Top entrepreneur contest online from start to finish
After a rigorous selection process, the BDC Young Entrepreneur Award contest has named eight finalists whose fate will now lie in the hands of the voting public.
For the first time, BDC is awarding a grand prize of $ 100,000 to carry out their proposed innovation project. The runner- up will receive a customized Internet strategy from BDC Consulting valued at $ 25,000.“In addition to the cash award, this is the first year that BDC has taken the contest online from start to finish,” said Michel Bergeron, senior vice- president, marketing and public affairs at BDC in Montreal. “Given the web has become increasingly important to entrepreneurs, we thought it would be more engaging to use the power of social media to decide who should win the award.”
Created by the Business Development Bank of Canada in 1988, the BDC Young Entrepreneur Award contest pays tribute to successful Canadian entrepreneurs between 18 and 35 years of age. The selection process is based on a wide range of criteria, from project plans and objectives, to their feasibility and sustainability.
The eight innovations to make the final grade are:
Zane Kelsall
and Two If By Sea Cafe in Dartmouth, N. S., are opening the first roastery in Atlantic Canada to buy all of its coffee direct from farmers. This project will benefit coffee farmers, while ensuring a sustainable supply of high quality beans for the company’s cafes and partner network across Canada.
Philippe Durocher
conceived of a revolutionary approach to creating orthotics. Being developed by Montreal- based Laboratoire Bergeron, the patent- pending system uses a liquid resin injected into a prefabricated insole that moulds to the patient’s foot and creates a less- costly, more precise, ready- made product.
Miguel Clement
and his team at Inovatech Engineering Corp. in Vankleek Hill, Ont., aim to build a robot that can be programmed to understand customized drawings and recognize how to make accurate cuts in steel beams and plates. The technology will help structural steel manufacturers increase their operational efficiency, speed and accuracy.
Michael Legary
with Seccuris Inc. in Winnipeg plans to reinvigorate grassroots entrepreneurship across Canada by providing grants to nonprofit groups known as community innovation spaces. These will enable innovation at the local level by providing physical space and equipment that would otherwise not be available to budding entrepreneurs.
Curtis Olson’s
Shift Development wants to provide Saskatoon’s growing mobile workforce with flexible office space equipped with world- class technology and resources. The space is designed for creative entrepreneurs and startups that don’t need permanent offices.
Patrick Bergevin
and his Chinook Foot Orthotic Laboratory Inc. team in Calgary are on a mission to green the industry by reducing its environmental footprint and lowering waste. The plan is to improve the efficiency of Chinook’s manufacturing systems, and generate sales to other labs.
Mike Miltimore
and his team at Lee’s Music in Kamloops are ready to scale up their manufacturing facility and get Riversong guitars on the market. Their patent- pending new guitar design features an adjustable neck joint to reduce tension and tuning- related issues that have plagued guitar players for years.
Tara Newbigging
and Fit 2 the T want to extend the fitness wave they sparked in Yellowknife to other remote communities. Newbigging’s plan is to travel to remote areas, host workshops and use technology to provide a sustainable remote connection as well as access to online fitness tools and programs.
To review the finalists’ profiles and their project videos, and find out how to vote for your favourite innovation project go to
financialpost. com/ innovators. Votes can be cast every day until June 19. Winners will be announced June 25.