NEWS + EVENTS

Workshop on barriers to commercializing R&D

Rowser — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:10:27 -0400

Author

Glenna Hanley

Source

The Daily Gleaner, Published Thursday March 11th, 2010

Source Url

http://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/gleaner/article/980481

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Dragan Veselinovic is lab manager at Green Imaging Technologies, a local company that took university-based research to commercialization. On March 18, BioAtlantech is hosting a workshop called Overcoming Barriers to Commercializing R&D for people who are interested in turning research, an invention or an idea into something that sells. Photo by: Glenna Hanley/The Daily Gleaner

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A lot of solid scientific research never makes the transition into a marketable product because of the many hurdles to commercialization.

BioAtlantech is hosting a workshop called Overcoming Barriers to Commercializing R&D for people who are interested in turning research, an invention or an idea into something that sells.

BioAtlantech is a private agency that works to enhance opportunities for the bio-sciences in the province, including commercialization, incubation and building research and development capacity.

The executive director of BioAtlantech, John Argall, said the March 18 workshop at the Delta Hotel will appeal to academics and both public and private researchers. "People with great ideas and don't know what to do next."

"Because we have a university here and we have several research stations, there is a high density of technology. The question on people's minds is how do we turn some of that technology into commerce," said Argall.

Argall said commercialization is not easy and often requires a researcher to work with numerous partners "all of which have their own competing agendas and you just have to find ways of working through that."

One of the speakers at the workshop will outline how multiple partners worked together to commercialize an aquaculture product.

Thierry Chopin, a biology professor at the University of New Brunswick in Saint John, focuses on environmentally sustainable aquaculture systems and growing commercial-value seaweed.

Financing research and development to the commercially viable stage is an obvious hurdle. Two of the speakers at the workshop, Jack Stewart and Kenneth Keirstead of BioProspecting Inc., will give a presentation about getting private funding for university-generated discoveries.

BioProspecting Inc. is a private drug company, based at Mount Allison University, Sackville, focused on pain therapy and cancer drugs.

Argall said it can be easier to attract investors when a product has broad public appeal, such as something related to treating cancer.

Another major obstacle is Canada's regulatory system. The focus of the system is public safety and it can cost many thousands of dollars to receive government regulatory approval, said Argall.

To get around a cumbersome and costly process "people will often take a Canadian invention in biotechnology, register it in the United States, make some money, and then bring Canada on board after the fact," said Argall.

Some products are so unique, there are no regulations in place. In that case the researcher or the proponent of a product must work with federal regulatory agencies and develop new regulations from scratch.

Renée Lapointe of Sylvar Technologies, a Fredericton company that does research and development of bio-pesticides, will address the regulatory issue.

"What this company has done is partner with the Canadian Forestry Service to facilitate, in the long run, the regulatory process for what are very green products," said Argall.

The moderator for the workshop is Nancy Mathis, the founding executive director of the G. Wallace F. McCain Institute for Business Leadership, based at the University of New Brunswick. She is co-founder of Mathis Instruments.

Argall said there has been a paradigm shift in the region, among academic organizations in particular, to work with the private sector to fund research and development with a goal towards commercializing the end products.

He credits the Atlantic Innovation Fund, an agency under the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, with helping to achieve that shift.

For more information about the workshop contact BioAtlantech at 444-2444 or visit bioatlantech.nb.ca.

Forward Thinking is a Thursday feature that explores research and development, as well as new technologies in our community. Send your comments and story ideas to news@dailygleaner.com.

Microsoft EnergizeIT: Community Connection Series-Fredericton

Rowser — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 10:03:11 -0400

Start: 2010-04-21 17:30

End: 2010-04-21 20:00

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Location:
Gillin Hall
Fredericton, New Brunswick

General Event Information

Products: Microsoft Hyper-V, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Office 2010 suites, Microsoft Silverlight, Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2, Microsoft technologies, Microsoft Visual Studio, Microsoft Visual Studio 2010, Windows, Windows 7, Windows Azure, Windows Azure platform, Windows Mobile, Microsoft Hyper-V Server, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Office 2010 suites, Microsoft Silverlight, Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2, Microsoft technologies, Microsoft Visual Studio, Microsoft Visual Studio 2010, Windows, Windows 7, Windows Azure
Recommended Audience: Architect, IT Generalist, Pro Dev/Programmer, Tech Influencing BDM, Architect, IT Decision Maker, IT Generalist, Pro Dev/Programmer

Register Online

Description:

Energize IT: Anything is Possible.

Energize IT: Community Connection Series is an evening event series hosted by your local Community User Group. Throughout the evening event, you will hear us, Microsoft advisors, talk about Windows Azure, Office System 2010, Visual Studio 2010, Windows Mobile. It’s evident the Microsoft-based platform presents a bevy of opportunities for all of us. Whether you are a Developer or an IT Pro, knowing how these will impact you is critical, especially in the new economic reality.

This evening Energize IT: Community Connection event will help you understand Microsoft’s Software+Services vision. You will find out about the possibilities that these technologies help realize and the value that they can bring to your organization and yourself.

We will explore the Microsoft-based platform through a scenario that will demonstrate different points of view - from developer to IT Pro, from consumer to the information worker. From the client to the cloud, this fun-filled demo-intensive exploration will excite you about the possibilities of the Microsoft-based platform. You’ll see how to build next generation applications with technology like Silverlight, .NET 4.0 and Visual Studio 2010. You will find out how to consume those applications on a variety of devices, like mobile devices running Windows Mobile, netbooks and PCs running Windows 7, as well as the web. You will learn about how the Microsoft-based platform allows you to connect with your colleagues no matter where you are –office, coffee shops, or your own living room. You’ll also see how you and your colleagues can be even more productive with Office 2010 and SharePoint 2010.

For cities that have a full day Energize IT: From the Client to the Cloud full day event, please note, the community evening event is an encore presentation of the first part of Energize 2010 daytime event.

EnergizeIT: Community Connection series is your opportunity to learn how to harness the power and flexibility of the Microsoft-based platform from the client to the cloud.

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Microsoft EnergizeIT: Community Connection Series-Moncton

Rowser — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:52:26 -0400

Start: 2010-04-20 15:30

End: 2010-04-20 20:00

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Location:
Mapleton Rotary Pavilion
600 Mapleton Rd.
Moncton New Brunswick Canada

Language(s): English.
Product(s): Microsoft Hyper-V Server, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Office "14", Microsoft Silverlight, Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2, Microsoft technologies, Microsoft Visual Studio, Microsoft Visual Studio 2010, Windows, Windows 7 and Windows Azure.
Audience(s): Architect, IT Decision Maker, IT Generalist and Pro Dev/Programmer.

Register Online

Event Overview

Energize IT: Anything is Possible.

EnergizeIT: Community Connection series is your opportunity to learn how to harness the power and flexibility of the Microsoft-based platform from the client to the cloud. Visit www.microsoft.ca/energizeIT to learn about the Energize IT: From the Client to the Cloud Tour; EnergizeIT: Install Fests (in select cities) and Energize IT Podcasts lined up for this spring 2010 program.

If you have any questions about this event, have food allergies or require special needs, please reference your city and email us at energize@microsoft.com.

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Barrett Xplore Inc.acquires assets

Rowser — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:42:08 -0400

Author

Reid Southwick

Source

Telegraph-Journal, Published Thursday March 11th, 2010

Source Url

http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/rss/article/980437

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Allison Lenehan

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Firm tightening its grip in Ontario with acquisition of now-defunct competitor's resources

Barrett Xplore Inc., an Internet service provider, is expanding its presence in several pockets of the country as the Woodstock firm looks to strengthen its position as the largest rural broadband provider in Canada.

The firm is tightening its grip in southern Ontario with the acquisition of a now-defunct competitor's assets. It is also poised to complete construction of fixed wireless Internet infrastructure in New Brunswick by the summer.

"Business is good and we continue to grow at a very accelerated rate, and we're pleased by that for selfish reasons, but equally to show how much demand there is for broadband in rural Canada," said Allison Lenehan, Barrett Xplore's chief strategy officer.

"It's our absolute mission to make sure that people get broadband irrespective of where they live in this country."

Barrett Xplore offers satellite broadband service across the country and operates a growing network of fixed wireless infrastructure that transmits service from grounded towers.

When Everus Communications, a competitor based in Waterloo, Ont., was placed in receivership recently, Barrett emerged from a court-ordered process with the company's wireless network infrastructure and subscriber contracts that touched 11 counties.

"In Ontario, we have very large fixed wireless infrastructure, but we didn't have full coverage of the region that Everus serves in; we had a little bit of service coverage for wireless, but not that much," Lenehan said.

"By buying the Everus infrastructure we now increase our coverage of those counties."

Last year, Barrett Xplore received $13 million from the province to help offer service in all rural and suburban areas, a project that Lenehan said is on track to be finished this summer.

The Liberal government also gave the company a $10-million loan guarantee to cover capital and construction expenses for the New Brunswick project and others elsewhere in Canada.

Looking across the country, Lenehan said British Columbia and Quebec remain the provinces with the most room for expansion of the company's fixed wireless networks.

Lenehan said Alberta is nearly complete and the firm maintains a presence in southern Manitoba.

But he said Barrett Xplore does not have any networks in Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island or Nova Scotia, though he added the company has large concentrations of satellite broadband customers in those provinces.

Lenehan would not disclose the company's growth plans over the next 12 months, but he said it remains bullish about expansion.

Radian6 launches the 'biggest game changer yet'

Rowser — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:39:53 -0400

Author

John Pollack

Source

Telegraph-Journal, Published Thursday March 11th, 2010

Source Url

http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/rss/article/980435

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Marcel LeBrun, Radian6 Technologies Inc. chief executive, says he sees social media becoming as important to any business as the telephone. ‘Here’s the device you use to communicate online,’ he says of the Radian6 Engagement Console software, which helps businesses monitor and communicate easier with their customers across all social media. Photo by: Matthew Sherwood/Telegraph-Journal

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New software integrates social media monitoring service with user's network accounts

A New Brunswick technology firm announced Wednesday its "biggest product launch" since the company started.

Radian6 Technologies Inc. has developed a tool to help businesses monitor and communicate easier with their customers across all social media.

"It's our biggest game changer yet," said the software startup's chief executive Marcel LeBrun, in a promotional YouTube video that resembles Apple Inc.'s brag clips for its game changing gadgets.

Dubbed the Radian6 Engagement Console, the software integrates the firm's social media monitoring service, which tracks brand mentions across the web, with a user's network accounts, such as Facebook, Twitter and others, to manage it all in one screen.

Companies are beginning to use social media for more than just marketing and communications, LeBrun said in an interview Wednesday.

"It's moving to many different roles and many different business processes," he said.

Social media enthusiasts talk about "answering the social phone," in reference to businesses listening to their customers and interacting with them online. LeBrun said he sees social media becoming as important to any business as the telephone.

"Here's the device you use to communicate online," he said of the software.

The console allows users to respond with their personal social network accounts, or the corporate ones, and can be customized to give different people different abilities.

"When you deploy this broadly it fundamentally transforms a company's culture in how they think about customers," LeBrun said.

Instead of being told what customers are saying about the company, employees get to hear - or more often read - it themselves, he said.

Radian6 will offer this to its existing customers - which include big brands such as Dell, Microsoft and Pepsi - as part of its dashboard, which features in depth analytics about a brand across the social web, for no extra charge.

The software is currently in beta test with some of the existing customers and will be on the open market in April.

"This console will be priced so it will make business sense to deploy it to thousands," LeBrun said, though he wouldn't reveal the price because it is not yet "set in stone."

The veteran tech executive and entrepreneur wouldn't estimate how much additional revenue the new software will generate and said the company hasn't done those estimations, but he said "It's going to be good."

The software could generate additional revenue from existing customers using the social media monitoring dashboard that also want to give the console to hundreds of frontline employees interacting with customers.

"Now everything that happens in the engagement console is also recorded and available in the dashboard to be analyzed," LeBrun said. "It actually enriches the dashboard."

Companies can better and more easily monitor the affects of engaging with customers online with the software.

For companies such as Microsoft, which has a team dedicated to monitoring its Xbox brand online and responding to customers questions and comments, the engagement console will make their jobs easier.

"The consol is a real-time collaboration tool," LeBrun said. "We can see what each other is doing. The second I touch a post you can see I'm on it, so there's no duplication of effort."

New Brunswick Securities Commission - Small business tax credit seminars offered

johnsgunn — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:39:10 -0400

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http://www.nbsc-cvmnb.ca/nbsc/news_content_display.jsp?news_id=205&id=24&pid=1001

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SAINT JOHN – A series of free seminars will begin Tuesday, March 16, on how to use the New Brunswick Small Business Investor Tax Credit (SBITC).

The seminars are being organized by the New Brunswick Securities Commission (NBSC), Business New Brunswick, the Department of Finance and the Enterprise Network.

The sessions are called Learning the Ropes – grow your business without growing debt. They will feature local business owners explaining how they have benefited from the New Brunswick SBITC as well as other options to help companies raise capital. Department of Finance officials will be available to discuss how to apply for the tax credit.

“I am proud to be part of an initiative that will help our government offer even more guidance for our local New Brunswick investors and entrepreneurs,” said Business New Brunswick Minister Victor Boudreau. “Our recent changes to the SBITC mean an increase in the maximum annual investment amount to $250,000 from $80,000 – a move we are confident will further encourage investment by New Brunswick residents in New Brunswick small businesses.”

The SBITC encourages investment by New Brunswickers in New Brunswick small businesses by providing a 30-per-cent non-refundable personal income tax credit of up to $75,000 per year (for investments of up to $250,000 per investor) to investors who invest in eligible small businesses in the province.

“We are pleased to offer these sessions in co-operation with other agencies throughout the province,” said Rick Hancox, executive director, NBSC. “Learning the Ropes is a capital markets development initiative that helps New Brunswick companies become aware of the options available to obtain access to capital and grow their business.”

The sessions will take place on the following dates:

Tuesday, March 16, Fredericton (English presentation);
Wednesday, March 17, Moncton (English presentation in the morning and French presentation in the afternoon);
Thursday, March 18, Saint John (English presentation);
Tuesday, March 23, Grand Falls (English presentation);
Tuesday, March 23, Edmundston (French presentation);
Wednesday, March 24, Kedgwick (French presentation); and
Thursday, March 25, Caraquet (French presentation).

Those interested in attending are asked to register in advance for the session either by going online, by calling the NBSC at 1 866 933-2222, or by e-mail at information@nbsc-cvmnb.ca.

SAINT JOHN – Une série de colloques gratuits sur la façon de se prévaloir du crédit d’impôt pour les investisseurs dans les petites entreprises (CIIPE) du Nouveau-Brunswick débutera le mardi 16 mars.

Ces colloques sont organisés par la Commission des valeurs mobilières du Nouveau-Brunswick (CVMNB), Entreprises Nouveau-Brunswick, le ministère des Finances et le Réseau Entreprise.

Le thème de ces ateliers est Apprendre les rouages financiers - Faire croître les entreprises sans accroître les dettes. Ils permettront d’entendre des propriétaires d’entreprises locales expliquer comment ils ont tiré profit du CIIPE du Nouveau-Brunswick ainsi que d’autres solutions afin de permettre à leur entreprise de réunir des capitaux. Des fonctionnaires du ministère des Finances seront sur place pour expliquer comment demander le crédit d’impôt.

« Je suis fier de participer à une initiative qui va aider notre gouvernement à offrir encore plus de conseils à nos investisseurs et entrepreneurs du Nouveau-Brunswick », a déclaré le ministre d’Entreprises Nouveau-Brunswick, Victor Boudreau. « Les changements que nous avons récemment apportés au CIIPE ont permis d’augmenter le montant de l’investissement annuel maximal pour le faire passer de 80 000 $ à 250 000 $. Nous sommes convaincus que cette décision stimulera encore davantage les investissements par les résidents du Nouveau-Brunswick dans les petites entreprises du Nouveau-Brunswick. »

Le CIIPE encourage les Néo-Brunswickois à investir dans les petites entreprises du Nouveau-Brunswick en offrant un crédit d’impôt non remboursable de 30 pour cent, jusqu’à concurrence de 75 000 $ par année (pour un investissement d’au plus 250 000 $ par investisseur), aux investisseurs qui investissent dans des petites entreprises admissibles de la province.

« Nous sommes heureux d’offrir ces ateliers partout dans la province en collaboration avec d’autres organismes », a dit le directeur général de la CVMNB, Rick Hancox. « Apprendre les rouages financiers est une initiative de développement des marchés financiers qui aide les entrepreneurs du Nouveau-Brunswick à prendre connaissance des solutions qui s’offrent à eux pour avoir accès aux capitaux dont ils ont besoin dans le but de faire croître leur entreprise. »

Les ateliers seront offerts aux dates et aux endroits suivants :

le mardi 16 mars à Fredericton (présentation en anglais);
le mercredi 17 mars à Moncton (présentation en anglais le matin et en français l’après-midi);
le jeudi 18 mars à Saint John (présentation en anglais);
le mardi 23 mars à Grand-Sault (présentation en anglais);
le mardi 23 mars à Edmundston (présentation en français);
le mercredi 24 mars à Kedgwick (présentation en français); et
le jeudi 25 mars à Caraquet (présentation en français).

Les personnes intéressées sont invitées à s’inscrire à l’avance à l’atelier, soit en ligne, soit en téléphonant à la CVMNB au 1 866 933-2222, soit en envoyant un courriel à information@nbsc-cvmnb.ca.

Radian6 Launches Powerful Social Media Engagement and Monitoring Console For Brands And Agencies

johnsgunn — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:26:14 -0400

Author

Leena Rao

Source

TechCrunch, Published Mar 10, 2010

Source Url

http://techcrunch.com/2010/03/10/radian6-launches-powerful-social-media-engagement-and-monitoring-console-for-brands-and-agencies/

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Brands are engaging in the conversations that are taking place on social media sites now more than ever. But in order to tap into the social conversations that are taking place on the web, brands and agencies need to have a powerful tool to track, measure and engage sites such as Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and others. One of the leaders in the social media tracking space, Radian6, is launching a new Engagement Console to streamline this process.

A desktop client built on Adobe AIR, the engagement console lets your both track and engage in the conversation taking place on blogs, videos, forums, boards, Twitter, Flickr, Google Buzz, LinkedIn, Facebook fan pages, public discussion groups, and mainstream news sites. The site also allows for assigning of tasks from within the platform, enabling users to access workflow from within the client.

You can customize a tracking grid of social media sites by breaking out your conversation into stacks by broad or specific topics, tagged customer lists, or even user assignment. Stacks can also be separated out by media type.

Th workflow feature allows you to tag, assign, and route posts to team members, and track the status of the assignments. Any conversations a user engages in, whether it be on Twitter, Facebook or with a co-worker, will be recorded for both the user and the administrator. And of course, the console allows you to Tweet, reply, retweet, and send direct messages, shuffle through user profiles, and follow new contacts right from the platform. Similar to many of the consumer focused social media clients out there, Radian6 allows for unlimited accounts and includes a URL shortener.

With respect to Facebook, the client allows users to respond to status updates, wall posts, comments, and “likes”. Users can also view news feeds for Facebook friends, and see new photos or videos that have been uploaded from within the console. The dashboard also provides analytics from within the console, such as post volume, and engagement stats.

Radian6 has had considerable success in terms of serving big-name clients. The company is currently helping over 10,000 brands track social media sites, including Comcast, MTV, Dell, UPS, GE and Microsoft. And this engagement console has all the bells and whistles to make any brand marketer content. The console, we are told, will be in private beta until April. That being said, there are plenty of other offerings for companies and agencies to track social media and this is a competitive space. Radian6 faces competition from a number of startups including Scout Labs, Visible Measures, Viralheat, HootSuite and PeopleBrowsr.

Innovatia Inc. boosting its workforce

Rowser — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:06:01 -0400

Author

Reid Southwick

Source

Telegraph-Journal, Published Wednesday March 10th, 2010

Source Url

http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/rss/article/978980

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‘We need to go where we need to go to get the right candidate,’ says David Grebenc, co-owner and COO of Innovatia Inc. Photo by: Peter Walsh/Telegraph-Journal

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Innovatia Inc., a Saint John technology firm, is half-way through a hiring blitz as it looks to expand its workforce by as much as 25 per cent within a single month.

The company is on the hunt for highly skilled staff to provide technical support and trouble-shooting for information technology networks and the associated hardware and software.

It started looking in late February and hired about 30 employees so far, with plans to take on another 20 to 30 by the third week of this month. The firm is searching across the province and even the Truro, N.S., area.

"If you look at the number of people that we're bringing in under a fairly short period of time, and given the skill level of people we are looking for, we need to go where we need to go to get the right candidate," said David Grebenc, co-owner and chief operating officer.

The company employs about 240 full-time staff in New Brunswick, throughout Atlantic Canada, Ontario and south of the border. This means an additional 60 employees would boost its workforce by a quarter.

The new staff will provide service for one of Innovatia's latest clients, although the firm declined to disclose the name, saying only it is a North American technology company.

Grebenc said he was impressed with the recent hires, who come from a range of backgrounds. Some are university and community college graduates, some are taking on a second career and others are recent immigrants, he said.

New employees can work at home, depending on their qualifications, or they can opt to work out of the company's offices in Saint John, Fredericton or Edmundston. Innovatia may open a new office in the Truro area if the company finds enough people there, Grebenc said.

"Our mindset here is that wherever we can find people we will employ them," he said.

"Our preference is to have them in a work environment, but where people can't move and they have the right skill sets and they have the right attributes for working at home, then we're open to that, for sure."

The company provides knowledge management and training services to companies across the globe.

Grebenc and Roxanne Fairweather, president and chief executive, bought the company from Bell Aliant Inc. (TSX: BA.UN) last fall for about $1.5 million.

Grebenc said the firm isn't finished expanding and that it's working on a number of other contracts that could require more employees in the future.

Rogers ups the ante in Internet war with faster speed

Rowser — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:03:22 -0400

Author

Rebecca Penty

Source

Telegraph-Journal, Published Wednesday March 10th, 2010

Source Url

http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/rss/article/978989

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FibreOp was launched with last July by Bell Aliant’s president and CEO Karen Sheriff and Premier Shawn Graham. FibreOp gives download speeds of 60 megabits per second and upload speeds of 15 megabits per second. Photo by: Benjamin Shingler/Telegraph-Journal

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Rogers Communications Inc. (TSX:RCI.B) is ramping up its Internet offerings in Saint John and Fredericton while in the midst of a legal battle with Bell Aliant (TSX:BA.UN) over advertising claims to superior high-speed service.

The cable company now says it can offer the two cities download speeds that outpace Bell Aliant, which sought a court injunction last month in New Brunswick to prevent Rogers from laying claim to the "fastest and most reliable" network.

The firms are scheduled to appear before a judge at the Fredericton Court of Queen's Bench on March 25; Neither of the firms' allegations have been proven in court.

Rogers now says it can offer existing Ultimate Internet subscribers service download speeds of up to 70 megabits per second and upload speeds of up to two megabits per second, at no extra charge.

"Now we're just saying we've beefed it up and now we're at 70 megabits (per second)," says Rogers spokeswoman Andrea Sardinha.

The company provided download speeds of up to 50 megabits per second when it launched its Ultimate service last December in Saint John and Fredericton, competing with Bell Aliant's FibreOp Internet offering.

The DOCSIS 3.0 N gateway - Rogers' new wireless box that goes inside each home subscribing to the Ultimate service - adds an additional 20 megabits per second capability to the 50-megabit-per-second cable entering from outside, the company says.

Bell Aliant says FibreOp gives download speeds of 60 megabits per second and upload speeds of 15 megabits per second.

FibreOp was launched with fanfare last July by the company's president and CEO Karen Sheriff and Premier Shawn Graham, whose government is contributing $1 million to the project and renewing two service agreements with Bell Aliant worth $60 million.

The telecommunications firm said at the time it would roll out FibreOp to 70,000 homes and businesses in Fredericton and Saint John and later broadened the project to include several other New Brunswick communities.

Bell Aliant spokeswoman Brenda Reid says Rogers may have made changes to its service and advertising because of the legal challenge.

"They have actually changed their advertising so they no longer claim they have the most reliable network," Reid says.

"We know that they have recently launched a service that gives download speeds of up to 70 megs. To us, as well, that appears to be in response to our litigation."

Sardinha says the firm is continuously upgrading its service and the faster download speeds are not in connection with the court fight with Bell Aliant.

"We're always trying to improve the network," Sardinha says. "I guess it's coincidental."

She says Rogers changed its advertising to reflect a court order in British Columbia after Vancouver-based Telus Corp. (TSX:T) won a case against Rogers.Rogers pulled ads saying it had Canada's most reliable wireless network after the ruling.

Before the Bell Aliant action last month, Rogers' New Brunswick website advertised its high-speed Internet as the "Fastest and Most Reliable. Period."

Now, the firm says it has the "Fastest and Most Reliable Speed."

Roberta Fox, senior partner at Fox Group, a telecommunications, networking and call centre consultancy in Mount Albert, Ont., says Atlantic Canadian provinces are being used as a testing ground for advanced Internet services.

Physical and logistical advantages in Atlantic Canada such as fewer roads, buildings and people are favourable for deploying new technology, she says.

And provincial governments in the region are "pro-technology," having subsidized high-speed Internet, Fox adds.

"You're really the only place in Canada that has the newer services to have this PR/marketing war."

The region is also good for testing services because it's smaller, she says.

"It's always easier to start something small and see if it's going to work."

Taking a hands-on interest in startups

Rowser — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:01:30 -0400

Author

John Pollack

Source

Telegraph-Journal, Published Wednesday March 10th, 2010

Source Url

http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/rss/article/978986

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‘It’s important for our entrepreneurs to understand what it takes to raise venture financing,’ says Peter Clark, regional investment manager with GrowthWorks Atlantic Inc. Photo by: David Smith/For the Telegraph-Journal

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Investment manager Peter Clark wants to see New Brunswick entrepreneurs thrive

As an investment manager partially responsible for a $35-million fund Peter Clark likes to hear about great businesses with innovative products.

GrowthWorks Atlantic Ltd.'s regional investment manager for New Brunswick is even happier when experienced and knowledgeable people run those startup businesses.

"They're the ones who are going to be leading and building the companies," he says, adding he likes to get to know entrepreneurs long before he makes an investment.

Clark's job is to help companies his firm has invested in and finding new leads, so he is constantly networking and talking to people about their businesses.

He wants to help more New Brunswick entrepreneurs thrive not only to further economic development cause, but also because it creates more investment opportunities.

GrowthWorks Atlantic - which focuses primarily on IT, life sciences and cleantech - is paying for leaders of six startup companies, all part of Propel ICT Inc.'s accelerator program, to attend the R3 Gala in Fredericton with Clark next week. Silicon Valley investor and entrepreneurial guru Guy Kawasaki will be the keynote speaker at the event and Clark has read some of his books and seen him present before.

"He's obviously experienced in the area of startup companies and what it takes for them to raise venture financing.

"It's important for our entrepreneurs to understand what it takes to raise venture financing," Clark says.

The event will also give him a chance to get to know the six entrepreneurs in a more relaxed environment where no one is trying to negotiate a deal.

"I'm just looking to understand their backgrounds and what makes them passionate about what they are leading," he says. "And where they see the company in the near future."

Having come to the venture capital business from "the other side of the table," Clark says he knows what the startups are going through.

Before joining GrowthWorks, Clark was involved in expanding multiple businesses, some of them very small. Most recently he was vice-president of finance and corporate development for Woodstock-based Barrett Xplore Inc., until 2006.

The biggest piece of advice he has for startups is to know their market - what the customer wants and what they are willing to pay for it.

"Too often early stage companies define a product they want to build and not necessarily what the market is willing to pay for," he says. "Make sure your customer or potential customer is involved in the (development) process."

For a software company this could mean rolling out a beta or first version and getting feedback while constantly developing. When this model doesn't work, startups need to get sample customers to give feedback throughout development, Clark says.

"Don't wait until the product is perfect before you take it to market," he says. "The only one that will tell you it is perfect is the customer and they need to be involved the whole way."

When it comes to making the $500,000 to $4-million investments that GrowthWorks Atlantic does, usually over multiple rounds for the larger amounts, Clark is also looking for companies to have a competitive advantage, whether it be intellectual property rights or a certain market share, as well as opportunity to expand nationally or internationally.

The people running the companies Clark is interested in for investments need to have "a track record and knowledge in the industry they're operating in," he says.

The company also looks for investments that can provide a good return over a five-to-eight-year term.

To help ensure that happens Clark takes a hands-on interest in the startups helping them identify potential new markets, employees and directors.

The $35-million Atlantic fund is part of the more than $700 million in assets GrowthWorks WV Management Ltd. manages nationally. This means Clark has a greater pool of talent to draw from to help his New Brunswick companies.

"We're accountable to our shareholders to generate venture capital returns," Clark says explaining why he spends so much time helping the companies his firm invests in. "We have a background in business and helping businesses grow, and using our experience and our network to complement the network the (business) owner has to really accelerate the business."