The Hamilton Chamber of Commerce and Innovation Factory help get Hamilton businesses off the ground

Hamilton, ON (August 3, 2011) – The Hamilton Chamber of Commerce and Innovation Factory have come together to present a new celebration of entrepreneurism in Hamilton that will inject local start-ups with much needed resources and give them broad exposure to the community.

LiONʼS LAIR is providing 10 Hamilton companies with the opportunity to pitch their ideas to a panel of top Hamilton business experts in an attempt to solicit up to $100,000 in cash and resources. Besides cash provided by BMO, Carego, City of Hamilton and Cogeco, the available resources include accounting services from KPMG, legal services from Gowlings, marketing services from kitestring creative branding studio, and business services from Trivaris. Among the finalists are Anivac Corp., Athelink, Gorilla Cheese, Illumacell Inc., Playlab Inc., Quant Interpretations, TR Research, Verdant Analysis Inc. Vida Holdings Corp., and Weever Apps Inc.

The expert panel – known as the “Lions” - that will ultimately decide which companies receive investments comprises Nick Bontis (McMaster University), Ron Foxcroft (Fox 40 International Inc.), PJ Mercanti (Carmenʼs Inc.), Ed Minich (Edsicor Ltd.), and Connie Smith (CTSTV). Together, they will carefully review all 10 pitches and spend 30 minutes with each company to determine their commercial viability and their needs.

The 30-minute sessions, which include a pitch segment and a question period, will be filmed by Cable 14 in advance of the event, with portions to be shown to the audience at a gala event hosted at Carmenʼs on September 14. In addition to getting a first glimpse of the pitches and being able to mingle with the finalists to find out more about their products, guests will see the Lionsʼ investment decisions revealed live on stage. Throughout the night, Bill Kelly (AM900 CHML) will serve as the Master of Ceremonies.

Tickets to the event are on sale now, and can be obtained online by visiting pitch-it.ca or calling 905.522.1151 x.237 for more information. The pitch-it.ca site features profiles of the finalists, media information, interactive elements, and a mobile app powered by Weever Apps.

“Lionʼs Lair is an exciting chance for Hamiltonians to recognize and support local innovators and entrepreneurs in a public forum,” explains Ron Neumann, Executive Director of Innovation Factory. “As Hamilton grows and evolves, new businesses and ideas are at the core of social and economic developments in our city.”

Since its official launch in November 2010, Innovation Factory has engaged over 140 companies from across a wide array of business sectors. Partnering with the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce is a significant step in harnessing all the knowhow and resources in the community to provide a web of support for the next generation of Hamilton job creators.

About Hamilton Chamber of Commerce
The Hamilton Chamber of Commerce, as the voice of ethical enterprise, is committed to making the City of Hamilton and all of its communities a great place to live, work, play, visit and invest by promoting private sector growth and prosperity. hamiltonchamber.on.ca

About Innovation Factory
Innovation Factory (innovationfactory.ca) is Hamiltonʼs not-for-profit Regional Innovation Centre, located in
Hamilton, ON committed to connecting and enabling active collaboration between the cityʼs communities of
science, business, government, academia and finance to accelerate the innovation process and amplify the
economic and social impact of key new ideas and discoveries. Funded by the Ontario Network of Excellence
(ONE), we are focused on strengthening Hamiltonʼs next generation of job generators. innovationfactory.ca

Media Contact For more information, contact: Stephanie Shuster, iF Communications, stephanie.shuster@innovationfactory.ca, 905.667.2611 x.224 David Adames, CEO, Hamilton Chamber of Commerce, d.adames@hamiltonchamber.on.ca, 905.522.1151 x.229
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