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Final Five Announced for Accelerate Okanagan’s Jump:Start:Challenge

After eight weeks of training, coaching and mentorship to perfect their "investor-ready" pitch, the top ten entrants of Accelerate Okanagan's Jump:Start:Competition presented their 10 minute pitches to the judges last night in Kelowna.

Following some serious discussion amongst the judges, the top five finalists were selected and announced.   Here are the five companies moving on to the next and final round of the competition. Each will have the opportunity to present to a group of investors from the Okanagan and Vancouver on November 16^th and 17^th:

1. AWEsome Numbers Inc is targeting clinical laboratories with their SAAS application and educational resources to improve Quality Control (QC) processes for medical testing. 
   
2. Ducharme Service Management System is a landscaping company that offers a software program which focuses on watering schedules and water-use efficiencies. They also provide a brandable, automated web-based solution for scheduling and customer relationship management for other service-based organizations.
   
3. HuStream Technologies @HuStream has developed a cloud-based Interactive Video Design Platform enabling creative people around the world to design, build, launch, analyze and manage interactive video content without the challenge of programming.
   
4. StreetText@StreetText (Simple Engine Media) is a full-scale mobile marketing automation platform that will provide businesses with the tools to build a life-cycle marketing engine, and to convert one-time customers into repeat customers.   
   
5. WTFast @WTFast (Pingcraft) is an online game accelerator service, which reduces the latency in popular MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) games such as World of Warcraft. WTFast's software allows users to effectively optimize the game data to experience increased connection speeds by 60-90%.

For the next two weeks, these companies will have their eyes on the prize. The first place prize is $10,000 in awards and one year free space at Accelerate Okanagan's Kelowna or Penticton innovation centres.  The second and third place winners will receive awards valued at $2,500 each.  All award winners will also receive one year of free enrollment to Accelerate Okanagan's Venture Acceleration Program.

Congratulations to all companies that presented at last night's pitch forum.  Without a doubt, all companies have benefited from the weeks of training leading up to last night's presentations and will continue to use what they have learned in their next pitch to investors!

BCIC is a Core Funding Partner of Accelerate Okanagan. For more information about Accelerate Okanagan, visit www.accelerateokanagan.com or follow them on Twitter @accelerateok.

Tagged as: Accelerate Okanagan, Jump:Start:Challenge, AWEsome Numbers Inc., Ducharme Landscapes, HuStream, StreetText, WTFast, venture acceleration program

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