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Schlegel Centre for Entrepreneurship
2007 LaunchPad $50K Winner's Announced
School of Business & Economics
May 11/07
| Contact: | Angela Forster, Director of Communications, Laurier School of Business & Economics, (519) 884-0710, ext. 3145 |
Waterloo, ON - May 11, 2007 -- Finalists in the 2007 LaunchPad $50K Venture Creation Competition competed this week to win a combined total of $50,000 in cash prizes and in-kind services. Founded in 2004 the competition is jointly delivered by Wilfrid Laurier University, University of Waterloo, University of Guelph, Conestoga College, and community entrepreneurs to encourage and support the creation and development of businesses.
"No where else in Canada can you find a group of universities and colleges collaborating together as a group," said Laurier dean of business and economics, Ginny Dybenko. "Our combined efforts make LaunchPad $50K so much more than a competition. We have created a powerful network of like-minded students, entrepreneurs, business professionals and community members who believe in formulating new ideas and making them a reality. As a group, we believe that there is no better place to found new businesses and opportunities than in Southwestern Ontario."
2007 Launch Pad $50K Finalists include:
Winner -- The Nesting Space , a parent-centric networking, education and wellness centre, which focuses on the early years of parenthood in a relaxing and welcoming environment. The Nesting Space was developed by Christine Robinson (Wilfrid Laurier University alumna), Andrew Kolb (Conestoga College) and Brent Steinmann (Wilfrid Laurier University).
1st Runner Up -- HealthSpoke Inc., an online portal that enables wellness professionals to connect with their clients, suppliers, and institutions. HealthSpoke was created by Dan Donovan (University of Waterloo), James Moncarz (University of Waterloo) and Tim Donovan (Wilfrid Laurier University).
2nd Runner Up -- Maxwell's Music House , a facility for musical networking, growth and development. Created by Paul Maxwell (Wilfrid Laurier University) and John Wall (University of Waterloo), Maxwell's Music House offers a full musical development package.
LaunchPad $50K brings together students, alumni, and others to develop business plans and turn their ideas into viable, sustainable and scalable new ventures.
Throughout the process, participants have the opportunity to take part in a variety of workshops and networking events to assist them with business development and team formation. In January 44 teams competed in the iGNITION $1K Pitch Competition where participants have 90 seconds to showcase their business idea. This fast paced and exciting event is the perfect stepping stone for entry into the 2007 LaunchPad $50K Venture Creation Competition.
Proud premier sponsors of LaunchPad $50K include Atria Networks, Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP, KPMG LLP, RIM, TD Bank Financial Group, Tech Capital Partners, and The Cooperators. Leading sponsors include the Accelerator Centre, Communitech, and the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce.
"The new venture creations presented by this year's teams were all incredible," says Jacqui Murphy, Vice President at Tech Capital Partners. "I can see all of them developing into viable, long-term businesses."
Additional information about LaunchPad $50K is available at
www.launchpad50k.ca .
For further information please contact:
Lindsay Whiting
Program Coordinator
519.884.0710 x3153
lwhiting@wlu.ca
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