These Kootenay entrepreneurs are taking all the risk…
Cheer them on, show your support and see who claims the grand prize!
12 Months. 9 Entrepreneurs. 3 Qualifying Pitch Events. 2,600 Views. And now…the Grand Finale of the Kootenay Pitch Competition (KPC)!
Over the past year, thousands of viewers from across the province (and beyond) kept their eyes wide open and cheered loud and proud as entrepreneurs from every corner of the Kootenays braved the virtual stage to pitch their business to the world.
Now it’s time for the top three available competitors to once again put it all on the line and go head to head for the grand prize + ALL THE GLORY.
At 7pm PST on November 4, 2021, from the safety of your living room, cheer on Adele Hills from Sacral Solutions, Sami Majadla from CertiCraft and Kyle Hamilton from Sucre Interactive Technologies as they pitch to a panel of judges featuring local and regional investors, industry professionals, and tech experts.
Our host this time is the co-organizer of the Kootenay Pitch Competition and KAST’s Entrepreneur in Residence, Steve Fisher. He will be coming to you from the NiC lounge.
The Grand Finale winner takes home:
- $2,500 in cold hard cash
- 3 months of free entry into KAST’s Venture Acceleration Program ($600 value)
- 5 hours at the Selkirk Technology Access Centre ($1,000 value)
- $500 to host a celebration party with their team
Big thanks to our sponsors: Nelson & District Credit Union, New Ventures BC, Traction on Demand, Volition Advisors, Selkirk Technology Access Centre, Green Light Solutions, Rice & Co Chartered Professional Accountants, Kootenay Coop, Columbia Lake Technology Centre and Columbia Basin Trust.
Watch the Grand Finale of the Kootenay Pitch Competition – Nov 4, 2021
Meet the Entrepreneurs!
Kyle Hamilton
Sucre Interactive Technologies, Fernie
Sucre Interactive Technologies, based in Fernie, B.C., was formed after Kyle and his team lost a friend in a tragic mining accident. Because the Elk Valley is at the heart of Canada’s metallurgical coal mining industry, Sucre Interactive has a detailed understanding of heavy industry and the requirements for hazard identification and competency training in high risk environments.
Sucre Interactive Technologies’ goal is to create a solution that will not only save lives, but also give companies a competitive advantage by delivering a return on training investment, and augmenting on the job skills transfer. Recent studies have shown that training in immersive environments leads to 4x faster acquisition of knowledge, and a 275% improvement in confidence in acting on learnings.
By leveraging this data, and using their combined experience in content creation, software development, corporate training, and mine safety - Kyle and his team help employers create a safer workplace through developing highly customized interactive VR training applications at a lower cost than traditional training.
Sami Majadla
CertiCraft, Nelson
Meet Sami Majadla. He’s the CEO and one of the founders of CertiCraft; they want to see craft cannabis communities around Canada (and especially in the Kootenays) thrive.
• They’re on a mission to help craft cannabis growers transition into and thrive within the new regulated market.
• CertiCraft has built the only compliance platform that fully digitizes and automates record keeping requirements for cultivators.
• Their future involves building solutions to reduce other barriers to success that craft growers face (e.g. sales & distribution, licensing, or marketing).
Adele Hills
Sacral Solutions, Creston
After a serious back injury years ago, Adele Hills struggled to recover despite surgeries and physiotherapy. Refusing to live in chronic pain and limitations, she immersed herself in the study of functional spinal alignment and back pain, which in turn inspired her to develop a product that not only provided relief when she was in the most pain, but also helped her rehabilitate, and importantly - adjusted to her changing needs.
After learning that back pain affects over 80 percent of North Americans by age 50, she recognized that a product she designed for her own rehabilitation could help so many others.
Sacral Solutions presents the Spinaline: an aftermarket seat topper. It’s the only product on the market that addresses the entire back pain issue, starting at the root. With six levels of customization, it can be continuously adjusted to your changing needs as your back health improves. It also offers customizable sacral, lumbar, thoracic, and pelvic support, where competitors mainly address only one issue with their products.The seat can also be used to prevent instability caused by habitual poor posture often imposed by poorly-designed seats.
Sacral Solutions has hit several milestones since its beginning in 2016; Adele and her team are excited about growing and scaling the business and getting their product to market.
Prizes
The Grand Finale Champion takes home bragging rights, ALL the glory and…
- $2,500 in cold hard cash
- 3 months of free entry into KAST’s Venture Acceleration Program ($600 value)
- 5 hours at the Selkirk Technology Access Centre ($1,000 value)
- $500 to host a celebration party with their team
About the Kootenay Pitch Competition 2020/21
For the first time in Kootenay history, technology entrepreneurs and startups from across the region will go head to head in the first ever virtual Kootenay Pitch Competition, hosted by KAST (Kootenay Association for Science & Technology) and Nelson Innovation Centre, and sponsored by: Nelson & District Credit Union, Traction on Demand, Volition Advisors & Selkirk Technology Access Centre, Green Light Solutions, Rice & Co Chartered Professional Accountants Kootenay Coop, Columbia Lake Technology Centre and Columbia Basin Trust. Entrepreneurs will be competing for cold hard cash and amazing prizes. Mentorship, networking, support and incredible exposure are all up for grabs.
The competition is made up of three pitch events (November, January and April) with a Grand Finale pitch event on November 4, 2021
