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“Canadian innovators, both young and experienced, have a strong track record in bringing innovative products to the world.  Innovator Idol celebrates the efforts and successes of entrepreneurs and their ideas,” says Bhupinder Randhawa, a partner at Bereskin & Parr LLP and head of the firm’s Electrical & Computer Technology patent practice group.

There are four finalist companies that are competing in 2013 “Innovator Idol”:

• SenoSNSE Medical Systems – breast cancer pre –screening test
• Veterinarium Corporation –  tablet application for the veterinary industry
• Xromb Inc – mobile commerce platform
• Richpoint Pharma – drug delivery technology to treat fungal infections

“Innovation is the key to grow economic prosperity and jobs in Peel Region.  Innovator Idol is just one example of how programs delivered by RIC help entrepreneurs develop their business and connect with motivated investors,” says Pam Banks, executive director of the Altitude Accelerator in Mississauga. “The Altitude Accelerator has been helping tech entrepreneurs fast track their business to market in Mississauga, Brampton, and Caledon since 2009,” adds Banks.

Altitude Accelerator provides services to emerging entrepreneurs including:  business mentoring, market intelligence, financing, and networking through three “Entrepreneurs in Residence”. For established companies, Altitude Accelerator provides:  a roundtable innovation exchange; industry-academic collaboration; and peer-to-peer networking. Best of all, the vast majority of Altitude Accelerator services are free.

The “Innovator Idol” competition is the finale event for the Altitude Accelerator’s monthly networking and entrepreneurial training breakfasts for 2013, called “Growing Your Business.”  The competition is a hybrid modeled on American Idol and Dragon’s Den where four companies are invited to present their company pitch to an investor panel for prize package as well as feedback.

The 2013 “Innovator Idol” will be held 7:30am to 11am, at the Noel Ryan Auditorium, Mississauga Central Library at 301 Burnhamthorpe Road West, Mississauga, ON. Past “Innovator Idol” winners not only benefited from exposure to funders and valuable prizes, but they have gone on to become significant players in Canadian and international markets.

For more Information, please contact:
Pam Banks
Executive Director, Altitude Accelerator
289.373.3050

The Altitude Accelerator is a registered not-for-profit organization that offers support to entrepreneurs and innovators who want to take their great ideas to market in advanced manufacturing, life science and emerging technologies. The Altitude Accelerator is created through partnership with the Ontario ONE Network and community partners in Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon; Region of Peel; Sheridan College; University of Toronto Mississauga and MaRS.  

The Ontario Network of Excellence (ONE) is a collaborative network of organizations across Ontario, designed to commercialize ideas. Whether you are an innovator, a technology-based business, entrepreneur, or researcher, ONE will connect you with services and programs to help you innovate and gain a competitive advantage.

The post Entrepreneur finalists to pitch new business ideas at Innovator Idol appeared first on Altitude Accelerator.

Going from nothing, to a full iPhone application (sold in the apple app store) in just 102 days is not normal. But for the creators of Task Ave., their journey was nothing but normal. Winning the 2010 Toronto edition of Start-up Weekend propelled them into something that three days beforehand, had no idea what they would be getting into. Task Ave. is an innovative application that is not only a to-do list with reminders, but also a helpful tool that knows where you area and reminds you to do the task when you are nearby. It was at Startup Weekend Toronto where Brian Gilham met Matt Rintoul and the idea was formed. Their idea was simple, saying how it would be “cool to have a to-do list that knew where things were.”

The team that they had formed all had the technical know-how as well as some business intelligence so they had all the ingredients of a successful team but just needed to put it all together. After an all-nighter, and a lot of energy drinks, they had a working prototype and eventually won the event. But winning was only the start. After going to other local events to showcase their app, they weren’t able to get any investors but they gained a lot of feedback. After some administration details they had to take care of to get it in the marketplace, Task Ave. was ready in just 102 days. Task Ave. is an innovative application that got its start on Startup Weekend and continued their success long afterwards. Start-ups take a lot of hard work but as said by Gilham “don’t worry about the idea, just get it out there.” Startup Weekend gave them that opportunity.

Startup Weekend is coming to Peel Region for the first time and is taking place at the new Hazel McCallion Campus for Sheridan. From October 19^th till the 21^st you will have the chance to pitch and create the next great innovation. Register today!

Matthew is a final year undergraduate student majoring in Communication, Culture & Information Technology and Psychology at the University of Toronto Mississauga. He is interning at the RIC centre and is responsible for managing various social media events the company has to offer. He is very interested in advertising and marketing with a strong background in online marketing.

The RIC blog is designed as a showcase for entrepreneurs and innovation. Our guest bloggers provide a wealth of information based on their personal experiences. Visit Altitude Accelerator for more information on how RIC can accelerate your ideas to market.

The post Starting Up Is Just the Beginning appeared first on Altitude Accelerator.

Do you have an idea but don’t know how to take that next step? Having an idea is great, but starting a business is hard, especially for young and inexperienced entrepreneurs. Just getting noticed in an already idea saturated market is key to developing and ultimately getting your project to the masses.  The first step is having an original and creative idea with mass appeal.  But developing the idea is what most people struggle with, especially without the technical background.

Startup Weekend is a 3 day event where young entrepreneurs with all different backgrounds such as marketers, developers and designers come together and collaborate on ideas, using a 54 hour period to develop and pitch the final outcome. Because of the wide range of expertise, a small idea can grow into a full developed project in just a very short time. The Altitude Accelerator is proud to sponsor the first Peel Region Start-Up Weekend event on October 19^th – 21^st at Sheridan College’s brand new Hazel McCallion campus. The 3 day event will see people with all different backgrounds within and around the Peel Region come together to create the next greatest idea.

One such idea to come out of a local 2011 Start-Up Weekend which was based in Toronto was Vizualize.me. Created by Eugene Woo, he wanted to create a better way to visualize resumes and getting noticed. In today’s job market standing out is necessary and after seeing a success story about a young journalist using a similar idea, he wanted an easy way for people to make their resumes more interesting. Connecting through users LinkedIn profiles, it organizes the information visually using inforgraphics. Starting from a simple pitch on the first day, the project gained large success over the weekend, ultimately winning the grand prize. Very quickly it gained support from the general population attaining thousands of signups in just one night. Eugene Woo took a simple idea and turned it into a widely popular service in just a very short time.

Do you have the next great idea? Sign up for Peel Region’s first Start-Up Weekend and maybe your idea can become the next great innovation.

Matthew is a final year undergraduate student majoring in Communication, Culture & Information Technology and Psychology at the University of Toronto Mississauga. He is interning at the RIC centre and is responsible for managing various social media events the company has to offer. He is very interested in advertising and marketing with a strong background in online marketing.

The RIC blog is designed as a showcase for entrepreneurs and innovation. Our guest bloggers provide a wealth of information based on their personal experiences. Visit Altitude Accelerator for more information on how RIC can accelerate your ideas to market.

The post Getting Started at Startup Weekend appeared first on Altitude Accelerator.

I am truly inspired by those Chicago Blackhawks. Although I would have loved to see the Leafs followed by the Habs in the Stanley Cup, I am happy that one of the original six has made the cut. It will, of course, be truly special if this team can erase its Cup drought and put the light once again on our Leafs to have a miracle 2010/2011 season!

One of the inspiring things about the Hawks is their bench strength. So far in the first two games, the 2nd, 3rd and 4th lines have been carrying the day. The Hawks top two scorers Kane and Toews remain off the goal sheet. Given that the team, up 2 games at this writing, (Editor’s note – they lost last night in overtime) has a historical 94% chance of winning the whole thing, the bench has clearly done its job!
For early stage companies it is often a challenge of having just enough players on the ice to cover each position -let alone having enough talent on the bench to substitute in. For established companies, the problem is one of building from the pool of talent that you already have and boosting your strength from within.

The Annual Performance Review process provides an excellent opportunity for the Supervisor to sit down with their employees and have a “development” conversation. This discussion should follow the review of the past performance and capitalize on the things that worked well and things that needed some improvement.

I am of course a big fan of starting with the end goal in mind – specifically: “What are my career goals and aspirations? Where would I envision myself working and at what level 5 years from now? Are my goals realistic and possible within this time frame?”

Once the end game is established, an assessment of strengths and weaknesses needs to be completed. A great exercise is to have both the Supervisor and the employee work independently on these lists and compare notes in a joint session. Many employees find that they are tougher on themselves when they do the self assessment. Tools such as 360 degree evaluation provide a comprehensive approach to capture all of the components from several stakeholders.

Often to get to the next level, additional leadership competencies or technical skills need to be identified and developed to achieve the desired results. The creation of a personal development plan is the next step in the process. The Supervisor and Employee will need to work on this program together addressing the individual and departmental needs, time and budget. Components of the plan could include formal training programs, on-the-job cross training, participation in special assignments, coaching services, volunteer work and gaining access to webinars on industry topics.

In a week I think that we will look back on the Stanley Cup finals and do a complete analysis of the outcome. In this review I know that we will find that bench strength made all of the difference.

Are you doing all you can to Win your Cup?

David Pasieka is the Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Altitude Accelerator. Learn more here. Visit Our Contributors page for more information about David. Read his blog at www.cedarvue.blogspot.com

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We read a lot about the selling process and how to target the real person who makes the final purchasing decision. The problem is that the approach may in fact be all wrong. Instead of concentrating on a Person we should in fact be focusing on a Thing – specifically the Brain.
I recently attended a quarterly meeting of the CEO Global Network – an organization that provides peer-to-peer mentoring for CEOs. The guest speaker was a co-author of a book called Neuromarketing (Morin & Renvoise).

Christophe Morin indicated that at least 80% of business self-help books purchased or given out at conferences remain unopened and on the shelf. After a couple of hours with the author I was truly convinced that this book would not be destined for the unopened faith. Let me provide some of highlights to hook your interest and demonstrate how you will need to change your sales approach to increase the probability of success.

The Human Brain has three distinct components which evolve as we grow. The First or Reptilian Brain is present at birth and ultimately becomes the trigger in our decision-making process. The Middle part of our Brain develops and processes our emotions, while the Outer part develops our ability to think. Research has shown that Reptilian Brain will make the final decision by considering emotional and rational input from the other two components.

Morin and Renvoise’s research suggests that the Brain reacts to 6 key stimuli. By Mastering and Re engineering your selling proposal you clearly will increase your probability of success. These stimuli include:

1. It’s All About “Me” – The Brain is motivated by anything that pertains to itself. Presentations that spend too much time talking about your company and its products without focusing on what it will mean for prospect will be wasted effort.
2. Clear Comparison – The Brain is sensitive to comparisons that provide clear differentiation. By making a product claim that is a sharp contrast to the competitive product you have speed up the decision-making process of the Brain.
3. Concrete – The Brain will be stimulated by having the facts presented in a clear manner. The more thinking that has to go into the process, the slower the decision that ultimately gets made.
4. Strong Open / Powerful Middle /Strong Close – The Brain is a very efficient machine with an embedded energy management system. It will look for ways of conserving energy by forgetting about details in the middle. In sales mode the MRI studies suggest that you need to have a Strong Opening, a simple but Powerful Middle and a Strong Close. Recognizing the Brain’s energy management system you will only have 10 Minutes for the complete process and your Middle section should be constrained to Three key messages.
5. Stunning Visuals – The Reptilian Brain is directly connected to the optic nerve. This means that of all your senses, sight has the most immediate and lasting impact on a decision-making process. We have written in previous blogs about the importance of this item and how it relates to crisp and uncluttered PowerPoint charts.
6. Hook me Emotionally – The Brain recognizes more than 16,ooo emotions which lead to chemical stimulations. It’s no surprise that the most memorable commercials are those that somehow play to our emotions including Joy, Laughter, Sadness, Fear and Anger.

When we wrote about Messaging for Success the concepts were essentially the same. The neat part here is that we can tie the Science of the Brain to understand why it works the way it does. Back to that ugly statistic on Business books on the shelf – I can assure you that this is one of my books that is already highlighted, dog-eared and in active use.

David Pasieka is the Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Altitude Accelerator. Learn more here. Visit Our Contributors page for more information about David. Read his blog at www.cedarvue.blogspot.com

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Fresh out of school I started my career at one of the icons of Canadian business – Bell Canada. Included in the icon group were other national brands such as IBM, Xerox, Petro Canada and Imperial Oil. At the time, the world was still thinking about starting and finishing your working life with the same company. These organizations were legendary for Leadership Training, Skills Development and Coaching programs that included “a new job every 6 months”.
On my first day on the job, I was given a team of 12 individuals who I had to coach, motivate and manage. To support my efforts, I was sent to leadership training courses every 6 months to fill in the gaps. In hindsight, I now realize how fortunate I was to be part of a New Graduate Training program – my education and practical on the job training has been part of my fabric ever since.

In today’s world a lot has changed. Clearly, the concept of “employment for life” has a new time horizon and companies are spending less on their graduate programs. Company training and education services have also been severely cut back. Gone are the days where companies would hire you for your ability to learn and proceed to train you to fill in the gaps. Recruitment today is looking for the individuals who can do the job with their existing tool sets and hit the ground running.

Working with our new breed of entrepreneurs has a different twist. A full 50% of entrepreneurs fall between the ages of 19 and 30. How and where do these individuals get their training and skills development in today’s environment?

In a recent study conducted by OI Partners (www.oipartners.net) a number of key items were identified that were consistently leading to the failure of newly minted leaders. Five of these factors include:

1. Leadership & Delegation – the ability to get results through others.
2. Motivation – the ability to rally the troops to higher levels.
3. Communication – the ability to provide clear and concise messages.
4. Personal Skills – the ability to relate on an interpersonal level.
5. Recognition – the wiliness to celebrate the successes no matter how small.

When you scan this list you conclude these factors can be “theoretically” studied, but the realty is that they have to be “experienced”. So where do entrepreneurs get the experience to fill the gap?

In a previous blog,we chatted about the importance of Advisory Boards and their impact on improving company success. These boards are helpful to gain traction in the marketplace – but today’s young entrepreneurs will need more. To supplement the experience & training gaps, a strong prescription of Mentorship from a seasoned “been there done it” Coach is clearly warranted.

Coaches will come in many forms and range from a “certified” professional, to a relative or simply a trusted friend. Often coaches are joined together in business forums, where the entrepreneur can open up amongst a group of peers in a “risk free” environment. Regardless of the background or format, the coach will need to add value by identifying and filling critical experience gaps. Rounding out the theoretical with practical experience, will clearly enhance the probability of commercial success.

David Pasieka is the Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Altitude Accelerator. Learn more here.

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