Earlier this month a study study titled A Study of New Product Development in British Columbia – what separates product successes from product failures was published by Lyn Blanchard of Creekstone Consulting.

The study was supported by BC’s major technology associations – BCIC, BCTIA, ACETECH, DigiBC – and is based on surveys of 34 BC technology companies in ICT, Digital Media & Wireless.

The thrust of the report is that “the key difference between a successful technology product and an unsuccessful one is that a successful product is based on a deep understanding of customer needs and the market demand”.

Creekstone has partnered with the Angel Forum and on September 8th they’re delivering a Market Research Workshop for investors and entrepreneurs where key report findings will be discussed along with strategies to improve market research and customer validation.

The workshop will be led by Blanchard and includes a handful of other speakers that will share their expertise including John Hawkins of Telus Communications, Evi Mustel of Mustel Group Market Research, James Mazur of GoneFishing Consulting, Peter Payne of the BCTIA, and Selma Zafar of Open Road Communications.

The Vancouver Enterprise Forum has announced their event dates for the 2010-2011 season and they’re kicking it off with an event focused on Super Angels.

From Silicon Valley to New York City, angel investors are banding together and filling the gaps left by the venture capital industry shakeout. These ‘super angels’ (or micro-seed funds) eschew the traditional venture model and appear to be generating enviable returns in the process. But is this trend sustainable or are we headed for a super-sized seed crash? And what does this growing phenomenon mean for the entrepreneur?

Paul Kedrosky, investor, entrepreneur, writer and analyst for CNBC television, will lead the discussion with a panel of experienced angels including local investors Boris Wertz and Basil Peters, and Seattle based Geoff Entress.

Super Angels: The New New Thing gets underway on Tuesday, September 21st at 5:30pm at the Vancity Theatre.  Register online.

The third week of September is shaping up to be a great one with the New Ventures BC Awards ceremony taking place on Thursday, September 23rd.

The Canadian Trade Commissioners Service is inviting BC’s tech companies to attend their Bootcamp to Access International Markets (AIM) event on Monday, September 13th in Vancouver or Tuesday, September 14th in Victoria.

Trade Commissioners in the San Jose and San Francisco Offices will bring up a delegation of investors, executives and consultants from the Silicon Valley and the Bay Area to interact with local technology companies and the community.

The high level Agenda for the day includes:

1. Morning Lecture Style Session with speakers
2. Afternoon Presentation Sessions (three parallel sessions with selected local companies presenting)
3. An Evening Networking Event

The full-day free bootcamp is free. In Vancouver it will be at the SFU Harbour Center and you can register online here. In Victoria, the bootcamp will be at the Vancouver Island Technology Park and you can register online here.

According to a new report supported by BCIC, BCTIA, ACETECH, DigiBC and written by Creekstone Consulting, understanding customer needs and the market, accounts for 70% of the top 20 factors separating success and failures of technology products.

A Study of New Product Development in British Columbia – what separates product successes from product failures was written by Lyn Blanchard, President of Creekstone Consulting.

Blanchard will be undoubtedly be sharing her observations at an upcoming Angel Forum Market Research Workshop on September 8th in downtown Vancouver.

The Workshop is designed to help the business community understand their customer needs and their markets and will  focus on the application of various marketing research methods to specific decision areas. It will be a blend of presentations, case studies and panel discussions with lots of time for Q&A and networking.

Blanchard will lead the workshop which also includes six local speakers:

• John Hawkins, Senior Product Project Manager, Telus Communications
• Evi Mustel, Owner, Mustel Group Market Research
• James Mazur President, GoneFishing Consulting
• Peter Payne, Director Business Intelligence, BC Technologies Industries Association
• Selma Zafar Senior User Experience Designer with Open Road Communications

Whether you are an investor, CEO, CTO, market manager, product manager, you know that you need the right market information to make good and informed decisions. With the Internet, it is more of a daunting challenge to efficiently gather information and effectively analyze it.

Register online before August 31st with coupon code NewVentures and save 10% off the $275 registration fee.

The GROW 2010 Conference is just around the corner and promises to bring together leading entrepreneurs, thinkers, influencers and investors from Silicon Valley and Canada to inspire innovation and entrepreneurship.

Day one of the three day conference is called ENGAGE and it’s an invite-only program that will connect Canadian entrepreneurs with leading silicon valley founders, influencers, and investors to meet, discuss, and glean information for innovating in a web-fueled world.

Startups from across the country have applied and event organizers have shared a portion of that final list. On that list are a number of BC-based companies and even a few NVBC graduates:

• Adhack – 2008 Round 3 Company
• AirG – 2001 Winner
• Appsocial - 2010 Round 3 Company
• FundRazr – 2009 Round 2 Company
• Mobify – 2009 Top 10 Finalist

In advance of the GROW Conference is Grow OP. Hosted by Capulet Communications, Grow OP is an informal pre-conference meetup for GROW conference attendees as well as local tech and social media folks – even if they’re not attending the conference.

Grow OP takes place on August 18th from 6:00pm – 8:00pm at the Century Bar & Restaurant at 432 Richards Street. Capulet is taking care of the venue and appetizers and you’re in charge of buying drinks.

New Ventures BC is hosting our first Networking Golf Tournament on Tuesday, August 31st at Northlands Golf Course in North Vancouver.

The Best Ball tournament gets underway at 11:30am and should be a casual and fun golf game for all levels. Golfers can choose their own foursome or let organizers match them up with a foursome to play and network with. There will be prizes for best & honest teams, longest drive, and closest to the pin.

Registration is $140 which includes your green fee, shared power cart, prizes, dinner & a drink. Space is limited to 48 players, so register early online to guarantee your spot. If you’re not a golfer, you can attend the dinner only for $30.

If you’re interested in sponsoring a hole, $50 for former NVBC participants and $100 for anyone else, be sure to contact Angie at angie@newventuresbc.com.

The 27th Angel Forum took place in May and despite declining venture markets 3 companies received firm investment commitments.

• Indel Therapeutics received $175,000 in commitments from 2 investors, to close in September
• Hatsize Corp received $100,000 in commitments from 2 investors, to close by September 30th
• A third company has a term sheet for undisclosed amount

Now’s your chance – the 28th Angel Forum takes place on October 19th in Vancouver.

August 15th is the early-bird registration deadline (save $100) for companies to present and exhibit to 50+ pre-screened, private equity investors.

If you’re interested in presenting, review the criteria and submit your registration online now.

In partnership with the upcoming GROW Conference in Vancouver, Julie Szabo and Darren Barefoot of  Capulet Communications are hosting Grow OP – a pre-conference meetup.  Szabo and Barefoot were new seminar presenters this year and covered Social Networking for Startups in May.

Grow OP will be an informal pre-conference meetup for GROW conference attendees as well as local tech and social media folks – even if they’re not attending the conference.

Grow OP takes place on August 18th from 6:00pm – 8:00pm at the Century Bar & Restaurant at 432 Richards Street. Capulet is taking care of the venue and appetizers and you’re in charge of buying drinks.

Since 2005, Microsoft has acquired an average of 10 companies per year and purchased stakes in several companies valued at over $1 Billion.

On August 12th, the Bootup Entrepreneurial Society is hosting How to be Acquired by Microsoft with special guest Jon Gelsey, Director of Corporate Development at Microsoft.

Meet Gelsey and find out the answers to these questions and more on August 12th from 2:30pm to 5:30pm. Tickets are $45 each and include coffee and snacks.  Register online.

Tomorrow night Startup Drinks comes to Vancouver. Startup Drinks is a monthly “freestyle” networking event hosted in pubs and bars by “startup community instigators” coast to coast.

The Vancouver edition is taking place at 5:00pm on Wednesday, July 28th at the On the Edge Pub at 303 Columbia Street in Gastown. The local host of Startup Drinks is Derek Shanahan of Bootup Labs incubated Foodtree.

If you’re part of a startup looking for a fun and easy way to connect with other members of the business world, why not see what Startup Drinks has to offer?