These Kootenay entrepreneurs are taking all the risk…
Cheer them on, show your support and see who claims the grand prize!
About the Kootenay Pitch Competition 2020/21
For the first time in Kootenay history, tech 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, Selkirk Technology Access Centre , Kootenay Co-op, Rice & Co Chartered Professional Accountants, Green Light Solutions, 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.
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The Kootenay Pitch Competition is made up of three pitch events in November, February and April. At each pitch event, three entrepreneurs will be chosen to pitch their business idea to a panel of judges (meet them below!) that includes investors, tech experts, funding agencies and industry professionals who have global connections to both markets and investment capital.
The winners of each event will face off in the Grand Finale pitch competition on November 4, 2021 where the Kootenay Pitch Competition Champion will be crowned.
Each pitch event is virtual, pre-recorded and then streamed from the Nelson Innovation Centre so people can tune in from across the province and beyond.
Meet the Judges
Bec Henrich - Traction on Demand
Bec Henrich is Director of Marketing at Traction on Demand and mother to two-and-a-half year old, Olive. Drawn to companies that position customers central to their purpose, she’s spent the last decade crafting marketing strategies that engage, inform and educate customers to drive growth.
Spanning professional services, publishing, finance and high-tech, Bec has a breadth of marketing and demand generation experience, across multiple continents and cities — all in search of the perfect coffee. But it’s her self-proclaimed status as a data geek that prepares her most for this competition; the drive to ask questions, understand audiences, deep-dive into insights and know what dials to turn to drive project success.
Tyler Rice - Rice & Company LLP
Tyler has extensive experience with both public and private companies as an executive, consultant and investor. His work has spanned a variety of industries, including mining, healthcare, agriculture, real estate, oil & gas and community impact investing. Tyler has been involved in overseas operations in multiple countries and has successively exited transactions that included both organic and acquisitional growth.
Tyler resides in Nelson, BC on the North Shore where he is raising his two sons with his partner, Catherine Rice. Tyler is committed to the community in which he resides with numerous volunteer initiatives ranging from volunteering as a treasurer and board member for local not-for-profit organizations, coaching local sports teams as well as being a volunteer member of the North Shore Fire Hall.
Tyler was recently recognized for his volunteer contributions by Community Futures of Central Kootenays with the honor of Volunteer of the Year (2020).
Nate Kube - Green Light Solutions
Nate Kube is a Nelson-born technology entrepreneur whose impacts span the globe. Widely recognized as a cyber security pioneer and subject matter expert, Nate helped secure many critical systems and supply chains essential to our daily lives –from pacemakers to power grids. With a tenacious drive to secure the world’s connected systems, Nate’s early contributions to the industrial cyber security field are responsible for raising awareness of connected technology risks among industry leaders, corporate boards, and key stakeholders. To this day, numerous global organizations rely on Nate’s technologies to maintain business-critical digital systems.
In 2006, after studying math and computer science at UVic, Nate founded Wurldtech Security Technologies to provide cyber security solutions for mission-critical systems. In 2014, Wurldtech was acquired by General Electric (GE) to address cyber security globally for GE’s existing and emerging product lines and to provide a suite of offerings for securing GE’s broad customer base. Nate oversaw the GE global cyber security strategy, serving as the company’s Chief Technology Officer for Cyber Security.
Nate spends his time exploring interests, including co-founding an Agrotech business, a land development corporation, advising emerging cyber security companies, and serving on corporate and non-profit boards.
Dave Damer - NRC - IRAP
Dave is a seasoned entrepreneur who recently joined the National Research Council (NRC) as an Industrial Technology Advisor delivering the Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) to industry in the East and West Kootenay-Boundary. NRC IRAP provides innovation assistance to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) at all stages of the innovation process, to help them build their innovation capacity. With a degree in Computer Engineering and over 30 years’ experience working with and building technology companies, Dave is eager to get to know the community learn how best to assist local businesses.
Dave’s focus has been in Artificial Intelligence, SaaS, and telecommunications gained from his prior start-ups which include Testfire Labs, Switchbird Technologies, ThinkTel Communications, and enrolNet. He has also been a coach and mentor for dozens of companies over the last 10 years through the University of Alberta Venture Mentoring Service, TEC Edmonton, and Concordia University.
Dave relocated to Nelson in August from Edmonton with his partner Kate and two sons and is looking forward to all the outdoor adventures that the region has to offer.
Sue Ross - Futurpreneur
Sue Ross helps people create the opportunities they’ve always wanted. In other words: she is a business developer and coach who helps entrepreneurs build businesses they love without sacrificing their souls to do it. This is achieved through her work as Business Development Manager with Futurpreneur Canada, a national non-profit organization that provides start up financing and mentorship for young entrepreneurs between ages of 18-39, as well as in her own work as business and mindset coach.
Sue has a background in corporate leadership with companies like Disney Online Studios and Starbucks. She left the corporate world to pursue her own tech-enabled startup and has held leadership roles with other tech companies. She has also led national social enterprise initiatives and has a passion for helping other founders grow their businesses through mindful leadership and as a certified emotional intelligence coach.
Sue brings a holistic approach to all of her interactions blending strategy and mindset to help founders reach their goals – be that funding, strategic planning or leadership development.
Henry Kutarna - Investor & Advisor to CEOs
Henry Kutarna is an experienced business executive and mentor. He is Chair of a private family investment fund with investments mainly in real estate and manufacturing. He has personally capitalized twenty-two early stage technology deals.
He has been a Deputy Minister of Economic Development, President of the Saskatchewan Diversification Corporation, and a Deputy Minister of Social Services.
He is a private mentor and executive coach. He owns The Executive Advisor, a consultant group. He has served on numerous private and public boards. He has served as a chair, member, and advisor to many organizations.
He was an executive in residence at the Banff Centre for Leadership, has led CEO peer groups, and was president and CEO of the Calgary Convention & Visitors Bureau. He was Vice President of Investment and Market Development at Innovate Calgary. He led an active angel investment group – Invest Tech. He is often asked to be a panelist and meeting facilitator.
Henry holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Degree in Economics from the University of Saskatchewan, has done post-graduate work in Economics at the University of Regina, has a Certified Destination Management Executive designation [C.D.M.E.] from Purdue University/University of Calgary, was a participant in the Province of Saskatchewan Executive Development Program, and has taken the Canadian Securities Course, the Exempt Market Dealers Exam and a host of other executive seminars such as the Queen’s University Negotiations Seminar. He is a Knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem (KHS).
He is an acknowledged leader in the western Canadian angel finance community. He mentors CEOs and not for profit leaders in Vancouver, Calgary and in the Kootenays.
Paul Brassard - Volition Advisors
Paul is an almost 20-year veteran of entrepreneurship, and has immense experience in business development, fundraising, scaling and marketing strategy, and is a master pitch and presentation coach.
With a love for teaching, a passion for knowledge-sharing and a desire to help others grow and succeed, Paul loves working with entrepreneurs and startups, inspired and motivated by their enthusiasm and innovation, gauging his success by the success of those he’s worked with and/or taught.
Tiffany Snauwaert - Selkirk College
Tiffany Snauwaert worked for a number of years in public accounting with a variety of clients in different industries dealing with financial accounting, audit, and tax matters. Tiffany then moved into the post-secondary sector and has worked at Selkirk College for the last 16 years.
Currently, she is the Dean for the School of Business, School of Environment & Geomatics, and Community Education and Workplace Training.
She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, obtained her Chartered Professional Accountant designation, and her Master’s degree in Business Administration all while staying and working in the West Kootenay region. She is also currently in the final stages of her doctoral degree in Higher Education through the University of Liverpool, with a research focus on succession planning in Canadian post-secondary.
Prizes
Besides bragging rights, the winner of EACH pitch event will take home:
- $500 in cold hard cash
- A free annual KAST membership
- Three months of free entry into the Venture Acceleration Program ($600 value), which includes 1:1 mentorship from an experienced mentor
- Free entrance into the New Ventures BC Competition in 2021 ($200 value), courtesy of New Venture BC. Note: All winners will be required to apply to the New Ventures BC Competition to be eligible for the Grand Finale prizing.
- Two hours of expert assistance, from a KAST Entrepreneur in Residence, for the application process for the New Ventures BC Competition.
- A three-session Advisory Coaching package with Volition Advisors (valued at $675).
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
Mentorship & Support
All accepted contestants receive a ton of free support!
- 1:1 pitch coaching from Master Pitch & Presentation Instructor and Coach, Paul Brassard from Volition (2 X 30-minute sessions)
- Free Volition Pitch & Presentation Masterclass (1.5 hours) prior to the pitch event which will provide you with their proven PSOyAS pitch methodology and unique insights into the investor mindset. They’ll go over the ‘must-haves’ and explore proven tactics to take your pitch from mediocre to memorable.
- 30-minute consultation with our local National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP) advisor, Bruce Hardy. NRC IRAP provides advice, connections, and funding to help Canadian small and medium-sized businesses increase their innovation capacity and take ideas to market.
- 2-hour session with Tyler Rice of Rice & Company LLP. Tyler has experience in many facets of business, including operations, finance and marketing with an active ear and an eye trained to current industry expectations for growing businesses. With a quiver of contacts that span numerous sectors, industries and specializations, on many occasions a great idea is one phone-call away from taking the next step. Honing a pitch and connecting the pitcher with the right contact or assisting with slight pivots to align entrepreneurs with advancement to the next step is what Tyler offers each contestant.
Product Design and Development of Commercialized Products/Services
The Selkirk Technology Access Centre (STAC) offers a suite of services designed to build competitiveness in research and development companies in British Columbia’s interior region.
They have generously donated:
To All Winners ($1000 value – * excluding all materials and supplies)
5 hrs of technical expertise and specialized equipment access to advance product design and development of commercialized products/services, including:
- 3D printing
- 3D scanning and Reverse engineering
- Rapid prototyping
- Customized training
This also includes a full IP transfer to the company and complete signed NDA’s for all research undertaken.
*Note: COVID restrictions may delay visits to STAC.
