The Finalists
Caliber Communications
FOUNDER: Alex Vourkoutiotis ESTABLISHED: 2015 ONLINE: calibercommunications.ca
WHAT: Caliber Communications uses technology and devices they manufacture to supplement having a human being on-site for security. In addition to monitoring and securing the site, they provide their customers with data such as log reports and live video feeds.
WHY: “I have an insatiable desire to contribute to society. I want to do something that has not been done before. This industry has been very untouched for a long time, and I felt like what I had started with and what we are now as a team doing can really contribute to this market worldwide.”
WITH THE WINNINGS: Caliber has 48 employees but plans to have as many as 70 by the end of 2018. The money would be used to help improve the location and atmosphere of the company, as well as to hire an HR person.
GeneBlueprint
CO-FOUNDER: Paul Mercante ESTABLISHED: 2016 ONLINE: geneblueprint.com
WHAT: A personalized fitness and nutrition program based on clients’ genetic data.
WHY: “We knew we had a client base of people that had been victimized by fad dieting or ‘yo-yo’ workout programs and they all lacked this one common element, which was the personalization. So we’ve been able to take genetic data and understand the biology of a human being and understand exactly what it would take to personalize that exercise prescription or that nutrition prescription for them based off of how they respond to carbohydrates or how they respond to cardiovascular activities.”
WITH THE WINNINGS: The money would be reinvested into research and development to continue to improve the product. They would also build off some of the clinical trials they’ve already been doing with Hamilton Health Sciences and GoodLife Fitness.
Bikeables
CO-FOUNDER: Justin Abbiss ESTABLISHED: 2016 ONLINE: bikeables.com
WHAT: An online grocery store with a goal of connecting consumers to local farmers and food vendors. Delivery is conducted via European cargo bikes to help achieve their goal of being emissions-free. Customers can subscribe to weekly, bi-weekly or monthly deliveries of a range of products, including fresh roasted coffee, local vegetables and fresh baked bread.
WHY: “Everyone on our team is passionate about local food and the environment. Supporting local food systems is probably the best thing you can do to try to reduce your footprint and make a difference. We’re also believers in supporting small business.”
WITH THE WINNINGS: Bikeables is opening a bricks and mortar store in the old Dundurn Market. The money would be used for a produce refrigeration unit and a walk-in cooler to store more local produce. The marketing would be used to come up with a direct mail campaign inviting people within a few kilometres of the new space to visit and enjoy a free coffee.
Farmhouse Artisan Cheese
FOUNDER: Chris Wood ESTABLISHED: 2015 ONLINE: farmhouseartisancheese.com
WHAT: Primarily a cheese shop, the Oakville store carries between 80 and 100 different types of cheese along with charcuterie, accompaniments and hostess gifts.
WHY: “We’re super passionate about cheese. We are the only dedicated cheese shop in Oakville. You can certainly buy cheese at grocery stores ... but we’re very passionate about customers having the ability to come in and speak with us about the cheese, taste the cheese.”
WITH THE WINNINGS: Money would help expand the business to include more of a restaurant. Currently they have a few stools at the front where people can enjoy grilled cheese sandwiches, but they would like to broaden their menu and the space they have where people can dine in.
Humble Bee Inc.
BEEKEEPER: Dan Douma ESTABLISHED: 2014 ONLINE: humblebee.buzz
WHAT: Humble Bee is a partnership of urban beekeepers whose goal is to be a “one-stop bee shop,” providing bees, beekeeping equipment and lessons.
WHY: “We both kind of became beekeepers because it really appeals to us and our values. We’re both passionate about the environment — doing what we can to help it — and for us, beekeeping is a job we can feel good about at the end of the day.”
WITH THE WINNINGS: Humble Bee has seen rapid growth so having financial assistance and business planning and mentorship support would be helpful. Douma said they’re looking to scale up their capacity for processing and bottling honey so will need to automate the process given they’re currently doing it by hand. They will also likely look into offering new products, with a long-term goal of starting a meadery.
The Burnt Tongue
CO-FOUNDER: Leo Tsangarakis ESTABLISHED: 2013 ONLINE: theburntongue.com
WHAT: A counter-serve soup joint with two locations — one on Locke Street South and the other on Cannon Street. The restaurant also serves frites, burgers, salads and sandwiches.
WHY: “The city just inspired me to want to participate in what was going on ... I love that I have a location on Locke Street around the corner from where I grew up ... The city’s just opening its doors for us and we have tons of support from the city.”
WITH THE WINNINGS: Cash would help fund Burnt Tongue’s expansion plans and in-kind services would help with marketing and website improvements.
Charles & Hunt
FOUNDER AND HEAD STYLIST: Carla Criminisi ESTABLISHED: 2015 ONLINE: charlesandhunt.com
WHAT: A men’s styling and personal shopping service serving mainly male professionals in the Hamilton area. Clients are provided a complimentary consultation, hand-selected pieces are chosen for them and they come visit the showroom for a fitting session afterward.
WHY: “I’ve always loved menswear and my background is in menswear. I saw that there was definitely a void in any sort of higher-end men’s stores in downtown Hamilton, so I thought that, especially because of everything that’s going on in Hamilton and the growth ... definitely there’s an opportunity there.”
WITH THE WINNINGS: Criminisi said she would love to bring on another assistant stylist to grow the team. She also hopes to find a larger showroom down the road and expand into womenswear within the next year or so.
Rock Bar Construction
VICE PRESIDENT OF SALES: Mike Gibson ESTABLISHED: 1987 ONLINE: rockbarconstruction.com
WHAT: A general construction company that handles everything from water line replacements in Hamilton to larger construction projects like the sewer and water infrastructure at the Rock Garden at the Royal Botanical Gardens.
WHY: “We’ve realized that there’s an opportunity to bring a new product to market that’s going to improve the quality of life for people. In the end, what our product does is it measures and monitors movement inside your sewer line to predict flooding, so it gives you a warning before your sewer line is actually going to close.”
WITH THE WINNINGS: Rock Bar Construction is in the process of bringing this new product to market, so every little bit of funding helps, Gibson said. They would use the money to buy and wrap a service vehicle and would use the in-kind legal services to make sure their business is structured in a way that they can still acquire government funding.
SMPL Design Studio
FOUNDER: Joel Tanner ESTABLISHED: 2010 ONLINE: smpldesignstudio.com
WHAT: An architectural design services company that specializes in residential construction — designing new homes, as well as larger-scale renovation and addition projects.
WHY: “I have always wanted to design homes for a living. Ever since I was eight or 10 years old, I would just draw floor plans ... I love designing. I love meeting clients. I love thinking of new, edgy details to introduce to a home design to make it that much different from the last house we worked on. It’s just that constant evolution — there’s always new clients, new ideas, new opportunities, new adventures that we can go on with house design. It’s very passion driven.”
WITH THE WINNINGS: As a growing firm that has been evolving over the last year, Tanner said the main priorities would be additional software training, upgrading a couple of computers and printing marketing material.
White Elephant
CO-OWNER: Hollie Pocsai ESTABLISHED: 2008 ONLINE: whiteelephantshop.ca
WHAT: A women’s clothing and accessory store that focuses on Canadian-made products.
WHY: “We really do love Hamilton. We love the community, and we also think it’s so important to promote independent artists and makers, and move away from fast fashion ... kind of highlighting that Canadian-made is important. We know it’s not always something everyone can achieve — it’s more investment pieces — but just building a wardrobe of pieces that will last a lifetime instead of a disposable kind of mindset.”
WITH THE WINNINGS: In addition to the two storefront locations, White Elephant launched an online store last April. Pocsai said they would like to expand that side of the business, including hiring a photographer as well as someone to help update and market the website.