At New Ventures BC, we always encourage companies to participate in all our programming because it’s about the process, no matter how far you go in the Competition. The following company update is a great example of this!
When Selena Paskalidis didn’t make the cut with the BCIC-New Ventures Competition in 2012, she couldn’t have known that just two years later, her company would be thriving. A feature article in the Vancouver Sun in early October tells the story of Dotstudioz and their innovative video management platform, dotstudioPRO.
Selena made it to Round 2 of the competition in 2012. After taking part in the lighting pitches, Selena was advised by NVBC to apply for the SFU Technology Business Mentorship Program. She was accepted, and worked with five influential mentors over a five-month period.
“I learned so much from my mentors and two really important messages in particular,” Selena explains. “First, simplify – simplify your product and your value proposition. Second, listen to all the advice you can get, but in the end, it’s your business and you have to be able to stand behind it. I learned to trust my gut instinct.”
Teaming up with fellow filmmakers Phoenix Gonzalez and Joe Pascual, Selena developed a software platform that enables users to manage and monetize their content across multiple platforms. After securing $830,000 in seed financing, they launched dotstudioPRO to coincide with the Toronto and Vancouver International Film Festival in October 2014.
As Dotstudioz continues to gain traction and roll out more features for enterprise clients, Selena and her partners are proof positive that entrepreneurial success is often built on perseverance – and taking the road less travelled.