PITCH@PALACE LANDS IN VANCOUVER

On April 24th, Pitch@Palace Canada On Tour continued on the scenic West Coast. A group of 19 entrepreneurs (17 from British Columbia and 2 from Alberta) brought their A-game to the Vancouver event, hosted at Simon Fraser University’s Beedie School of Business.

Before the pitches got underway, Ryan Shaughnessy from the Canadian Intellectual Property Office delivered an excellent presentation discussing the importance of intellectual property and how the Canadian government supports entrepreneurs.

The Right Honourable David Johnston welcomed the entrepreneurs with an inspiring reminder that innovation is about simply doing things better, and together we can enhance the culture of innovation in Canada.

Elicia Maine, Professor, Technology and Operations Management at SFU moderated the pitch session, which resulted in the following four companies being announced as finalists:

• AVA Technologies has developed “AVA Byte”, a smart indoor garden designed for connected consumers who want to unlock their green thumbs.
• Coastable Biotechnologies creates sustainable and fully compostable bioplastics from abundant natural resources such as crustacean shells and insect husks that are normally considered as waste.
• Neuraura Biotech develops neuro sensors which allow neuro-modulation and brain machine interfacing to help those affected by neurological, psychiatric and sensory disorders.
• Vitalsines has developed a consumer device to calculate an individual’s ’internal age’ based on aortic stiffness, a proven indicator for heightened risk of heart and brain disease.

Teresa Marques, President and CEO of the Rideau Hall Foundation and one of the evening’s judges remarked on the caliber of entrepreneurs in Western Canada: “It’s wonderful to see the growing momentum and celebration of entrepreneurship and innovation from coast to coast to coast. Through Pitch@Palace, the Rideau Hall Foundation is honoured to shine a spotlight on Canadian excellence and regional spirit.”

On May 27-28 during Canadian Innovation Week, the B.C. finalists will proudly represent Western Canada at the Pitch@Palace Canada 1.0 Bootcamp and Final in Toronto.

Many thanks to all the entrepreneurs for their enthusiasm, Simon Fraser University’s Beedie School of Business for graciously hosting, and BMO for their generous support.

Our next stop is Whitehorse, YK on April 26.