10 Hamilton Companies Face off for $100,000 from Panel of Experts

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

Hamilton, ON (June 14, 2012) – The Hamilton Chamber of Commerce and Innovation Factory have come together for a second year to present a celebration of entrepreneurism in Hamilton that will inject local start-ups with much needed resources and give them broad exposure to the community.

LiON’S 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 (including accounting services from KPMG, legal services from Gowlings, branding services from kitestring creative branding studio, and more). Among the finalists are Dinnerlicious, Dunlea Farms Pet Hay – Tidy Feeder, Enthuzr, Hamilton Medical Marijuana Centre, New Attitude, Ontario Bamboo, Project Synapse by Orbital, REfficient, Snappay, and Weongozi. Before facing the expert panel, these finalists will undergo two months of training sessions, sponsored by Hamilton Economic Development.

The expert panel – known as the “Lions” - that will ultimately decide which companies receive investments comprises Sophia Aggelonitis (former Liberal MPP, founder of Sauces by Sophia), Nick Bontis (McMaster University, Bontis on Business), PJ Mercanti (Carmen’s Inc., Rat Pack Records), Mike Morreale (Hamilton Ti-Cats, CFL Players Association), and Rami Reda (CanGlobal Traders Inc.). The ten companies will have 30 minutes to pitch the Lions on their company’s needs and commercial viability.

The 30-minute sessions, which include a pitch segment and a question period, will be filmed in cooperation with Cable 14, Cogeco, and Tweedle Productions in advance of the event, with portions to be shown to the audience at a gala event hosted at Carmen’s on October 4, 2012. 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 Lions’ investment decisions revealed live on stage. Throughout the night, Connie Smith (conniesmithtoday.blogspot.ca) 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, which features profiles of the finalists, media information, interactive elements, and a mobile app powered by Lion’s Lair 2011 winner, Weever Apps.

Since its official launch in November 2010, Innovation Factory has engaged 296 start-up companies from a wide array of business sectors. Partnering with the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce is a significant step in harnessing all the know-how 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 Hamilton’s not-for-profit Regional Innovation Centre, located in Hamilton, ON committed to connecting and enabling active collaboration between the city’s 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 Hamilton’s next generation of job generators. innovationfactory.ca

About The Ontario Network of Excellence
Supported by the Government of Ontario, the Ontario Network of Excellence (ONE) is Ontario’s innovation system. The ONE is made up of regional and sector focused organizations designed to help Ontario-based entrepreneurs rapidly grow their companies, and create jobs. For more information visit oneinnovation.ca.

Media 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