Innovation Camp’s Mack Flavelle recently interviewed Dean Prelazzi of the BC Innovation Council and got the complete scoop on the upcoming Connect ’09 Conference.

The BC Innovation Council is the generous Title Sponsor of this year’s New Ventures BC Competition and their Connect ’09 Conference should be on everyone’s must-attend event list for this fall.

3. What is Connect ’09? Is this the first Connect? Who is it for and what is the point?

Connect ’09 is designed for tech start-ups, aspiring entrepreneurs, and students. It’s intended to ‘connect’ this community to the knowledge, people, and resources that can really help them move their business forward and it’s aimed at all technology domains including ICT, Wireless, New Media, Clean Tech, Life Sciences, etc. An example is the structured networking part of the evening in which over 40 of B.C.’s top technology business leaders are making themselves available, formally, to be approached by technology entrepreneurs – maybe to answer a question or two, provide a sound bite of advice, or facilitate an introduction in the future.

The ‘structured’ part of the networking is characterized by all the mentors at stand up tables, their names and profiles clearly laid out in the event program enabling attendees to seek out certain people if they choose. It’s quite unique. I guess you could say we’re trying to break down any barriers that may be preventing some members of the community from approaching others. Ultimately, this event is about celebrating the spirit of entrepreneurship in our community and helping to make sure folks have the tools they need to be successful, or at least information of where to find them. Leonard Brody is delivering the Keynote speech this year. He’s a cofounder and CEO of Now Public – which, by the way, was just acquired for $25 million this week. Iain Black, the Provincial Minister of Small Business, Technology, and Economic Development will also be in attendance, and speaking at the event.

There are also a series of panel sessions aimed at some of the areas that are key to the success of a start up. (1) funding (2) building partnerships (3) the value of startup accelerators(4) building well designed products – and it’s all topped off by a let-your-hair down style cocktail reception that I know everyone will enjoy. Every tech entrepreneur in B.C. should be at this event. It will not disappoint. Get to www.bcic.ca/connect to register soon as it will sell out.

Be sure o check out the rest of Flavelle’s interview with Dean Prelazzi here.

The BC Innovation Council is still accepting submissions for the annual BCIC Awards to be presented at Connect ’09 on October 19th at the Sheraton Wall Centre in Vancouver but you’re running out of time.

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 Canadian Tech Entrepreneur Leonard Brody of recently acquired 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, post doctorate 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 post secondary institution who is a leader in technology innovation and commercialization.

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

The BC Innovation Council is the title sponsor of this year’s New Ventures BC Competition.

While 2009 New Ventures BC competitor Mack Flavelle didn’t make it to this year’s Top 10, his entrepreneurial spirit is still burning bright and he’s heading up Innovation Camp in Vancouver in October. Innovation Camp is a workshop series designed to help entrepreneurs develop the skills that will let them succeed.

Why are ideas like measles, waffles and mirrors? Why do successful people generally fail more often than less successful ones?

At Vancouver Innovation Camp, you’ll discover how answers to these questions are related to learning entrepreneurship and innovation skills.

EXPERIENCE: Participants learn by doing – practicing techniques to generate new ideas and expanding upon those ideas in order to accomplish a shared goal such as creating a product or completing a project/challenge. There are no lectures, just engaging activities that facilitate learning and growth.

According to Flavelle, the workshop is for people who are excited by creativity, community, entrepreneurship, opportunity, risk, the future and of course, innovation. People who want to push the envelope, expand their horizons, see new things, do new things and create new things.  These are the people who make dinner parties interesting, make coffee dates worth showing up for and who attend events like Vancouver Innovation Camp.

If you’re interested in attending Innovation Camp, you can register online and follow the lead up to the event on Twitter – @innovation_camp.

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation is now accepting applications for the 2010 Knight News Challenge, a contest awarding as much as $5 Million for innovative ideas using digital experiments to transform community news.

Do you have a big idea for informing and inspiring a geographic community? Does it include innovative use of new digital tools or processes such as social media, mash-ups or wikis? How about new ways to exchange information via hand-held devices like cell phones? Knight Foundation wants to know.

“You invent it. We fund it!” is the 2010 contest slogan. Open to community-minded innovators worldwide, the contest has just three rules. Projects must use digital, open-source technology, distribute news in the public interest and be tested in a local community.

Worried about someone stealing your business idea in this public forum – don’t worry. This year, applicants can enter in one of two categories. In the “open” category, submissions are available to the public for viewing and commenting. These entries can use others’ comments to revise and submit their application or proposals. In a separate “closed” category, solely Knight Foundation staff and contest reviewers will see applications.

Here’s a little motivation for you. One Knight News Challenge project, hyper-local news experiment Everyblock.com, was recently purchased by MSNBC.com – highlighting the market potential for innovative community information projects. Before it was purchased, Everyblock.com’s code was published as open source, a challenge requirement that allows the public to benefit from the experiments.

The deadline for applications is Oct. 15th, so get your application in now.

After five months of competition, we’re down to 10 finalists in the annual New Ventures BC technology business idea competition with $300,000 in prizes to be awarded September 24th.  Prizes include the British Columbia Innovation Council first, second and third prize packages worth a total $220,000, plus the BC Hydro $40,000 sustainability prize, the $20,000 BC Bioenergy Network prize and the British Columbia Innovation Council $20,000 Economic Impact prize.

Chosen from among 30 round-three competitors, the 10 finalists include businesses in the health, sustainability and high technology sectors.

The 2009 New Ventures BC Finalists in no particular order are:

• Bluekey Energy Inc., Prince George
• Etalim, Burnaby
• G.R. Green Building Products Inc., Burnaby
• Indel Therapeutics Inc., Vancouver
• LightIntegra Technolology Inc., Vancouver
• Lungpacer Medical Inc., Anmore
• Mobify, Vancouver
• Rapid Electric Vehicles, Vancouver
• Veridae Systems, Vancouver
• Vineyard Networks, Kelowna

To win, finalists must now convince a jury of venture capitalists, financiers and angel investors that their business idea is commercially viable and that they can execute it in the marketplace. Six winners will be announced September 24 at a gala reception in Vancouver.

Over the next three weeks, we’ll be having closer look at the 10 finalists with individual profile posts here on the NVBC blog.