42 Teams Make It To Boot Camp

Breakthru 2013 took off with an amazing start with applications from 47 teams across the province. Each will compete for over $406,000 worth of investments and professional services to start their company. Hosted by the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation (NBIF) and Cox & Palmer, Breakthru 2013 is the largest competition of its kind in Canada.

“We are very pleased by this year’s turnout, nearly double of what we saw for the 2011 competition,” says NBIF CEO Calvin Milbury, “this goes to show that New Brunswickers are engaged in the idea of developing entrepreneurial careers and see how innovation can make that happen.”

The 42 teams that met the eligibility requirements will advance to the Breakthru Boot Camp on January 19, 2013. Sponsored by the New Brunswick Securities Commission, participants will learn the critical aspects of business plan development and starting up a company. Each team will then have two weeks to submit a fully executed business plan. Of those, five finalists will be chosen and announced to the public on February 25, 2013.

Breakthru finalists will be required to give both an oral and written presentation to the Breakthru Selection Committee of investors and entrepreneurs. The winners will be announced at the Breakthru Awards Dinner on March 20, 2013 at the Delta Hotel Fredericton. Since the event sells out each year, tickets are now available on the NBIF website.

Members of the public will also be able to have their say on who they think should win by voting for the CBC Viewers’ Choice Award. CBC News New Brunswick will air stories on each finalist in the week leading up to the Awards Dinner and posting them online for people to vote.