On April 2nd , 2019 The Northwestern Ontario Innovation Centre held the first ‘Pitch It’ competition in Kenora, Ontario. The event saw 7 local entrepreneurs pitch their ideas for an innovative business for a chance to win $1500 in cash prizes. There were a wide variety of participants with the youngest being 18 years of age and the oldest being 65; some had been in business for the majority of their lives and some had yet to start their entrepreneurial career.
The participants:
- Limitless Expeditions – Spencer Caruso: Offering guided fishing services on multiple lakes and for multiple species - packages with accommodations included.
- Kenora Bed ‘n’ Bale - Laura Loohuizen: RV Park with accommodations for horses. Also offers a vast trail system and lake access.
- The Liquor Lads – Jordan Spencer: Website and Smartphone App delivery service for food and alcohol.
- Green and Gone Pest Solutions – Kaija Saarinen: Creates action plans for remote communities to handle problems with insects and other invasive animals.
- Guide Gig – Brennan Lemieux: Web application for adventure tourism guides to promote their services and keep a virtual logbook of their guide services.
- Island Ink Creative Co. – Jamie Clinton: Graphic design services.
- Kenora Design Group – Claude Lord: Battery powered monorail cart system for camp owners with mobility/terrain issues to access their camps.
For many of the participants, it was their first time doing a pitch so the week prior to the event we had all of the participants attend a pitch workshop get some expert advice on how to give a pitch. They were given the chance to sit down one-on-one with an investment specialist and discuss their ideas. The participants were competing for 2 prizes; Grand Prize and People’s Choice Prize – which was determined on votes by all in attendance. The judges were faced with a tough decision after everyone completed their pitches on the night of the event. The winners of the Kenora Pitch It competition were:
Grand Prize - $1000: Green and Gone Pest Solutions – Kaija Saarinen
People’s Choice - $500: Limitless Expeditions – Spencer Caruso
A big thank you goes out to the sponsors of the event: Lake of the Woods Brewing Company and the Northern Ontario Angels for helping make Kenora’s first Pitch It! event a success. We are really looking forward to hosting another event in the future and seeing what other amazing ideas Kenora’s entrepreneurs bring to the table
