Innovacorp, Nova Scotia's innovation agency, this morning announced the winners of the Spark Cape Breton competition in the following press release:
Spark Cape Breton Winners Named
Six new technology companies in Cape Breton have been named winners in the inaugural Spark Cape Breton competition.
A total of $200,000 in cash will be awarded to the following companies:
Artisync Technologies Co-Op Ltd. – Rob Parsons – Sydney
Amount: $50,000
Artisync is developing a cloud-based hub for the comic book and graphic novel industry that will allow artists to network, communicate and collaborate with each other as well as connect with potential publishers, distributors and customers.
BAMS Systems Inc. – Donald Hanson & Paul Jamieson – Sydney
Amount: $40,000
BAMS is developing a software as a service (SaaS) management system designed for First Nations governments and other aboriginal organizations.
Festival Gate Design – Darcy Campbell – Sydney
Amount: $40,000
Festival Gate Design specializes in the production of advanced websites and plugins for festivals and conferences.
InstantDiner – Matt Stewart & Rob Myers – Glace Bay
Amount: $10,000
InstantDiner gives independent restaurants the ability to build and launch a website and begin taking online orders in fewer than 20 minutes.
Map Master Technologies – Darren Andrews – Sydney
Amount: $10,000
Map Master Technologies will provide an affordable, user-friendly software as a service (SaaS) mapping product for tourism operators and music festivals.
Shout! – Daniel Faria & Jim DeLeskie – Sydney
Amount: $50,000
Shout! is developing a dynamic, geo-targeted social media platform.
Funds awarded are to be used to support the completion of prototypes or preparation for taking the product or service to market. In addition to the funding, winners will receive mentoring from seasoned business people.
Spark Cape Breton is a competition to find and support high potential, early-stage knowledge-based companies, and encourage entrepreneurial activity in the region. It is presented by Enterprise Cape Breton Corporation, the Department of Economic and Rural Development and Tourism, and Innovacorp.
Entrants must be a start-up venture based in Cape Breton or the Mulgrave area. They must have a new knowledge-based product or service with zero sales revenue since inception.
Launched in January 2014, the competition attracted 25 submissions by February's deadline. Ten companies were invited to pitch their ventures to judges in mid-March.
An eight-person judging committee selected the winners after evaluating the quality of the idea, the strength of the management team, and the clarity and persuasiveness of the written and oral presentation. Ultimately, entries were judged on which had the highest probability of entering the market in a competitively sustainable fashion and on commercial potential.
For more information about Spark Cape Breton, visit http://www.innovacorp.ca/spark.
