BC Business
Accelerate Okanagan's fifth annual edition of the event comes to Kelowna on March 16.
What do 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 have in common?
Well, as you can probably guess from the headline of this article, those six companies will be squaring off at the OKGN Angel Summit in Kelowna for the chance to win $225,000 in investment.
The 10-week journey to the Summit began on January 9, when a group of 40 investors narrowed down 48 startups across Western Canada to the top six—all of which are based in B.C. They include Nelson’s Smrt1 Technologies, Burnaby-based NanoSentinel Technologies, Vancouver’s Perfectly Snug and Nada Grocery, Kelowna-based Tonit and Saanich’s salonMonster.
The founders of these six businesses will take the stage at the Kelowna Innovation Centre on March 16 to pitch for the investment.
“I’m very excited to see six rapidly growing startups from across B.C. at the finale of our 2023 OKGN Angel Summit…They’ll be pitching for the largest investment deal in the five-year history of the Summit,” said Scott MacFarlane, fund manager for the Summit, in a release.
Added Thuy Tran, programs director at Accelerate Okanagan: “We’re thrilled to be able to give entrepreneurs more opportunities, resources and connections through the 10-week program than ever before. The success is a true testament to the power of collaboration and the generosity of everyone who has come together to share their dollars, time and expertise.”