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 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 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.

Ian Bell has been busy. In addition to guiding startup Tingle.com to Round 3 of this year’s New Ventures BC Competition, he has been working on a super secret side project that promotes Vancouver as a world-class technology center.

Bell has been quietly producing a film along with a team of digital designers from Vancouver Film School. The goal of the film is to serve as a centrepiece in promoting our city by highlighting some of the incredible technology companies that have flowered here and generated worldwide impact.

And now Bell needs your help.

As part of this film we’ll be representing the density of companies on an animated map… and that’s where you come in.  We’d like to use your logo and plot your company’s location on that map along with your peers.  This is an excellent way for you to promote your company to a worldwide business and investment audience, and to show your support for your peers and this community.  We are looking not only for companies founded and/or based in the Vancouver Area, but also development centres for global companies.

To be included in Bell’s project fill out this form now to submit your logo.

The respective boards of the Okanagan Science and Technology Council (OSTEC) and the Okanagan Research & Innovation Centre (ORIC)  have voted unanimously in favour of merging OSTEC and ORIC into a single organization with the joint mandate of growing and supporting the technology sector in the Okanagan.

In order to facilitate this process, a working group of representatives from both organizations has been established and BCIC Entrepreneur-in-Residence Mark Payne has agreed to take the role of Merger Director supporting the working group and the two organizations through the transition to a new single entity. Payne is an experienced leader and entrepreneur with a considerable knowledge of both organizations and the wider technology community. Payne will also continue in his role as an Entrepreneur in Residence with the BC Innovation Council (BCIC), further strengthening our partnerships with key provincial bodies.

The new team has already begun the integration process including the alignment of the programs and services of both organizations and things are looking up for the Silicon Vineyard.

Are you a UBC student or a recent UBC alumni running a tech startup?

entrepreneurship@UBC is sending six UBC entrepreneur-founded companies to the Plug and Play Tech Center in California – three founded by students currently enrolled at UBC and three founded by recent (past three years) UBC alumni.

entrepreneurship@UBC invites UBC entrepreneurs, past and present, to join Professor Stephen J. Toope, UBC President and Vice Chancellor, along with Dan Muzyka, Dean of the Sauder School of Business; Tyseer Aboulnasr, Dean of the Faculty of Applied Science; and a panel of local alumni entrepreneurs for a lively discussion on the role of universities in fostering the next generation of entrepreneurs and the opportunity to pitch their venture to an audience of venture capitalists, members of the C-100 and distinguished UBC alumni.

Selected companies will get to profile their business venture in front of a panel of venture capitalists and distinguished UBC alumni at the Plug and Play Tech Center in Sunnyvale, California on August 31st. Each company will have 5 minutes to pitch their opportunity to a panel of investors moderated by Professor Toope.

entrepreneurship@UBC will cover travel and accommodation costs for up to two people per company (up to $680, based on flights out of Vancouver).

entrepreneurship@UBC is a UBC campus-wide initiative led by the Sauder School of Business, the Faculty of Applied Science, the Faculty of Science and the University-Industry Liaison Office, in partnership with the BC Innovation Council.

Interested companies can apply by completing the simple online form before July 31st.  The selection process will include a pitch to a Vancouver based panel in early August and successful candidates will be announced on August 10th.

Toronto-headquartered Rogers Ventures is coming to the West Coast for the GROW Conference and Wavefront is hosting a matchmaking session on August 23rd for entrepreneurs and innovators to meet one-on-one with them.

This is a great opportunity for wireless and new media startups looking for Seed or Series A funding. On average, Rogers Ventures invests $250K – $1 Million in companies and investment can go larger or smaller depending on the company’s requirements and the opportunity.

The deadline to apply for this Rogers Ventures pitching opportunity is Aug 8th. Rogers Ventures will be pre-selecting companies to participate in this matchmaking session.

Wavefront will notify selected companies on August 16th to coordinate meeting time and preparation details. Each participant company will have 15 minutes to pitch their idea and a 15-minute Q&A session afterward.

The SFU Technology Business Mentorship (TBM) program provides a venue for connecting entrepreneurs with experienced mentors and investors whose feedback will advance the development and financing of new technology-based ventures.

Interaction with mentors and investors is intended to assist participating entrepreneurs by:

• Improving the “investor-readiness” of the venture by reviewing its business plan and the entrepreneur’s investor-pitch;
• Assisting the venture by reviewing its goals and aligning them with its strategy;
• Reviewing all aspects of the venture’s sales and marketing plan; and
• Connecting the venture with advisors, employees, investors and customers.

Delivering on the above objectives occurs via the organization of three two-hour mentor panel meetings over a period of four months. The initial meeting is a “discovery” meeting  where the entrepreneur presents the venture’s value proposition to customers and investors. The second meeting follows up on the panel’s feedback from the discovery meeting, and the final meeting tracks progress and explores next steps for the venture as it exits the program.

Each panel will be composed of up to six mentor-class business professionals. Successful applicants make their pitch to the mentor panel and receive detailed feedback. To ensure, to the maximum extent possible, that the mentoring provided is acted upon, provision for follow up is provided in three ways:

1. The mentor panel will nominate a “Lead Mentor” who will act as a point of contact to “check in” with the pitching venture to ensure they are acting on the advice provided and to clarify it where necessary;
2. Throughout the process, the Director of the program will provide mentoring assistance to the entrepreneur; and
3. Following the final presentation, the Lead Mentor willassist the entrepreneur, if appropriate, in determining ongoing sources of mentorship

Round One applications are due on July 12th and selections will be announced on July 30th.Round Two applications are due on September 13rd and selections will be announced on September 30th.

If your company is interested in participating in the SFU Technology Business Mentorship Program, submit an application to SFU UILO via email to uilo@sfu.ca. Applications should include:

1. Name of the venture and all of the principals involved with contact information
2. Industry sector or product category
3. List of milestones or accomplishments to date (e.g.,financing, prototype or product testing, customers, employees, etc.)
4. Short description of objectives for the next six months and why you would like to participate in the program.

Today Wavefront announced Entrepreneurship@Wavefront, a new program being undertaken in partnership with the BC Innovation Council to support and nurture eight early-stage B.C. wireless companies.

Program participants will receive one-year access to office space in Wavefront’s collaborative wireless incubation centre and $10K credit toward Wavefront’s advisory and testing services.

Go-to-market services wireless companies would leverage are Wavefront’s handset library, usability services, refinement of business development strategies and industry connections. Participants can also access BCIC’s network of seasoned entrepreneurs and industry experts for additional mentorship and guidance.

Deadline to apply for the Entrepreneurship@Wavefront program is July 16th.

The BC Innovation Council is the Title Sponsor of the 2010 New Ventures BC Competition.