Last week the Victoria Advanced Technology Council hosted a Launch Party event at the Bard and Banker Pub and five of the six Victoria-based companies that have made the cut and advanced to the third round of the regional New Ventures competition were the stars of the show. Andrew Duffy of the Times Colonist was there and filed this story on Friday.
The five competitors on show were:
- ChatterBlock – an online social network for families, community, and businesses to connect, co-ordinate, and enter the family dialogue.
- Reef Safe Fish — developer of a closed-loop, waste recycling technologies for aquaculture. The technology recycles waste and produces food for the fish on site.
- JuliasWild.com – a recipe web site for those with dietary restrictions due to food allergies and sensitivities.
- A22 Rent-a-Bike – a service that allows commuters to rent a bike and drop it off to a return station near their destination.
- Hydra Cat Performance System – a generator that separates water into hydrogen and oxygen, creating a gas to be fed into the air intake of an engine allowing gas or diesel to burn cleaner and more efficiently.
Chatterblock was voted the company most likely to succeed and the company with the coolest concept, while Reef Safe Fish was named the judge’s choice as best in show.
The Victoria six will join 14 others from around the province vying for a total purse of $60,000 handed out to the top three finishers on February 24th in Kelowna.