On Tuesday April 13th, the Angel Forum is hosting a work shop in Vancouver titled Term Sheets and Due Diligence for Investors, Entrepreneurs and Advisors.

Should you attend? If you’re planning to invest in or raise private equity in the next 12 months, you may want to. Ask yourself:

• Do you know what investors look for in fundable deals? Learn how investors think.
• What key business functions should investors focus their due diligence on to finalize their funding decision?
• Do you have a good overview of the language and post-investment ramifications of a term sheet?
• Do you want to network with private equity experts and other fellow investors and entrepreneurs?

This all day practical Due Diligence and Term Sheet workshop will be a blend of presentations and panel discussions with local experts, with lots of time for Q&A and networking.

The workshop will be led by Bob Okabe, Founder of Prairie Angels and Managing Director of RPX Group in Chicago where he leads the firm’s efforts to assist universities, research institutions and corporations create startups from their innovative technologies. Even better, Okabe has been a lead instructor since 2006 for the US Angel Capital Education Foundation and Board Director.

Register online if you’re interesting in attending.

Are you a first time CEO or founder worried about how to take your new technology to market?

On behalf of the Discovery Foundation Education Program, ACETECH is delivering a Market Entry Program for very early stage technology companies. Taught by Ralph Turfus, the program provides a structured process and one-on-one mentoring from an experienced technology CEO to help you get to market faster with less risk.

The program includes:

• 3 full-day interactive, educational sessions ( April 13th, May 11th, and June 9th)
• 3 one-on-one mentoring sessions with an experienced technology CEO (one session per month – April to June – to be scheduled with the mentor)

You leave with:

• A completed positioning statement and value proposition
• A strategy to go to market
• Priorities identified to achieve early adopter customers
• Training to sell to early adopters
• Actionable tools and templates
• Access to contacts and resources

The program leader, Ralph Turfus, is the founder and past CEO of Class Software, a company he grew to 130 employees over 28 years and sold in 2004 as sole shareholder. Ralph has invested in more than 60 tech companies and he’s seen patterns emerge between those who succeed and those who fail.  He is a recognized leader in the BC technology industry as a member of the Premiers Technology Council and the leader of the ACETECH Growth Strategy Program.

The mentors in the program are all experienced technology CEOs. They will ensure the adoption of the best practices that are delivered through the program, and hold you accountable for results while providing a sounding board for business ideas. Mentors include Paulin Laberge, Phil Holland,  Theresa Carbonneau, and Roy Leahy.

The Market Entry Program is valued at $1,795 however the cost to participate is only $295 as $1,500 is subsidized by the Discovery Foundation Education Program.

If you’re interested, the application deadline is April 2nd but apply online now as there are only 20 spots available.

Looking for investors?

The Angel Forum is calling for company applications to present and exhibit to pre-screened private equity investors at the 27th Angel Forum on May 18th in Vancouver.

“The Angel Forum was one of the more valuable events we’ve been part of this year. It gave us direct access to active investors and the opportunity to have real and honest discussions with them about our business.” Natalie Sisson Co-Founder, FundRazr – a 2009 New Ventures BC Competitor

At the 26th Angel Forum on November 24th of last year, 32 selected companies were selected from 60+ applicants and nearly 90 investors registered from Seattle, Bellingham, Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Winnipeg, Kelowna, Victoria and Vancouver.

Final deadline to register is April 30th.

Small Business BC is celebrating B.C. entrepreneurs’ winning ideas by hosting their Successful You Business Contest & Awards again this year. Founded in 2003, this is a free annual province-wide competition open to all new and existing small businesses.

The contest will continue to have the two Business Plan based award categories, the Business Concept Award and the Business Growth Award. A judging panel will review all business plan submissions that meet the eligibility requirements and select the top business plan in each of the two categories. One winner selected per Award.

New this year, there will be two Nomination based award categories, the Company of the Year Award and the Small Business Champion Award. A judging panel will review all nominations that meet the eligibility requirements. One winner selected per Award.

The submission deadline for entries is noon on March 31st and the awards ceremony will be in June 2010.

Vancouver’s first every CloudCamp is taking place this Saturday, March 13th at Discovery Park on Great Northern Way. CloudCamp is a FREE full-day “unconference” where early adopters of Cloud Computing technologies exchange ideas.

You will learn how to take advantage of cloud computing to do things you could not do before, to save money, to be more flexible and agile. You can get your questions answered about security, privacy, and compliance. You can learn about and understand the differences between public cloud, private cloud, and hybrid clouds. Hear from your peers who are building and developing on the cloud about how they have stopped buying and installing and maintaining physical servers.

If you’re interested in attending, be sure to register online. Coffee and lunch are provided and the full-day event gets underway at 9:00am.

BCIT’s Peter Thomson Centre for Venture Development is hosting a six-week Growth Strategies Boot Camp for Technology Companies starting later this month.

The economy grew by 5% last quarter, the largest single growth number since 2000, surpassing all expectations. Is your technology company prepared to take advantage of the tremendous growth opportunities that are currently in the marketplace. The Discovery Parks Foundation is pleased to have BCIT’s Peter Thomson Centre for Venture Development offer a one time limited seating opportunity for technology companies to participate in a part time growth strategies boot camp. There is no cost to your company and you will be accessing experts in technology and business to create a plan to see your company leveraging current market opportunities.

During this 6 week boot camp you will learn more about:

• Marketization of Product
• Venture Capital Acquisition
• Property Protection
• Growth Strategies
• Cash Flow
• Marketing
• B2B Presentations
• Partner Negotiations
• Operations and more

The six-week part-time program runs from March 30th to May 8th, on Tuesdays from 5:30pm-8:30pm, Saturdays from 9:00am-4:00pm, and by webinar on Thursdays from 5:00pm- 6:00pm. In-person class time is at the BCIT downtown campus at 555 Seymour Street.

This Bootcamp is fully funded with NO COST to participating companies. In order to qualify, you must operate or plan to operate a technology company within the lower mainland area and have a focus on growth.

To take advantage of this one time opportunity during such aggressive market growth please contact Simonetta at 604‐412‐7651 for further information and to arrange for an interview.

Simon Fraser University’s Venture Connection program is hiring a Mentor-in-Residence to help expand their student mentorship program.

The Mentor-In-Residence Program pairs SFU students with seasoned entrepreneurs or business leaders who can help you achieve your business goals. This new new Mentor-in-Residence position will engage more specifically undergraduate students.

If you’re interested, be sure to check out the job description and scope of work. The anticipated time commitment is 6-9 days per month and the initial contract will run a minimum of six months.

Applicants should have a minimum 10 years business experience, entrepreneurial experience as founder or co-founder of a company, and specific area expertise in one or more of the following:

• sales/sales management
• product development
• business development/contracts
• production/operations management
• finance/investment

The application deadline is Thursday, March 18th and the anticipated start date is April 5th.

The Dragons’ Den production team will be in BC starting March 8th looking for the next big thing for Season Six of their hit series returning this fall on CBC Television.

As you probably know, the show gives aspiring entrepreneurs the opportunity to pitch their ideas to a panel of wealthy Canadian moguls who are entrepreneurs themselves. With the  prize sometimes being real cash and real investment  from the Dragons’ own pockets.

This is a fantastic opportunity for entrepreneurs and small business owners to come down and pitch their business concept for the chance to appear on national television. The producers are coming to us and hosting  initial auditions in BC.

• March 8th – Victoria – 11am – 7pm
• March 10th – Campbell River  – noon – 7pm
• March 11th – Nanaimo – noon – 7 pm
• March 11th – Prince George – 11am – 7pm
• March 13th – Vancouver – 11am – 7pm
• March 15th – Kelowna – 10 am – 6 pm
• March 17th – Nelson – noon – 7pm
• March 27th – Vancouver – 11am – 7pm
• March 29th – Abbotsford – TBD
• March 31st – Prince Rupert – noon – 7pm

As extra incentive this year – entrepreneurs with an eco-friendly business, invention or idea could qualify for a $100,000 Greenvention prize from Sun Chips.

Between research and commercialization lie the critical stages of development and demonstration: the points at which technologies leave the laboratory and undergo conclusive real-world testing.  Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) supports clean-technology projects through these critical stages – without taking an equity stake, without requiring ownership of intellectual property or any repayment of funds.

The BC Innovation Council (BCIC) is offering six BC-based Cleantech startups the opportunity to gain international exposure at the upcoming Globe 2010 Conference on March 24-26th in Vancouver.

Six startups will be awarded exhibition space at Globe 2010 in the BCIC showcase and have an opportunity to work with the BCIC to prepare an action plan that will position them for successful commercialization.

BCIC is asking companies to express their interest in participating at Globe 2010 no later than February 5th. The companies that BCIC will select for participation will qualify under the following criteria.

• Early stage company focused on innovation in Cleantech with the ability to fulfill orders generated by clients at Globe 2010
• Company plans to grow and sell products/solutions on the domestic, local & international markets
• Company would not participate at Globe 2010 had it not been for this opportunity
• Company representative(s) will be present at Globe 2010
• Company will contribute $750 towards the cost of the overall participation at Globe 2010
• Company will participate in confidential follow-up surveys on the outcomes of this initiative

Intested companies should express interest by completing this company profile and submitting it to BCIC Programs at programs@bcic.ca.