The inaugural NexStream Tech Competition winners were announced today, and Quadra Island’s Brandon Pirie isn’t going home empty-handed.
Through Wild Isle Ferments, he cooked up a recipe for fermented sauces that use the by-products of processing quality seafood.
It earned him the “wildcard” prize of $50,000.
Thirty-seven teams entered the competition, competing for prizes and valuable mentorship to help them move their ideas and businesses forward to address challenges related to energy, wildlife monitoring and food security.
Vancouver’s Mark Rabin of Portable Electric took home the big $75,000 grand prize, and other finalists included David Hauser and Janos Toth of RecognAIse Technologies, Andrew Brule or La Press, and Monty Chong-Walden of Calmura Natural Walls.
Due to COVID-19, the City of Campbell River’s Economic Development Department and the Campbell River Area Angel Group (CRAAG) had to change finale plans from an in-person awards ceremony to an online announcement.
Finalists and winners are featured on the NexStream Tech Competition’s website, nexstream.is.
“CRAAG congratulates the first-ever NexStream contest winners, Brandon Pirie and Mark Rabin, who stood out for their innovation and business potential in a very competitive field,” says David Baar, angel investor and co-founder of CRAAG.
“We were thrilled, as well as impressed, to see the progress of many of the contestants as they progressed from early idea development through to formal business planning and prototype development. Many of the contestants especially benefited from excellent programs and training provided by Spring.”
The NexStream Tech Competition is open to innovators from around the world.
Each year, the competition will feature a new set of challenges that are inspired by Campbell River and B.C.’s coastal regions, but address the needs of communities and industries worldwide.
Applications for the second NexStream Tech Competition will be accepted next month from October 1st to 31st.
Challenge categories include healthcare and emergency preparedness, food security, sustainable resource management and wildcard.
Individuals, academic institutions and businesses with fewer than 100 employees are encouraged to submit their expressions of interest.
