Spin Master Innovation Fund invests in 11 emerging Canadian businesses<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For immediate release<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n TORONTO \u2013 (September 29, 2015) \u2013<\/strong> Futurpreneur Canada, in partnership with leading Canadian toy company Spin Master Corp. and the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC), is pleased to introduce the 2015 recipients of the Spin Master Innovation Fund. Eleven businesses were chosen through a highly competitive process that tested the viability and innovative aspects of their business plans. This year\u2019s recipients represent industries from extreme sports to online gaming, wearable fitness devices to custom fashion, and online shopping to online learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These 11 businesses will each receive start-up financing of up to $50,000 from Futurpreneur Canada and the BDC, and will be matched with a mentor from Futurpreneur Canada\u2019s industry-leading mentoring program. They will also visit Toronto in October to attend a two-day workshop, with networking opportunities and one-on-one coaching from Spin Master\u2019s senior executives on topics including sales and marketing, licensing, and talent management to help them propel their businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis is our fifth year partnering with Spin Master to deliver financing and mentoring to young, innovative entrepreneurs and, as always, we were blown away by the ideas, energy and strong business sense of our applicants,\u201d said Julia Deans, CEO, Futurpreneur Canada<\/strong>. \u201cSince the program\u2019s inception, 42 exciting young Canadian companies have benefited from the Spin Master Innovation Fund, which is now seen as a proven way for innovative new companies to make their mark, and is a testament to the power of connecting established executive teams with up and coming business leaders.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe success of the Spin Master Innovation Fund has allowed us to give back to young entrepreneurs all across Canada,\u201d said Ronnen Harary, President and Co-CEO,<\/strong> Spin Master Corp.<\/strong> \u201cWith the impressive recipients who have already come through the Fund, we\u2019ve been so excited to see the high quality of candidates and the creativity, passion and outstanding character they\u2019ve demonstrated once again this year. We look forward to coaching them and supporting their continued success.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBDC is pleased to once again be a partner of the Spin Master Innovation Fund team with Futurpreneur Canada and Spin Master Corp.,\u201d says Steven Oliver, Assistant Vice President, Automotive Group, BDC.<\/strong> \u201cWorking together, we can offer a greater number of resources to these deserving young entrepreneurs and equip them with the tools to make a difference to their growth and success\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The 2015 recipients of the Spin Master Innovation Fund are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Company:<\/strong> Aorte Fitness Gear Company: <\/strong>CertClean Inc. Company:<\/strong> CORE Renewable Energy Inc. Company:<\/strong> Creel Net Company:<\/strong> Crik Nutrition Company:<\/strong> GamerLink Inc. Company:<\/strong> Hearshot Inc. Company:<\/strong> Hexa Foods Company: <\/strong>Kube Innovation INC. Company:<\/strong> LlamaZOO Interactive Inc. Company:<\/strong> Nathon Kong Tailleur \u2013 30 \u2013<\/p>\n\n\n\n About Futurpreneur Canada About Spin Master Corp About BDC<\/strong>
\nEntrepreneurs:<\/strong> Robert Omer Carriere
\nLocation:<\/strong> Oakville, Ontario
\nCompany Description:<\/strong> Aorte Fitness is a Canadian manufacturing company, specializing in the production of the Kinetic Resistance Apparatus, a specially designed wearable fitness device that provides users with a low impact resistance-training experience. With guided motion-resistant technology, Aorte Fitness maximizes the potential of resistance training by reducing impact and correcting form and posture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nEntrepreneurs: <\/strong>Jenise Lee
\nLocation: <\/strong>Mississauga, Ontario
\nCompany Description: <\/strong>CertClean is Canada\u2019s first and only certification for safer beauty and personal care products. Since there is no governance on the terms \u201corganic\u201d or \u201cnatural\u201d within the beauty sector in Canada, consumers are often misled as entire products are labelled natural when only one or some of their ingredients are natural and the remaining ingredients consist of questionable chemicals. CertClean administers the CertClean certification so brands that manufacture products free from harmful ingredients can be instantly recognized as safer beauty and personal care products. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nEntrepreneurs:<\/strong> Andrea Kraj
\nLocation:<\/strong> Winnipeg, Manitoba
\nCompany Description:<\/strong> CORE Renewable Energy provides renewable energy planning tools and operation management optimization for power projects, incorporating combined renewable energy systems such as wind, solar, biomass; small to large scale storage solutions including batteries, compressed air, fuel cells, and backup diesel generators. The company has technology solutions that optimize the performance of the systems that they design or already exist, so that users can reach maximum renewable generation at the least cost while maintaining no black outs in energy supply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nEntrepreneurs:<\/strong> Peter Llewellyn Greene, Alfred Tiutei Schaefer
\nLocation:<\/strong> Smithers, British Columbia
\nCompany Description:<\/strong> Creel Net makes fishing licencing and regulatory applications for smart phones, improving the fishing experience and providing fisheries management with important angler effort and catch data. The app includes the following capabilities: enables users to store and purchase licences on their phones; provides user friendly version of the regulations; includes a permanent catch log for enforcement purposes and a voluntary log for personal use; provides fishing tools such as water levels, charts, tide levels, and fisheries indicators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nEntrepreneurs:<\/strong> Alex Drysdale
\nLocation:<\/strong> Stony Mountain, Manitoba
\nCompany Description:<\/strong> Crik Nutrition <\/strong>sells protein powder made primarily from crickets \u2013 one of the most nutritious and efficient food sources on the planet. Crik Nutrition promotes its <\/strong>protein powder as looking, smelling, and tastings as good – or better – than any other protein powder on the market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nEntrepreneurs:<\/strong> Ryan Figueiredo & Deion Farrington
\nLocation:<\/strong> Cambridge, Ontario
\nCompany Description:<\/strong> GamerLink provides online gamers with a powerful, real-time matchmaking service that connects gamers of similar playstyle, personality, demographics and more. The service will support any online game, on any platform, and uses an advanced matchmaking algorithm that takes into consideration all the possible data points about a gamer. GamerLink aims to create better online gaming experiences for everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nEntrepreneurs:<\/strong> Sebastian Koper, Bart Lipski
\nLocation:<\/strong> Toronto, Ontario
\nCompany Description:<\/strong> Hearshot is a company founded with the purpose of marrying the worlds of technology, wearables, and extreme sports to improve the ability of users to communicate and interact with the environment around them. Its first product, to be released in 2016, is a wearable communication device that can be used in harsh conditions and in areas without any mobile or WiFi reception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nEntrepreneurs:<\/strong> Philippe Poirier, Mathieu Poirier, Paul Shenouda
\nLocation:<\/strong> Montreal, Quebec
\nCompany Description:<\/strong> Hexa Foods creates tasty, healthy and sustainable foods made with insects. The company\u2019s first product is BugBites: dog treats made with cricket flour and fresh fruits and vegetables. Hexa Foods uses insects because they can significantly increase the diversity of the world\u2019s current food system and help solve global food insecurity, while using limited natural resources in a much smarter way. Replacing a 40g bag of dog treats made with beef with a bag of BugBites dog treats saves an amount of water equivalent to more than 200 water bottles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nEntrepreneurs:<\/strong> Fr\u00e9d\u00e9rik Marcil and Juan Antonio Contreras
\nLocation:<\/strong> Montr\u00e9al, Quebec
\nCompany Description:<\/strong> Kube Innovation is revolutionizing the dental industry with disruptive new technology. There is no measuring tool on the market that allows professionals to objectively quantify the average biting force that a patient can apply. The measurement of the biting force generated by Kube Innovation\u2019s device is used by denturists, dentists and physiotherapists, enabling them to provide an optimized solution for their patients. Kube has a multi-disciplinary team of young engineers and industrial designers more than ready to lead the next medical revolution. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nEntrepreneurs:<\/strong> Charles T. Lavigne and Kevin Oke
\nLocation:<\/strong> Victoria, British Columbia
\nCompany Description:<\/strong> LlamaZOO is developing a software platform for educational markets; the platform utilizes 3D visualization and borrows concepts from cognitive neuroscience to improve learning and teaching. The first application for the platform is helping veterinary students learn and master anatomy, using 3D models of animals built from MRI and CT scans. The platform also provides educators with deep analytics into how students are performing and progressing, providing insight into self-directed studies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nEntrepreneurs:<\/strong> Nathon Kong
\nLocation:<\/strong> Montreal, Quebec
\nCompany Description:<\/strong> Nathon Kong Tailleur aims to set a new standard for the convenient shopping experience by offering custom made cloth at a client\u2019s work place. It brings a solar-powered truck configured with a 3D scanner, allowing it to get 360-degree measurements of a customer\u2019s body in under five seconds. Customers can feel the fabric and design anything in less than 10 minutes. Fit guaranteed and delivered in 3-4 weeks. The service is enhanced with an e-commerce platform, allowing customer to design and re-order without hassle, and balances the speed and convenience of online shopping with the tactility and rapport of traditional retailing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n<\/strong>Futurpreneur Canada (formerly the Canadian Youth Business Foundation, or CYBF) has been fueling the entrepreneurial passions of Canada\u2019s young enterprise for nearly two decades. We are the only national, non-profit organization that provides financing, mentoring and support tools to aspiring business owners aged 18-39. Our internationally recognized mentoring program hand matches young entrepreneurs with a business expert from a network of more than 2,700 volunteer mentors. Futurpreneur Canada is a founding member of the G20 Young Entrepreneurs\u2019 Alliance<\/a>, the Canadian member of Youth Business International<\/a>, and the Canadian host of Global Entrepreneurship Week<\/a>. staging.futurpreneur.ca<\/a>. Facebook: Futurpreneur<\/a> Twitter: @Futurpreneur<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n<\/strong>Spin Master (TSX:TOY) is a leading global children\u2019s entertainment company that creates, designs, manufactures and markets a diversified portfolio of innovative toys, games, products and entertainment properties. Spin Master is best known for award-winning brands including Bakugan Battle Brawlers\u2122, Air Hogs\u00ae, Spin Master Games\u2122 and the 2015 Toy of the Year, Zoomer\u2122 Dino. Since 2005, Spin Master has received 58 TIA Toy of The Year (TOTY) nominations with 14 wins across a variety of product categories. Spin Master has been recognized with 11 TOTY nominations for Innovative Toy of the Year, more than any of its competitors. Spin Master is among a limited number of companies that not only develop and produce global entertainment properties, characters and content, but also monetize that content through the creation, sale and licensing of products. To date, Spin Master has produced five television series, including the 2007 hit series Bakugan and its current hit PAW Patrol, which is broadcast in over 160 countries and territories globally. Spin Master employs over 850 people globally with offices in Canada, United States, France, Italy, United Kingdom, Bratislava, Germany, Holland, Mexico, China, Hong Kong and Japan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nBDC is the only bank dedicated exclusively to entrepreneurs. With more than 100 business centres and over 32,000 clients across Canada, it offers loans, investments and advisory services. BDC\u2019s purpose is to support Canadian entrepreneurship with a focus on small and medium-sized businesses. To learn more, visit www.bdc.ca<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n