The investors have voted. The result results are in. Salmon Arm’s TechBrew Robotics has won the third annual OKGN Angel Summit.

After 10-weeks of pitches, meetings, due diligence, and training, Mike Boudreau, founder of TechBrew Robotics, took home the $145,000 investment fund. TechBrew Robotics is a turnkey robotics automation for difficult applications, including a system that picks, trims and packages mushrooms. After almost an hour of deliberation, the investor group voted TechBrew Robotics as the 2021 OKGN Angel Summit’s winner.

 

 

This year’s OKGN Angel Summit saw participants from all over British Columbia signing up to participate. Easier access to the OKGN Angel Summit was made possible by this year’s transition to virtual, removing any need for travel during the ongoing pandemic. Investor weekly meetings were hosted through Zoom, while the pitches and public Finale were delivered through Remo, a virtual conference platform.

Companies from various sectors found themselves competing for a chance to take home this year’s big investment. This amount of variety is an incredible sign of the diversity present in BC’s economy and entrepreneurial ecosystem. The goal of the OKGN Angel Summit is to bridge the gap between companies looking for growth capital and investors looking for investable companies.

“I’m really encouraged to see how active the [Angel Investing] community is now in the Okanagan, and in Western Canada as a whole. It’s great to have the OKGN Angel Summit here in the Interior of BC to educate on how to make an angel investment and how to receive an investment. It’s a marvellous model for the individuals on both sides of the table.” – Mike Boudreau.

The March 18th public finale was the culmination of 10-weeks of training and meetings for both the participating companies and the investors. It also serves as an opportunity for the community to get a first-hand look at how companies and investors are connecting and creating relationships. The finale is as much of a celebration of all the participant’s efforts as it is to choose a winner.

This year also saw a keynote address from Dragons’ Den star, Arlene Dickinson, who spoke about her experiences and learnings as an entrepreneur and why she believes entrepreneurs are the secret to creating a better future.

“Think about what you’re good at, reflect on your past, understand your purpose, and recognize the world as it is today and how you can apply yourself.” – Arlene Dickinson

Brett Montrose, founder of Streamline Athletes, took home the People’s Choice Award. This award is determined by the attendees based on the quality of their presentation and interest in their product or service. Streamline Athletes is an online platform that improves the recruitment process for both athletes and coaches.

Win or lose, the founders that participated in the 2021 OKGN Angel Summit have had an incredible opportunity to build personal connections with investors, industry experts, and mentors.

 

Congratulations to TechBrew Robotics, to the investors and to the other participating finalists!

We can’t wait to see what will happen next year.

Learn more about the OKGN Angel Summit at okgnangelsummit.com. Want to read more about the finalists?

The Final 6 | TechBrew Robotics’ Mike Boudreau >>

The Final 6 | Streamline Athletes’ Brett Montrose >>

24 Companies Pitch for $145K Investment at the 2021 OKGN Angel Summit >>