It’s time againg for a road trip to Montreal. Phil Telio and his crew of supporters (John Stokes, Austin Hill and Sylvain Carle) are hosting another must attend startup event in Montreal. The event is shaping up to have 2 components:

1. Participant-driven Conference – starting at 1pm
2. Keynote & Pitches – starting at 6pm

Unconference

The participant-driven event, aka the “unconference”, is one of the best parts. The idea is that the schedule is determined by the attendees. There will be technologists, lawyers, funders, marketers, designers and others. The question is what do you want to talk about? NoSQL technologies. Mobile implications for social gaming mechanics. Legals of fund raising in Canada without Section 116. I’ve heard that Dave McClure is planning on doing “an exercise in entrepreneurial improv theatre”. I first saw Half-Baked dot com at ETech’07. It’s an incredibly fun engaging way to learn how to quickly build companies, business models and pitches without the constraints usually imposed by making it your own business.

Keynote & Pitches

The evening event is essential cocktails and pitches. Highlighting the event is Dave McClure’s keynote.

Dave McClure has been geeking out in Silicon Valley for over twenty years as a software developer, entrepreneur, startup advisor, angel investor, blogger, & internet marketing nerd.  Dave currently runs a seed-stage investment program for Founders Fund, and also manages the fbFund REV social incubator.  His passion is helping startups with marketing, product strategy, and startup metrics, and he has been an advisor or investor in more than 40 companies including: Mint.com (acquired by Intuit), SlideShare, Mashery, TeachStreet, KISSmetrics, Simply Hired, Twilio, Bit.ly, UserVoice, and CreditKarma, among others.

Following the keynote there will 5 pitch/presentation/demo spots. Traditionally StartupCampMontreal presentations have been very pitch focused. I think there is an opportunity for a presenter to really rock this venue. Thing about this as a chance to build demand and generate excitement about your startup. It’s a chance to get feedback about a part of your business. Whether that is your fund raising pitch, your product demo, or other. I’d start by looking at TechCrunch50, Demo, and others for inspiration. You want to win the giveway. Trust me you want to win the giveaway.

Giveaway

The StartupCampMontreal organizers are giving away a ticket for Geeks on a Plane Asia. What the hell is geeks on a plane? It sounds like a bad movie that stars Samuel Jackson. Playing the role of Samuel Jackson is Dave McClure.  The goal of Geeks on a Plane is a great one. It’s to get you out of your comfort zone. To force entrpreneurs to travel to meet investors, customers, entrepreneurs in other countries, and gain insight and connections that can be used to further your business. It’s a great event in the safety of the company of other geeks like you.

• Meet startups, geeks, & investors in cities around the world.
• Learn about trends in internet, mobile, and other tech platforms.
• Gain insight into local markets, demographics, business models.
• Meet cool people, new ventures, have fun on planes, trains, buses.

I’m an entreprenur and this sounds AWESOME! How do I win? You need to apply to present at StartupCampMontreal6. One of the presenting companies will be selected to get some mentoring from Dave McClure and a ticket to travel with Geeks on a Plane.

What is technopreneurship? I’m guessing that it’s technology entrepreneurship. The Government of Alberta Advanced Education and Technology has a program for “young entrepreneurs” (crap, I guess by the Alberta definition I’m now old). The program is a business plan competition run by post secondary education institutions and non-profit community groups. It’s a pretty cool deal to support the existing institutions.

• SAIT – LAUNCH Business Plan Contest
• Red Deer College – RED Challenge
• NAIT – HATCH Opportunity

The program essentially provides $20,000 to winners ($10,000 for high school students) plus “incubation services” and mentorship. I hope the “incubation services” and mentorship are provided without fees to the winners. Though with it looks like some of these services are financed through the Alberta Innovation Voucher Pilot Program, that offered vouchers of up to $10,000 or $50,000 to cover 75% of services by approved service providers. These programs are not directly related, but it does show a preference to a network of approved providers and funding redirection.

There’s a lot of great things going on in Alberta. How can you fault an organization that links to DemoCamp (BarCampEdmonton) as part of their networking advise for entrepreneurs?  They are venture programs like AVAC Ltd. that are actively investing $79M in Alberta. You can see deals being done like Tynt Multimedia that included Montreal-based iNovia Capital on their latest $5M round, and Calgary-based CoolIT Systems. There is a lot of work with the Alberta Deal Generator, and the Banff Venture Forum that are driving interest and attention. And there are deep entrepreneur led grassroots efforts with STIRR in Calgary and DemoCamp in Edmonton.

It’s a very interesting list of Canadian companies selected for the CIX Top 20.

It’s a great showing for our friends at TechCapital Partners with Metranome, OverlayTV and PostRank in the list. As expected for a conference in Toronto there is strong representation from the the Waterloo-Montreal corridor with only D-Wave System from BC.

• Aeryon Labs Inc., Waterloo, ON
• CognoVision Solutions Inc., Markham, ON
• Darwin Dimensions, Montreal, QC
• Dayforce, Toronto, ON
• D-Wave System Inc., Burnaby, BC
• EnStream LP, Toronto, ON
• GaN Systems Inc.
• GlassBOX Television Inc., Mississauga, ON
• IGLOO Inc., Waterloo, ON
• Metranome, Waterloo, ON
• Morega System Inc., Mississauga, ON
• NIMTech Incorporated, Toronto, ON
• Overlay TV Inc., Ottawa, ON
• Peerset Inc., Toronto, ON
• PostRank Inc., Waterloo, ON
• Remco Solid State Lighting Inc.
• Rypple, Toronto, ON
• Sixtron Advanced Materials Inc., Toronto, ON
• Skymeter Corp., Toronto, ON
• YOU i Labs Inc., Ottawa, ON

There is a strong focus on software/web services (particularly focused on media) with CognoVision, GlassBOX Television, Metranome, Morega System, Peerset and Overlay TV in the media enablement space. And Dayforce, Enstream, IGLOO, PostRank, and Rypple in the web services space.

It’s going to be an interesting dog and pony show.

New Ventures BC is a competition for BC startups that has been running since 2003. The competition is open to new companies that have “not yet secured significant financing from “outside investors” (ie. investors other than friends, family, and company founders)”. The competition costs $100 to enter and is open to B.C.-based privately held companies (full eligibility requirements).

Registration for the 2009 New Ventures BC Competition is now open! Competition deadline is April 20th, 11:59pm.

REGISTER NOW

The new 2009 prize structure includes:

• $120,000 British Columbia Innovation Council First-prize package
• $63,000 British Columbia Innovation Council Second-prize package
• $37,000 British Columbia Innovation Council Third-prize package
• BC Hydro Sustainability $40,000 prize
• BC Bioenergy Network $20,000 prize
• British Columbia Innovation Council Economic Impact $20,000 prize

If you’re an early-stage entrepreneur with a new technology business idea, join us!

For details and to register for the competition, visit http://www.newventuresbc.com or call 604-725-5740.

Competition deadline is April 20th.

The questions and evaluation criteria are very interesting set of metrics for any startup looking to raise money. The questions are not all encompassing, but they are an extremely complete list of the types of discussion that is required during the initial fund raising. Check out Round 2: Feasability Test and Round 3: Venture Plan of the Contest Rules for details about what your business plan should cover.

1. Product/Service: Describe your product or service and the nature of the technology.
2. Technology Development: Describe the development stage of your product/service.
3. Team: Describe your company’s strengths and weaknesses. List the credentials of your technical and management teams, and if applicable, advisors and board of directors. If you don’t have a team, describe the key positions and critical skill sets that you need to add.
4. Business Plan Status: What research has been conducted, what remains to be done, and how and when you anticipate doing so. What key sources are included to document and support your plan?

The Ontario Centres for Excellence is hosting an Elevator Pitch contest on May 12, 2009 at Discovery 09 event. First place prize is Cdn$5000 and second place is Cdn$2000. Not shabby for a 700 word entry.

Step into OCE’s Elevator Pitch contest – 12 May 2009
Metro Convention Centre, Toronto

Venture capitalists and angel investors can spot a good business pitch in roughly the time it takes to ride an elevator. Test your pitch by getting in on the Elevator Pitch at Discovery 09. Go one-on-one, face-to-face with leading VCs and angel investors and deliver a compelling overview of your tech-based business idea in five minutes or less. Capture their attention, advice, and a chance to win cash prizes for best pitch.

To enter, visit www.ocediscovery.com/elevatorpitch2009.aspx.

Startups need to submit a 700 word maximum submission that covers the following:

• Describe the product or service and its underlying technology
• What is the market need – what is the value proposition to your intended customers?
• What is the sustainable competitive advantage of your product or service?
• Describe the market and market size.
• What is your market entry strategy?

Submissions are due by April 16, 2009.

The Canadian Innovation Exchange is taking place on March 3rd and 4th again this year in Toronto. The event appears to have been compressed mostly in to 1 day with some pre-event socials taking place on March 3rd.

This is a tough time for Canadian startups, we certainly heard that loud and clear during StartupEmpire, but it is also the chance to focus on our strengths and to take advantage of what makes Canada’s startups great.

Registration opens in January, but in the meantime, fill out the submission form and start working on your pitch.

Looking for venture funding? Consider participating in the following initiative run by PWC and Burns & Levinson LLP.

The US/Canada Venture Capital Pipeline links venture capital firms and investment banking firms based in the US with Canadian companies seeking financing. The event is designed to build relationships and create business opportunities between US investors and Canadian companies. This December 4, 10 Canadian IT companies will head to Boston to meet one-on-one with U.S. investors.

The deadline to submit applications is November 14.

Here are all the details. If you are interested in applying, please contact:

Leonard Gold
Managing Director
Burns & Levinson Canada Co.
Partner, Burns & Levinson LLP
lgold(at)burnslev.com
617.345.3831

Charles Godbout
Vice President, Corporate Finance Inc.
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
charlesgodbout(at)ca.pwc.com
514.205.5020

Advancing Canadian Entrepreneurship (ACE) held their showcase of entrepreneurs at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.  ACE is a charitable organization that delivers programming to higher education students to inspire them to make meaningful contribution to words their community by building real world businesses and entrepreneurial ventures.

ACE submissions are from major Canadian schools including BCIT, University of Calgary, Ryerson University, University of Toronto, University of Waterloo amongst others. The Student Entrepreneur Competition requires that students be a founder (or 50% owner of a business) and are selected based on financials and subjective judging criteria. The goal is to submit an operating venture that is ready for growth.

ACE announces 2008 National Student Entrepreneur Competition Champion – Joseph Moncada, Sweet Tooth Candy Emporium

Since 2006 Joseph, a Business student, has owned and operated Sweet Tooth Candy Emporium, a network of stores and kiosks offering rare, unique, retro, and imported sweets from around the world. What started as a summer project through the Ontario Government “Summer Company” program has grown exponentially into a successful franchise.

Now in operation for only two years, Sweet Tooth Candy Emporium employs over 25 people and has grown into three stores based in prominent locations around the Greater Toronto Area and Wasaga Beach.

The focus of the ACE programs is on economic impact on local communities. The submissions are diverse ranging from software to franchises. The 2008 regional winners included software companies, an online retailer, a French language publishing company and a walking stick manufacturer.

• Ryne Flood, 6am Software – Online Parent-Teacher Interview Scheduler
• Grahm Watts, Nature Trails – A company that manufactures walking sticks, twig pencils, bird hourses, etc.
• Brad LeBlanc, Engaging Entertainment – Event mangement, event production and strategic marketing
• André Wilson, Editions Court-Circuit – A French language publishing company
• Jill Lennox, Stuffitbag – Custom designed laptop bags with online retailing
• Brett Patrontasch, Scholars At Your Service Inc. – a student organization offering residential and commercial painting, window washing, and on site automotive detailing to their customers

While most of these ventures probably aren’t venture fundable, the opportunity for students to see entrepreneurship as a career path is needed in Canadian post secondary educational institutions. ACE offers a great structured set of programs for students to get involved and inspired by entrepreneurs in their communities.

If you are going to have a beauty contest (or not), the contestants may as well be good looking, and CIX seems to have delivered. I have to admit that I didn’t even think the list would turn out this well. There is a cross section of everything from startups to companies looking for follow-on rounds.

There has been some debate recently about the value of events like CIX, and I have to admit, I have not been easy on similar events in the past, but I have to say that I think it is time to move on. If you think CIX is all about a bunch of companies getting up and presenting, then you are wrong. I think of CIX more like a DEMO or Techcrunch 50 for the Canadian community, and that is something we need.

More than that, a lot has changed in the Canadian Startup community in the last year, and this is a chance to start putting more names to faces, and for more shy startups to start coming out of the shadows. It is also a chance for the Venture Capital community to pull back the curtains and start connecting more closely with the community.

We are using the CIX space to put on a second StartupCamp. So if you didn’t get a chance to get your name out there at CIX itself, make sure you put your name in the hat for StartupCamp.

The list of presenting companies was released today, you saw it here first!:

• Accipiter Radar Technologies Inc., Fonthill, ON
• Acquisio, Saint Lambert, PQ
• Akoha Inc., Montreal, PQ
• Big Deal Games Inc., Toronto, ON
• Biosign Technologies Inc., Toronto, ON
• Blueprint Software Systems, Toronto, ON
• Brainpark, Inc, Toronto, ON
• CellWand Communications, Toronto, ON
• Coveo, Quebec City, PQ
• Digital Payment Technologies Corp., Burnaby, BC
• dthree Inc., Mississauga, ON
• HomeZilla, Toronto, ON
• Kaben Wireless Silicon Inc., Ottawa, ON
• Mobidia, Inc., Vancouver, BC
• Octopz, Toronto, ON
• Planeteye Inc., Toronto, ON
• Redwood Technologies, Calgary, AB
• Spatial View Inc., Toronto, ON
• Standout Jobs, Inc., Montreal, PQ
• Streametrics Corporation Inc., Montreal, PQ

Back in June, StartupNorth was one of the first places to break the story of the death of the Toronto Venture Group. Every year the TVG had an event called the “Venture Forum”, which died when the TVG was shut down.

It didn’t take long for the gap to get filled in however, and soon enough the CIX was announced. The premise is largely the same: Companies are pre-selected to pitch a room full of VCs who will presumably think about funding some of them. You need to apply to present, and then your company will be vetted by a selection committee. The cost to attend and present (if you are chosen) is about $1,000 in total, or $495 if you are just attending.

Is CIX worth attending?

This conversation got kicked off today on David Crow’s blog after David posted about CIX, Ali Asaria, the guy behind Well.ca, suggested that $500-$1,000 was actually a lot of money for a startup, no matter what stage they are at.

It is true, $1,000 is a lot of cash, but the truth is: it isn’t too much. The question here isn’t about money, it is about value. Will you get anything out of 2 days in a conference full of other people who are trying to make this ship sail in Canada? I think you will. The thing is: It is completely up to you. You can find the agenda for the two days here.

To make the best of this event you need to come at it with the right frame of mind: Make as many connections as possible, tell as many people as possible about your startup as you can, and finally, get as much advice as possible.

In the run up to CIX we will have a few posts about kicking butt at CIX, for both the VCs and the Entrepreneurs.

StartupCamp

There is also StartupCamp, which we are putting on for free during CIX. We decided to do this because it will give a chance for the startups presenting at StartupCamp to get exposure to a crowd that doesn’t always come out to these events.

Where companies that present at CIX will be somewhat established and will have already figured out their pitch, StartupCamp is for companies who are still trying to work out the details of their business plan.

You can fill out this form to apply to pitch at StartupCamp. We’d love to have some unknown but awesome startups to show off!

You can register for CIX here.