Venture North is making a triumphant return this year. In an exciting new partnership, Northern Ontario Angels (NOA) has joined forces with NORCAT Innovation to seamlessly blend with our annually anticipated PITCH event. The afternoon will kick off with a keynote presentation by Dragon’s Den Advisor Dr. Sean Wise, fireside chats, post-secondary pitches, a private investor zone with local music, and will end in the evening with the PITCH finalists who will be awarded cash prizes.
Arriving at this new collaboration, we proudly present Venture North Pitch 2024, taking place at Place des Arts in Sudbury, Ontario. Our event is designed to not only capture the attention of potential accredited investors but also to entice companies to make their mark in the North. After all, why not choose the limitless possibilities of Northern Ontario?
For over a decade now, NORCAT has provided a platform for entrepreneurs to pitch their ventures to a seasoned panel of investors. Some of these enterprises have notably evolved into key players in the tech industry, generating sustainable jobs and wealth. By joining forces, we are amplifying the impact for our communities through this continuum.
Four companies will be pitching in front of our esteemed panel of judges for the chance to win the following prizes and the opportunity to pitch for $250,000 CAD.
Applications Open: July 9th, 2024
Applications Close: July 23rd, 2024
PITCH Preparation: September 19th, 2024
PITCH 2024: September 19th, 2024
NORCAT Innovation works with community partners to help start and accelerate the growth of innovative companies that will drive future economic and social prosperity for Canada.
Contact Brendan Skiffington to learn more - bskiffington@norcat.org
Dr. Sean Wise
Professor of Entrepreneurship & Former Dragon’s Den Advisor
Toronto Metropolitan University
Ian Lane
Executive Director
Northern Ontario Angels
Brendan Skiffington
NORCAT Innovation Manager
NORCAT
Sheri Tomchick
President
Plan A
Emily Mantle
Founder
Compass CPA
Josée Pharand
Business Development Officer
City of Greater Sudbury
Danielle Graham
Co-Founder
The Firehood
Andrew Eibl
VP of Operations / Co-Founder
Flosonics Medical
Meredith Armstrong
Director of Economic Development
City of Greater Sudbury
Craig Tyson
Councillor
Wahnapitae First Nation
Gimaa Craig Nootchtai
Atikameksheng Anishnawbek
Mario Grossi
CEO
Technica Mining
Northern Ontario Angels (NOA)
Kimberley Wahamaa-Deschenes, Operations & Events Manager
kim@northernontarioangels.ca
705-207-2658
Hilton Garden Inn Sudbury Room Block: Venture North 2024
475 Barry Downe Rd, Greater Sudbury, ON P3A 3T4
Room Rate: $149.00 + tax for a double Queen guest room or single King guest room
Arrival: Wednesday, September 18, 2024
Departure: Friday, September 20, 2024
Available Rooms – Hilton Garden Inn Sudbury
Booking Online Instructions:
Alternative Booking Instructions:
Call the hotel directly (front desk): 705-586-3001, provide the front desk associate with the special group code, “PITCH” to proceed with a real person booking
Note: Room bookings must be made before Wednesday, September 4th, 2024.
Travelway Inn Sudbury
1200 Paris Street, Sudbury, ON
For your convenience, a block of rooms has been set aside at the Travelway Inn Sudbury at a special rate for Event Participant at $145.99 plus taxes.
To secure your accommodations, please ensure your room is booked by the group release date which is September 4th, 2024.
To book by phone:
Please call the hotel directly at 705-522-1122 or toll free at 1-800-461-4883.
Indicate you would like to book a room under the following Group Block: Venture North
Flight Promo: Bearskin Airlines
Reserve online using the promotion code NOA15OFF or call the Thunder Bay line directly 1-800-465-2327 to book.
Note: This promo code can be only be used for flight dates between September 17th to September 22nd.
Flight Promo: Air Canada
Reserve online using promotion code RMUD3ZU1 to book.
Note:
Flight Promo: Porter Airlines
Reserve online using promotion code VNP24 to book with 10% off.
The discounted fares are available for booking from July 15, 2024 to September 18, 2024 and available for travel between September 16, 2024 – September 22, 2024
My first pitch with NORCAT Innovation was a night I'll never forget. Not only did I conquer my stage fright, but I also won! This unexpected victory caught the eye of a major investor—one who had never invested in a startup before. His investment of over $1 million, my largest yet, changed everything.
Since that night in Sudbury, our company has taken off. We've relocated to the city, secured $2 million in seed funding from local investors, and grown our team from 7 to 26 in just two years. The momentum from that initial win has opened doors to new partnerships and investments, solidifying our place in the industry.
Luke Begley, CircuitIQ Founder, PITCH 2022
Participating at PITCH 2019 was an amazing experience for me personally and for all of us as a team. The event was well organized and gave us a wonderful introduction to the City of Sudbury. The pitch also provided us with the resources we were looking for, including the northern Ontario investment ecosystem both public and private, and significant networking across industries, that enabled us to succeed.
Thanks to the opportunity to pitch, we got a lot of coverage and wonderful support both locally and beyond. As a result, we received funding support at multiple levels both from public and private sources.
This opportunity got us to establish our head quarters in Sudbury. Further, granted us easy access to the outstanding talent pool from the local academic institutions. As a result, IRegained experienced significant business traction and growth of the company overall.
Veneet Johnson, iRegained CEO, PITCH 2019
“Since PITCH 2019, we have been able to create relationships and access funding, which allowed us to make big moves in product development and beta testing. We are now at full scale and have the product in use.”
Kari Juuti, OQPY CEO, PITCH 2019
“It was a fun, and was able to introduce us to investors who have helped us. Subsequently the investors were extremely helpful. Today we are in the final process large scale clinical trial at 40 centers across NA and Europe. It is a difficult task to bring an invention to market but we had a lot of help from people in Sudbury, now 6 years later you can see how far we grown” great practice and networking. Sudbury has been very helpful.”
John Connolly, EVP Corporate Development, PITCH 2014
“What do you do when you are a bunch of scientists with a great idea wanting to create a business but you don't know how? Fortunately, NORCAT was there. It's entrepreneurship 101 course was perfect for us to understand all the facets of starting a business. As we encountered typical startup hurdles, the NORCAT team was always there to provide insight and advice.
I believe we were one of the first startups to be in the inaugural NORCAT PITCH. The assistance in preparation for this was so helpful and that experience has been utilized constantly over the last few years in our numerous pitches - many successful.
Verv is still in the startup mode, still moving forward and raising capital for our venture. We are now in the commercialization phase of getting our Biochemistry analyzer into consumer hands. Optimizing our system, getting ready for certifications, mass manufacturing, marketing and sales, there is a lot to creating a successful business and NORCAT has been helping us all the way.
As a northerner, the only way to have our community grow and diversify is to develop a class or entrepreneurs who will create business here. To do that, entrepreneurial mentorship, advice, and fostering angel investment is necessary and NORCAT has helped lead this.”
Jeff Sutton, Founder & President, PITCH 2014
