British Columbia Innovation Council

MEDIA RELEASE | JANUARY 31, 2012 | The University of British Columbia

An invention developed by students in a joint Sauder School of Business-UBC Engineering undergraduate class is the first to secure seed money from a new University of British Columbia entrepreneurship fund.

UBC announced today that Aeos Biomedical will receive a $50,000 equity investment from the entrepreneurship@UBC Seed Accelerator, an investment fund created in partnership between UBC, UBC alumni and the Province of British Columbia through the B.C. Innovation Council to support early-stage companies from the UBC community.

"The fund is a cornerstone of our overall entrepreneurship@UBC initiative,"  says Carol Leacy, program director for entrepreneurship@UBC. "Making our first investment marks a significant milestone in moving the whole initiative forward."

This first investment comes as a result of Aeos Biomedical winning the inaugural seed funding competition, which saw five startups pitch in October to a panel of seasoned investors and entrepreneurs led by Haig Farris, a well-known Canadian venture capitalist.

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BRITISH COLUMBIA (January 31, 2012) - Six months out of BCIC's entrepreneurship@UVic program, a business accelerator program supported by federal and provincial partners, a Victoria-based startup called YUPIQ is already finding success.  Late last year, the company announced a partnership with prairieFyre Software, a global leader in delivering business communication solutions for enterprise telephony, call center and business process automation.

YUPIQ offers a suite of social media tools to help companies engage online customers and increase sales. Through integration with Facebook, Twitter and more, YUPIQ will work with prairieFyre to make it possible for contact centre agents to manage their company's social media presence and respond to customers directly using social media.

"Supporting new graduates and young entrepreneurs in their endeavors is crucial to building a competitive business climate and jobs for the future," said the Honourable Lynne Yelich, Minister of State for Western Economic Diversification. "Our Government is proud of the entrepreneurial ambitions of dynamic emerging companies like YUPIQ, who will undoubtedly make an important contribution to the economy of tomorrow."

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Kelowna, B.C. - Accelerate Okanagan is accepting applications for entrepreneurship@AO, a comprehensive 12-month program designed to support and nurture early-stage technology companies from product concept to market entry, created in partnership with BCIC. entrepreneurship@AO is one of six entrepreneurship@ programs developed by BCIC to launch and grow new, sustainable technology companies in BC.

In its first year, the program will provide support for up to 15 successful applicants.  Each company accepted into the program will receive:

• One-year's enrolment in Accelerate Okanagan's flagship Venture Acceleration Program, offering high-growth technology companies support from a dedicated venture advisor and a wide range of proven entrepreneurs and technology sector experts; access to bi-weekly business clinics; participation in workshops, seminars and other structured educational and skills development programs; and critical connections provincially, nationally and internationally
• Free access to shared office space at the organization's Innovation Centres in Kelowna and Penticton
• Participation in the BCIC Mentor Program, a province-wide development program that matches technology start-up founders with seasoned entrepreneurs. Mentors provide support that is critical for successful growth of the start-up.

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Vancouver, BC (January 19, 2012) -  The British Columbia Innovation Council (BCIC) is making it possible for 200 lucky young scientists to soak in four days of scientific discovery, discussion and demonstration led by the world's best scientists and engineers at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting and international conference in Vancouver February 16-20, 2012.

The conference will bring 8,000 of the world's brightest scientific minds from more than 60 countries to our province. Conference goers will have the opportunity to hear from leading scientists and engineers throughout the four days of symposia, seminars, workshops and poster sessions that cover every area of science, technology and education.  AAAS also provides the opportunity to showcase Canada's contribution to solving global issues through science and innovation.

BCIC has invested $19,000 in passes to the conference and has partnered with TRIUMF, Canada's national laboratory for particle and nuclear physics, to allocate the tickets to 200 BC high school and university students in science, engineering and business.

"Science affects our everyday lives - whether it's the oceans we fish, the diseases we conquer or the digital media breakthroughs that allow us to communicate better," said Richard T. Lee, Parliamentary Secretary for Asia Pacific and MLA for Burnaby North. "The more young people we have experiencing the excitement of science and scientists, the more we can encourage the innovation that keeps BC and Canada growing and strong."

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Surrey, B.C. (January 12, 2012) - Simon Fraser University is launching entrepreneurship@SFU, a new high-tech entrepreneurship initiative, thanks to a $210,000 donation from Dr. Ken Spencer and a matching contribution of $210,000 from the Province of British Columbia through the B.C. Innovation Council (BCIC).

The new Ken Spencer Entrepreneur Incubator, a component of the entrepreneurship@SFU initiative in partnership with BCIC, is a competitive academic pathway for third- and fourth-year business and applied sciences students that provides the skills, mentorship and resources to build upon innovative ideas and develop successful new ventures.

"SFU's applied science students have a great track record of innovative work, and through the university's partnership with BCIC and Ken Spencer, graduates will be able to turn their ideas into viable high-tech businesses," said Moira Stilwell, Parliamentary Secretary for Industry, Research and Innovation. "Supporting a vibrant technology sector is part of our BC Jobs Plan - and the students who start their own companies through entrepreneurship@SFU will contribute to the sector's growth and success."

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