2018 Finalist Update
Eggcitables (2018 Winner) - Hannah Chisholm
Highlight/most exciting win since the 100 seeds competition
A lot of exciting things have happened since the 100 Seeds Atlantic Competition. I'd say the biggest win for me was getting accepted into the Summer Institute Accelerator program in New Brunswick. This is a 12-week intensive program that helps entrepreneurs prepare for the official launch of their business. I've had access to an abundance of resources to help me develop the product, our brand and strategic plan.
For anyone in the Fredericton area, the final public pitch presentation will be taking place Thursday July 19th at the Picaroon's roundhouse. Event details are here: https://www.facebook.com/events/233740023889885/
Product/project updates
In terms of business progression, Eggcitables has achieved some major milestones since January. We finalized our product line and will be launching three varieties of our egg alternative by the end of the summer. The company has gone under some major rebranding and now has a definite logo which can be viewed at www.eggcitables.com. Lastly, Eggcitables was short-listed for the Innovacorp Spark Innovation Challenge and won $15,000!
What do you need help with?
Over the next two months Eggcitables will be settling in to our new production space. We mostly need help with product distribution and marketing! We are looking for connections to distributors that operate in the natural food space (preferably that distribute to independent health food stores) or are looking for retail connections to sell our product. In addition, we have launched our social media platforms (Instagram and Facebook @Eggcitables) in early July so we ask that you please give us a follow and share the pages!
Creative Urban Timber - Jacob Arsenault
Highlight/most exciting win since the 100 seeds competition
A major win for myself and my business has been figuring out and utilizing social media to reach our target market. We have built a strong presence and following on Instagram specifically, where approximately 80% of our leads are developed and 75% of sales are closed.
Product/project updates
Since our new workshop has been fully finished late April, CUT has been in full-swing production mode. We have serviced around 25 unique consumer and business clients since May, generating an exciting amount of sales that has allowed us to make further upgrades to our equipment. The most recent upgrade was to the table saw, where we upgraded from a 23-year-old contractor saw to a new professional 3HP SawStop (that stops a blade almost instantly if it comes in contact with skin!!!). The current project in process is also the most exciting, an 8-foot-tall by 5-foot-wide custom bookcase with floating acrylic shelves, multiple drawers, and a filing cabinet.
What do you need help with?
Managing multiple projects has proven difficult when the list of tasks begins to pile up. It is hard to know where to begin sometimes. I have recently started utilizing HubSpot’s sales dashboard to help organize my time and see an overview of what’s on-the-go. This is an improvement, but I am always looking for new ways to improve my efficiency and interested to learn how to prevent spreading myself too thin when trying to manage all aspects of a business.
Elwood Pens - Dylan Thompson-MacKay
Highlight/most exciting win since the 100 seeds competition
I am most excited about the growth my company has experienced in the last few months. I have gone from a shed in my backyard in New Glasgow, to a full woodworking studio/retail location on Argyle Street in Halifax. I will be having an opening event on the 16th of July, and will be open every weekday afterwards. It's much easier to sell a pen if people know where to find them! My team has grown from 1 to 5 people, and I have plans to add more people in September.
Product/project updates
At the 100 seeds event, I spoke about how I was planning to rebrand my company to be more Canadian. Over the last few weeks, I have finalized a new logo which includes a Maple Leaf. Once my new workshop is complete, I will be able to start working on the design of an all original pen made in Nova Scotia. This is something I have been working on for over 3 years, and I am excited to make it a reality. There is much more on the horizon I am excited to share soon.
What do you need help with?
My biggest challenges are balancing having no professional experience managing people, and learning the complexities of larger scale manufacturing. Any advice on either topic would be greatly appreciated!
Aurea (2016 Winner) - Cat Adalay
Highlight/most exciting win since the 100 seeds competition
Being the top finalist for Communitech's Fierce Founders $100k pitch competition and getting into their six month accelerator was the most exciting win since 100 Seeds. Even though we've won three pitch competitions since then, it's interesting that the most exciting was the big one we lost. However, getting into their accelerator made up for the loss.
Product/project updates
We've built our prototype for our commercial wind turbine system and we've started to develop a consumer device based off our current technology. This is a portable, collapsible, smart wind turbine that powers mobile devices while doing outdoor activities. There are a number of mounts that can be attached to the turbine to function in a number of different locations and activities.
What do you need help with?
We currently need help with market analysis for the new product and we need to further research who our customer is. If there's anyone who would be willing to answer some of our questions who is a camper, hiker, boater, or someone who goes to the beach a lot, it would be greatly appreciated.