BC Business
Smrt1 Technologies
The company beat out five other finalists to win the prize.
Last month, we told you about three very different companies competing to win the OKGN Angel Summit Finale.
It almost sounded like the set up to a (very) belaboured joke: a smart vending machine startup, a metal monitoring platform, a bed cooling system, a zero-waste grocery store, an app that connects motorcyclists and a business management toolkit for salons and stylists walk into the Kelowna Innovation Centre…
Well, we have the punchline now: the smart vending machine startup wins $225,000 in investment funding. Nelson-based Smrt1 Technologies secured the prize thanks to a winning pitch from its founder and CEO Brad Pommen.
Over 200 community members gathered for the fifth annual OKGN Angel Summit Finale yesterday, March 16, to take in Pommen’s case. It’s the second year in a row a Nelson-based company has won the prize after Sami Majadla and CertiCraft took home a $150,000 investment last year.
“Five years ago, we came here [the OKGN Angel Summit] for some of the training sessions and met all the wonderful people in the community along the way,” said Pommen in a release. “That’s who’s invested in us, whether that was their time, attention or dollars. This ecosystem is so amazing to have.”
Jason Lotoski, CEO of Tonit—a platform that connects motorcycle riders and enthusiasts—won the People’s Choice Award.