Applications are now being accepted for the Rick Hansen Institute Emerging Company Showcase, scheduled to take place at Interdependence 2012 Global Conference and Exhibition, May 15-18, 2012 in Vancouver.

The Rick Hansen Institute is providing emerging companies, seeking financing for an innovation related to accelerating progress to a cure for paralysis after spinal cord injury or innovations that will improve the lives of those living with SCI, the opportunity to pitch their company and innovation to the delegation at Interdependence 2012.

Five companies will be selected by an external panel and have the opportunity to present directly to various experts and key opinion leaders from across the continuum of spinal cord injury research and care, including investors with experience in the life sciences and healthcare sectors. Timing of the presentations with respect to the Interdependence 2012 program schedule will be determined at a later date.

Learn more about application criteria and important dates online.

Earlier this month in Kelowna and Victoria BCIC New Ventures hosted a seminar titled Building the Sales and Marketing Machine. The speaker was Roy Leahy of Corporate Energy and ACETECH.

Roy Leahy – Building the sales and marketing machine from New Ventures BC on Vimeo.

2011 Round 2 Competitor MyBestHelper picked up first place at Startup Weekend Vancouver 2011 on Sunday and will now be competing for a spot in the 2011 Global Startup Battle.

MyBestHelper is an online utility helping families find caregivers for kids and elderly that match their needs as well as values – the eHarmony for nannies. It solves the pain of finding a caregiver, and even better, helps find the RIGHT caregiver. One of MyBestHelper’s co-founders is Alexandra T. Greenhill. A physician and a mother of three, Greenhill has experienced the challenges first hand: “Finding the right caregiver for your child, is such a relief! Leaving it to luck or word of mouth is what we did in the past – it’s time to harness technology to create short-lists one can start from.”

The global battle is an international competition for the winners of the city events, which also included Halifax and Toronto in Canada. Enough votes will earn a city winner the chance to fly to Silicon Valley for a Launch Conference.

MyBestHelper won in front of a panel of judges including in front of a panel of judges including BC Angel Investor of the Year Boris Wertz, Brent Holliday of Capital West Partners, and Mike Satterfield of Yaletown Venture Partners.

Head over to the 2011 Global Startup Battle site to vote for MyBestHelper now.

BCIC is running a Commercialization & Business Planning Workshop in February 2012 in Vancouver and now accepting applications with a priority given to clean energy ventures.

The intensive workshop will compel entrepreneurs to think critically and develop the key elements for the commercialization and positioning of their idea. The workshop will be taught by Mark Dance – former COO and CFO of Creo, one of the most successful BC grown tech companies.

BCIC’s Commercialization & Business Planning Workshop will take place over three full days: February 3rd, 10th, and 17th. Upon completion of the last workshop there will be three one-on-one mentorship sessions (March 2nd, 16th, and 30th), where Payne will work with each company independently.

The cost of the workshop is $269. Although the workshop is taking place in Vancouver, five $1000 travel bursaries will be awarded to select participants.

For additional information or to apply please visit the BCIC website or contact Nadine Diner, Programs Specialist by email. The Commercialization & Business Planning Workshop is a BCIC program in partnership with National Research Council (NRC) Canada.

Thanks to the 25 people that attended Dave Thomas’ seminar on market research and product marketing. Hope you enjoyed it! And big thanks to Rob, Michelle, Georgia, Tessa, and everyone at VIATeC for hosting us in Tectoria.

Dave gave a similar presentation in Vancouver earlier this year with Claire Booth. If you want to watch it again, or watch Claire’s segment, the video is online here.

To access Dave’s slides, you can download them here.

Our next Victoria seminar is on November 2: Magnetic Startups: Build It Right & Money Will Come with Roger Killen. Register.

And, don’t forget to join us for our regional competition, deadline October 19.

BCIC-New Ventures is happy to announce we’ll be taking our seminar series around the province over the next few months with stops in Victoria, Kelowna, or Castlegar.

The first seminar is Assessing the Opportunity with Ralph Turfus next Monday, July 11th in Victoria.

Regional Seminar Series:

July 11th – Victoria: Assessing the Opportunity with Ralph Turfus
July 21st – Kelowna: Media Training for Start-ups with Elisha McCallum
August 25th – Kelowna: The Business Case with Mike Volker
September 15th – Victoria: Market Research and Product Marketing with Dave Thomas
September 27th -  Castlegar: Market Research and Product Marketing with Dave Thomas – Registration opening soon.

Join BCIC-New Ventures for our second annual golf tournament on July 19th!

This year we’re golfing Kings Links by the Sea, a traditional par 72 links style course with spectacular views of the surrounding Coastal Mountains.

We’ll be playing Texas Scramble rules. Create your own foursome, or let us put you in a group. Open to all levels, this is a great chance to network with the New Ventures community in a fun setting.

Your golf tournament fee includes a round of golf, dinner, and prizes.

Early Bird Registration by June 30: $90
Regular Registration by July 13: $105

Tee-offs start around 12:30pm. You will be notified of your tee-time in advance.

See you on the links!

REGISTER