If you can't make your pitch within 10 minutes, however, you're not ready
How you approach a venture capitalist (VC) can be the difference between receiving a quick glance or gaining direct attention. It can be very tempting to cold call venture capital via web search results or chase down a harried VC at an entrepreneur event. While those attempts may work, it's a low probability tactic and…
The real threat to cow-based products might be an appetite for choice in a highly regulated market
With the explosion of plant-based milk alternatives flooding the market, can cow milk co-exist? Canada’s dairy industry will struggle to survive the competition unless it reconnects with its consumers. Until now, milk wars have been international. Canada’s dairy market is highly regulated through its contentious supply management system. Quotas and high tariffs are used to…
The differences between angels and VCs are no longer quite so clearly visible as they once were
The start-up is going well and now it’s time to pursue capital. The friends and family networks are running thin. Who are you going to call? Angel groups exist across the country and there are VCs (venture capitalists) you might want to see. The rule of thumb is to call them all: both angels and…
Innovation attracting the interest of food companies looking to make their products healthier
Demand for beta glucan fibre has been rising steadily in recent years, as mounting evidence suggests the dietary fibre can help lower cholesterol, reducing the risk of heart disease and control blood sugar levels in people with diabetes. Best of all, it creates none of the side-effects of drugs and is fully recognized by the…
The future possibilities for helium seem infinite
By Pat Price Reporter Troy Media/TNW Avanti Energy Inc. (TSXV:AVN) (OTC:ARGYF) has assembled an expert team of former oil and gas employees, including eight people from the former Encana Corp. Several of those employees were part of the team during the early stages of the discovery of the Montney Formation, one of the premier natural…
Alberta-based 48Hour Discovery works with some of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies to streamline the process
With the cost of drug development beginning to skyrocket in the 1990s, pharmaceutical giants thought the path to better economics lay in high-throughput screening facilities that would test libraries that ranged in size from a few thousand up to million compounds at a time. “Separate shelves, many rooms, with the emphasis on robotics and automation…
The masks needed to be reusable and seal around the nose so the user’s glasses don’t fog up
James McCrimmon is the inventor of an accessory to keep your beer cool. His Alberta-based business relies on major events like Canadian Football League games and rodeo for sales. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, McCrimmon found his proverbial keg empty. But instead of crying into his frosty mug, he decided to reimagine his product into…
Innovative technology extracts the increasingly valuable metal from wastewater
Alberta’s oil and gas fields could be in store for another natural resource boom thanks to a University of Alberta-based lithium extraction technology with the ability to unlock the increasingly valuable metal. Faculty of Science geochemist Dan Alessi, professor in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, and former post-doctoral fellow Salman Safari have spun off their technology…
DrugBank now used by scientists, pharmaceutical companies and other customers around the world
An Edmonton startup has become the world’s largest pharmaceutical knowledge database through research that began at the University of Alberta. DrugBank offers a one-stop-shop for curated scientific data on thousands of drugs, including molecular details, chemical structures, targets and proteins, as well as clinical information on side-effects, interactions with other drugs, allergies, synonym names, availability…
A Canadian company has developed a revolutionary way to improve the lives of those with diabetes
For people living with diabetes, the hope for a functional cure remains 100 years after Dr. Frederick Banting’s breakthrough discovery of insulin. In answer to those hopes, a Canadian company has developed a revolutionary way to improve the lives of those with diabetes. Insulin remains the standard of care for people living with diabetes. The…