Innovate Manitoba - Launch'Pad Bootcamp April 2017 Newsletter

Kick Start Your Business with Launch'Pad Bootcamp
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Launch'Pad Startup Skills Bootcamp, in Winnipeg May 5-8, 2017

STARTUPS: NEED A BOOST?

Launch’Pad Startup Skills Bootcamp, in Winnipeg May 5-8, 2017 is for serious entrepreneurs. This event offers 3.5 intense days of bootcamp presented by experienced national and international angel investor and entrepreneurs. Launch’Pad Bootcamp is for startups eager to grow quickly and become investor-ready. More > Register Now>

LAUNCH’PAD BOOTCAMP TESTIMONIALS

“It was awesome! The bootcamp leaders and the way the program is structured were amazing. At first, I thought 3.5 days was going to be too long, but in the end I'm glad it was that long - I could hardly get enough. I'm amazed at how much I've learned and how much our pitch has changed.” ~ Declan MacDonald, Founder of PriceRazzi

“[Launch’Pad Bootcamp] really opened my eyes to the different ways that we can quickly scale this business. I was also really impressed by the other startups and the new connections we've made with such a talented group.” ~ Greg Lipshitz, Co-Founder, Portray Advertising

$2.8 M - Average risk capital Venture'Challenge participants have raised

LAUNCH’PAD BOOTCAMP is your entry into the 2017 Venture’Challenge in Winnipeg on June 20, 2017. The top six companies from the Launch’Pad Bootcamp will be selected compete at Venture’Challenge 2017. Venture’Challenge is Manitoba's premier capital challenge event. 71 ventures have gone through the Bootcamp and Venture’Challenge experience since inception, raising a total of $108 million in risk capital.

MEET THE LAUNCH’PAD BOOTCAMP LEADERS

RANDY THOMPSON

Randy returns as LaunchPad’s bootcamp leader. Randy is a builder of companies, angel investor and fund manager. He has invested in 26 companies with 4 exits, and has been working in the startup venture space for 20 years. He is founder and CEO of VA Angels, which the 130 members have now has funded 130 companies for over $41m, including a few deals in the US, UK, and Africa.

PERMJOT VALIA

Permjot started angel investing after having served as Sales and Marketing Director for Ernst & Young Entrepreneurial Services in London. After leaving E&Y, Permjot founded Help with Sales, helping companies with their commercialization approach and strategy, in which he remains active. In 2008 Permjot also co-founded a fund management business investing in distressed businesses called Flight & Partners Ltd., which now has around $20M under management.

In 2010, Permjot was nominated as one of the Best Mentors to Startups in Europe by Techcrunch. In 2011, Permjot co-founded MentorCamp, a business that brings together the best mentors in the world to help companies in specific sectors enjoy explosive growth. MentorCamp has held events across Eastern Canada, South Africa and the USA. Permjot is an active angel investor and has invested in over 30 companies across the world. Permjot Valia gained a degree in Economics with Honours from the University of Leeds in 1993.

DUSTIN REFVIK

Dustin Refvik has always been an entrepreneur. Gaining experience straight out of high school as a sales representative for his father's business, Dustin then left university early to join a friend's startup. He launched Night Ideas, a web development company now run by his wife Christy, in 2010. In 2013, Dustin and business partner Matt Doak placed third at Innovate Manitoba's Venture’Challenge with ScheduleAide, which used a proprietary SaaS platform designed to provide professional and trade service providers with agile web and mobile scheduling tools. While that business is now on hold, both Dustin and Matt learned some valuable lessons that allowed them to independently move on to other high growth opportunities.

Dustin now focuses his entrepreneurial energies as co-founder of both FarmTrack Technologies and Trap Tap. TrapTap garnered much media attention for its professional and ultra-successful Kickstarter campaign, by which the company raised over $350,000 against a target of $85,000. FarmTrack-s technology allows cattle producers to assess the health of their herds by digitally tracking cattle feeding patterns. FarmTrack currently is launching its second pilot project with a large feedlot operator to test an advanced version of its technology and is in the process of closing a Series A round of financing, after having raised a seed round in 2016. While only 32, Dustin has gained a lot of hard-earned experience, with expertise in software development, marketing strategies, raising capital and structuring deal terms.

JEFF AMERINE

Jeff is a serial entrepreneur and angel investor. He has over 40 direct and indirect (via funds) investments in early-stage companies, and currently sits on the board of directors/advisors of 8 companies. Jeff is or has been the manager of a number of angel and venture funds, including Gravity Ventures Fund I, a $525K angel fund (recent 4X exit (Acumen Brands)); Gravity Ventures Fund II, a $1.1M angel fund; VIC Growth Fund, a $1.4M IP-focused captive angel fund; an investor/board member, Fund for Arkansas' Future, a $5.5M angel fund; an investor in ARK Fund I, a $550K accelerator fund; and Arkansas Representative, Fulcrum Equity Partners, a $93M VC/PE fund; among others. Over the past five years Jeff has become one of the key leaders in the State of Arkansas and the region engaged in building a lasting tech-focused venture/startup ecosystem.

Jeff is the Director, Technology Ventures at University of Arkansas and Adjunct Faculty, teaching entrepreneurship, at the Walton College of Business. Jeff joined the Technology Ventures team in February 2008 after enjoying a successful, 18-year career building technology businesses. Prior to joining the UA, Jeff's career involved creating, financing and deploying high-tech telecommunications and information technology products and services. He has held senior leadership positions in seven startup ventures and three Fortune 500 companies. As the Director, UA Technology Ventures, his role at the University is to lead the commercialization of world-class research. Jeff holds a BS, Physical Science from the United States Naval Academy, and an MS in Operations Management from the University of Arkansas. Jeff is a certified project management professional (PMP).