Cash & Prizes up for grabs in 2013 BCIC-New Ventures Competition

More than $300,000 in prizes is waiting to be scooped up by emerging companies in BC’s technology space through the annual BCIC-New Ventures Competition, which kicks off this week. Now in its 13^th year, the competition has welcomed over 1,400 early-stage tech entrepreneurs since 2001, all with a dream to turn their concepts into reality. Ideas entered in the competition are judged for their potential to become successful companies. In addition to exposing their ideas to an impressive line up of tech industry veterans, the five-round competition also acts like a new business incubator! Deadline to apply is April 17, 2013. Learn more

Snug Vest: Like a firm hug for children with autism

BCIC Mentor Program company Squeezease Therapy Inc. is helping individuals with stress, anxiety or sensory disorders. The idea for Snug Vest was born when founder Lisa Fraser was working with children with autism. She noted that products used in Deep Pressure Therapy to promote relaxation were lacking in design. She took it upon herself to develop a more stylish and effective solution and created Snug Vest, an inflatable vest that applies pressure similar to a firm hug which can reduce anxiety and destructive behaviours while enabling more independence in those with autism. The Vancouver company was recently featured on the Huffington Post. Learn more

Masters degree vs VAP? A perspective from Okanagan company Getintheloop

Kelowna native Matt Crowell is a Venture Acceleration Program (VAP) client with his company, Getintheloop.ca. He is a graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology where he played NCAA hockey and majored in Marketing. Matt is currently completing his Masters Degree in Europe, while working with the Getintheloop team based out of Kelowna. This time last year he could not have imagined he would ever know what it would be like to be a part of an Accelerator or a Masters program. Here he shares his perspecttive on the big differences between the two... Read more

Leader in BC Science and Innovation sector retires after 35 years

Earlier this month, BCIC staff celebrated the retirement of Dr. Max Cairns after 35 years of dedicated service to BC’s science and technology sector! A founding member of the Science Council of BC in 1978, he later served as Vice President of the Council. Most recently, he served as Executive Director of the Leading Edge Endowment Fund (LEEF). Congratulations Max! Read more

Apply today for the C100’s 48hrs in the Valley

Are you ready to take the Silicon Valley by storm? Are you one of BC's most exciting and fastest growing early-stage tech companies? Do you have product in market, traction and growth potential in a giant market? If you answered yes, apply to C100's 48hrs in the Valley June 10-12, 2013. Deadline: March 28^th. Learn more

Upcoming Events

Mar 1-10, 2013: Okanagan Startup Week 2013, Kelowna

Mar 6, 2013: BCTIA: Billion Dollar Baby: How to grow a billion dollar company in Vancouver, Vancouver

Mar 8, 2013: Building an Innovation Nation: The role of universities in strengthening Canada’s future, Victoria

Mar 11, 2013: Genome BC: Surviving the 3rd Millennium, Vancouver

Mar 12, 2013: BCTIA Demo Day 2013, Vancouver

Mar 14, 2013: PerkinElmer- 2013 NanoLytica Educational Symposium, SFU, Burnaby

Mar 15, 2013: A Dialogue... Building and Sustaining BC's Technology Ecosystem, Vancouver

Mar 21, 2013: DigiBC Spring Networking Event, V Lounge, Vancouver

Apr 4, 2013: The Faces of Innovation: 15th Annual LifeSciences British Columbia Awards, Vancouver