[1] On the heels of a successful demo tour with some of the top investors in Silicon Valley, GrowLab [1] is bringing its first cohort back to their home base of Vancouver to reconnect with those looking to fund new startups. In May, GrowLab announced the launch of an accelerator [2] in Vancouver to enable new technology companies to work with the smartest mentors and most active investors in the industry.
After 3 months of intensive work, five companies have successfully completed the rigorous process of planning, building, testing and marketing their products and services. The companies that will be graduating from the program [3] on December 15 are focusing on a number of high growth industries:
- Matygo [4]: connects experts with those looking to learn new skills in an online learning marketplace.
- Placeling [5]: lets you share the places you love and explore the world based on the trusted experience of others.
- Sunnytrail [6]: helps you discover and connect with your most influential customers.
- Loupe [7]: allows you to collaboratively share photos with your friends.
- Ecquire [8]: solves the problem of data entry on the web.
GrowLab co-founder Boris Wertz describes the companies’ success in saying, “The feedback we’ve received to date has been overwhelmingly positive. GrowLab companies have proven their ability to compete on the world stage for capital and customers.”
On November 29th, GrowLab will be hosting an invite-only event [9] where top tier investors have the opportunity to watch the companies reveal their demos for the first time, and investor interest is expected to be high.
“GrowLab has succeeded in building fundable companies in a very short period of time,” said Kevin Swan of iNovia. “I fully expect to see angel and seed investments to be made in this cohort and trust that venture investors will be tracking these companies closely going forward.”
Following the investor event, the public is invited to meet and network in Gastown at District 319 [9]. The event, which requires pre-registration [10], will be attended by members of the Vancouver startup community. Remember that spots are limited and are expected to go quickly.