British Columbia Innovation Council

Last summer, like many parents, James and Josie DeGreef of Victoria, BC were looking for summer programs for their two young kids while they were at their full time jobs.  This proved to be a frustrating experience, with very little reliable information available to base decisions on. The process motivated the DeGreef's to create ChatterBlock, a comprehensive website that offers busy parents a simple way to find activities and resources for children and families in their own community.

ChatterBlock provides parents a protected social network environment with intuitive city-based content. It is a one-stop shop of information with listing of special events, activities, programs and camps, as well as the drop-in schedules for major recreation centres.

"Today's parents have a lot to juggle.  They are time constrained and over committed, yet their child's development remains a top priority," said James.  "There are more activities, entertainment and education choices for families than ever before.  ChatterBlock effectively manages this information, synthesizing the city-based information in an intuitive and accessible way."

ChatterBlock is now in the final round of the BCIC-New Ventures Competition: Regional.  "The feedback from the judges is really important," said James. "They are always good on shedding new light on something that we may not have thought of yet and how we can continue to improve upon our product offering, business model or go-to-market strategy."

The startup also advanced to the top 20 in last year's competition.  For James, the experience a second time around has helped him further develop his company.  "I think it is the fact that we continue to grow and become more and more confident about the product.  It really helps us build upon the value we believe our product offers."

Congratulations to ChatterBlock and good luck in the final round of the competition!  Winners of the BCIC-New Ventures Competition: Regional will be announced on February 23, 2012 in Kelowna, BC.

Twitter: @GoChatterBlock