Invited Seminars

I thought I would blog about a couple of seminars I was recently invited to give.

First, I was asked to deliver a seminar on Oct. 24 to this year's group of VenturePrize entrepreneurs-in-training. Specifically, I was asked to talk about the VenturePrize process, and the lessons learned along the way. This wound up being a two-part seminar. First, I deconstructed our 12-minute business plan pitch, in order to give the students useful insights into the how's and why's of a successful pitch. Then, in the second part of the seminar, I outlined 10 Tips From The Trenches (ok, there were actually 11 tips). In this context I was able to share a few war stories, which everyone seemed to appreciate.

It's an honour and a privilege to have the opportunity to give something back to the VenturePrize program. And I'm happy to say the seminar generated very positive response from the students, which was very gratifying (especially since I had a cold and was off my game).

In fact, the response from the first seminar was so positive I was invited to present the same seminar to Prof. Lloyd Steier's MBA class in the School of Business at the University of Alberta. This second presentation was earlier today. Once again, the MBA students seemed to really appreciate my focus on practical lessons they could adapt in their own careers. As a result, I have a couple of new, and potentially very significant, contacts. And a spiffy new mug. Could honoraria be far behind? (just kidding)

Anybody who wants an electronic copy of the seminar, just ask!

VenturePrize Featured in Edmonton Journal

Today, the Edmonton Journal had a two-page spread on the VenturePrize business plan competition. Picomole was featured prominently as this year's winner. Those of you who are unable to access the Journal from your location are invited to download the image below, in which I managed to fit just about all of the Picomole story. Enjoy!

Picomole at ALTIF

Yesterday, I presented the Picomole opportunity at the Alberta Life Technologies Investor Forum (ALTIF) (thanks to the AHFMR for sponsoring Picomole at this event). This annual forum for life sciences ventures in Alberta was well attended. Picomole had a great spot on the roster (#2 out of nine presenting companies) ensuring that we had a full room of investors and attendees in our audience. The pitch went very well, and I made some interesting new contacts that I will be following up with shortly. The guest speaker at the event, Dr. Leroy Hood, founder of the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle, gave a very engaging and provocative talk on recent developments in systems biology and the major implications for the future of medicine he expects to see in the next ten years.

Picomole Featured in Progress R&D

I'm delighted to announce that Picomole was recentlyprofiled in the first national edition of Progress R&D, a Canadian magazine based in Halifax, NS, that connects invention, business and capital. For your convenience, I have posted the Progress R&D feature on Picomole at the following link. Check it out!

As always we appreciate your comments, so feel free to let us know what you think!

Innovation Alberta Interviews Denis Dufour

Picomole is a team effort, and I'm always glad when the other team members get their moment in the spotlight. The most recent is an interview by our VP Technology Development, Dr. Denis Dufour, for the Innovation Alberta radio show. Denis Dufour joined the Picomole team in October, 2006, and is the recipient of an Alberta Ingenuity Industrial Associateship. Listen to the interview with Denis by following this link.

Picomole Relocates to NINT

Today, Picomole became tenant #1 in the brand new National Institute for Nanotechnology (NINT) Innovation Centre. Located on the University of Alberta campus in Edmonton, Alberta, NINT's 20,000 square-metre building is one of the world's most technologically advanced research facilities and houses the quietest laboratory space in Canada. Needless to say, Picomole is really excited to be a part of the NINT community.

It's been a long day of hauling all our stuff from our old digs in the RTF to the new facility across the University of Alberta campus, so we're all pretty tired now. But I thought you all might appreciate getting your first glimpse at what our new space looks like. Enjoy the photos below, and as always, tell us what you think!

Outside NINT's main entrance:

Our moving van at NINT's loading dock:

Denis and Perry unloading the LifeSens instrument model:

In our new office, VenturePrize awards on display:

The view from Picomole's office at NINT:

Picomole's new laboratory space:

Our new boardroom at NINT:

The view from the boardroom:

Picomole Receives AHFMR Support

It's my great pleasure to announce that Picomole Instruments has received support from the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research (AHFMR) ForeFront Innovation program. Picomole was awarded a grant of $35,000 for our Phase I proposal entitled "LifeSens, a Clinical Diagnostic Instrument for Breath Analysis." Here's a brief excerpt from the AHFMR award letter:

"The Committee noted the innovative approach for using a combination of infrared gas analysis and cavity ring-down spectroscopy and commented on the potential for the proposed technology to set new standards for non-invasive diagnosis of certain disease conditions."

The Phase I AHFMR award will be used to purchase equipment needed for the laboratory prototype of LifeSens.

Picomole Promotional Video

For your viewing pleasure, we have just uploaded another video on Google Video.

This three-minute profile of the company was produced by Dynacor Media Group at no cost to Picomole because we were one of the finalists in the VenturePrize business plan competition. Inevitably, a bit of the crispness of the original high-definition video was lost in the process of compressing it and getting it online, but it's still a very nice promo piece.

Have a look and tell us what you think!

Picomole on CityTV Newscast

The VenturePrize final competition on May 3 was documented by a CityTV film crew. They interviewed the finalists and filmed the public luncheon as well as behind-the-scenes events, like our 12-minute presentation to the judges. On CityTV's Your City broadcast that evening with news anchor Paul Mennier (who MC'd the VenturePrize luncheon), VenturePrize was the lead story.

We have just uploaded the CityTV video of that story on Google Video, and it can be viewed here.

Picomole @ VenturePrize: More Photos, pt. 2

Photos courtesy of Cheryl Croucher

Picomole @ VenturePrize: More Photos

Photos courtesy of Boyd Tolton

Picomole @ VenturePrize: Photos

Photos courtesy of TEC Edmonton

Picomole @ VenturePrize: Business Edge

This two-page story appeared in the May 18 edition of Business Edge magazine.

Picomole @ VenturePrize: Edmonton Commerce News

This story appeared in the May 14 edition of Edmonton Commerce News.

Picomole @ VenturePrize: Edmonton Journal

This is the story that appeared in the May 4 edition of the Edmonton Journal newspaper.

Picomole @ VenturePrize: Edmonton Sun

This is the photo that appeared in the May 4 edition of the Edmonton Sun newspaper.

p.s. For all images, click on image to view full size.

Picomole Wins VenturePrize

Picomole competed in this year's VenturePrize, the largest business plan competition of its kind in Canada. The VenturePrize final event was held on May 3 at the Shaw Convention Centre in Edmonton, Alberta. The 3 finalists (Picomole Instruments, Nirix Technology, and Business Infusions) presented 3-minute promotional videos, and delivered 12-minute presentations and 1-minute 'elevator' pitches to a distinguished panel of investor judges and a luncheon audience.

After the judges conferred to make their decision, TEC Edmonton CEO David Cox opened the envelope and announced that Picomole Instruments was the winner of the competition. It was a fantastic moment, validating the more than two years of hard work to build the company. To the early believers in Picomole (you know who you are!), give yourselves a big pat on the back because this would not have been possible without your generous and unfailing support.

The VenturePrize award includes a snazzy granite and glass trophy and a prize package valued at $108,000 in cash and in-kind support. In the days ahead, we plan to share with you some of the media stories following our VenturePrize win, as well as photos and videos of the event. To begin with, we invite you to check out the news release on TEC Edmonton's web site.

Welcome Message

Hello Everyone,

In order to make it easier for us to communicate the latest news with investors and friends of Picomole, we've decided to launch a new blog called Picomole News. We look forward to sharing news, stories, images, media, and much more with you during this exciting time of our company's growth and development. We hope you'll find keeping up-to-date easy and enjoyable, and invite your suggestions and feedback as we explore this brave new world.

So welcome aboard, and stay tuned for more!