’ to save $50 on your registration fee.

Registration for BarCamp Vancouver 2009 is now open, so if you’re interested in attending be sure to register soon as BarCamp always sells out.

What is BarCamp?

• A loosely organized, collaborative gathering of tech/media/creative people
• A community-focused 24-hour event of discovery and relationship building
• An intimate, modest, casual, open affair where everyone is a participant

This year’s event takes place on Saturday, October 3rd from 9:30am to 6:00pm at Discovery Parks Canada at 877 Great Northern Way. Tickets are $25 and include the kick-off party on Friday night, breakfast & lunch on Saturday, and a limited edition BarCamp t-shirt.

BC’s Minister of Small Business, Technology and Economic Development Iain Black is officially opening the new downtown Vancouver Wavefront wireless facility on August 18th.

The 7,000-square-foot Wavefront facility has been outfitted with an impressive array of testing equipment required to support B.C.’s booming mobile industry such as 250 cell phone handsets, remote access to thousands more, and network access and equipment for testing the latest entertainment, gaming, navigation and workforce mobile applications created in the region.

If you’re wireless startup, check out Wavefront’s office rental packages that start at $350/month. It’s a cost-effective way to get started with easy onsite access to Wavefront’s commercialization services and testing facilities so you can focus resources on innovation and marketing. For details and availability, email Wavefront at contact@wavefrontac.com.

Last week in the Vancouver Courier, Janaya Fuller-Eva wrote about how innovation flourishes during difficult financial times pointing to the Great Depression inventions of the copy machine, car radio and electric razor.

In the article she quotes two members of the New Ventures BC community – Ron Klopfer and Mike Volker.

Business savvy is essential when creating a new product but people with good ideas shouldn’t let the recession keep them from looking for financing, technology entrepreneur Ron Klopfer said. “If it is a quality idea with a sound business model, there’s no reason to be put off by the recession,” Klopfer said. “There’s still money to be found.”

Klopfer argued money is available, particularly in the later stages of bringing a product to market, when private investor “angels” and venture capitalists get involved in a project.

Mike Volker runs VANTEC, the Vancouver Angel Network for Technology Companies. The network helps startup tech companies connect with investors and mentors.

Volker is an angel investor with two funds of his own. He agreed that companies with good ideas are finding investors despite the economic climate, but the payouts are lower. “Instead of four or five investors writing cheques for a half million dollars, you have two or three investors putting in $400,000 to $500,000,” Volker said.

He said that while it isn’t necessary for new entrepreneurs to have a lot of money themselves, they should invest in their company. “Investors like to see them commit financially as well,” Volker said.

If you have a new, innovative technology that helps address climate change or promotes clean water, land or air, then Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) wants to hear from you.

SDTC’s SD Tech Fund is accepting Statements of Interest from September 2nd to October 21st. The SD Tech Fund invests in late-stage development and pre-commercial demonstration of clean technologies by Canadian companies.

The Statement of Interest (SOI) is an initial application used for preliminary screening and is subject to a competitive review process by SDTC and a panel of independent experts. SOIs are evaluated on the basis of fit with SDTC’s mandate, selection criteria, and the quality of technology, marketing and business capabilities. A limited set of applicants who demonstrate the strongest fit will be invited back to submit a full proposal for deeper evaluation.