SFU Business graduate selected as winner in wireless entrepreneurship competition

Ahmed Medina, who completed the Management of Technology MBA at Simon Fraser University in 2007, has been selected as a winner in the BC Innovation Council’s Entrepreneurship @ Wavefront competition for wireless concepts. His company, Revonet Consulting, underscores the growing innovation in the wireless sector in British Columbia in recent years.

Medina’s business model, which revolves around a scheduling tool for smart phones, was conceived in the Marketing/Finance course that he took during the technology-geared MBA program.

In addition to Revonet, Wavefront, the community-based commercialization centre supporting the growth of Canada’s wireless and new media development companies, announced seven other companies chosen to participate in the Entrepreneurship@Wavefront program.

The new program is offered in partnership with the BCIC to support and nurture early-stage B.C. wireless companies from concept to commercialization over 12 months.

“We were impressed by the quality of the applicants,” said James Maynard, President at Wavefront. “The response reaffirmed our belief that B.C. is a growing hub for wireless innovation. Many of these ideas and technologies have the potential to be very significant business opportunities.”

Applicants were evaluated by leaders from Wavefront, BCIC, and the venture capital and investment community. Selected companies ranged from an application maker with technology supporting healthy lifestyle choices to one that enables utility companies to identify electrical distribution losses.

Selected wireless companies receive office space in Wavefront’s collaborative wireless incubator environment for one year and access to Wavefront’s advisory and testing services including its handset library, usability services, refinement of business development strategies and industry connections.

Participants for the 2010 Entrepreneurship@Wavefront program are:

• Revonet Consulting Inc.—whose Memor appointment solutions software that uses wireless phones to synchronize appointments between businesses and their customers
• Awesense Wireless—who designed a platform solution to help utility companies identify electrical distribution losses to quickly and easily increase efficiencies and recover lost revenue
• D2D Campaign Solutions—who provide a mobile campaign platform to augment face-to-face communications in building and mobilizing a support base
• ikamobile Limited—who created Movie Finder to help Android users search for movies playing at local cinemas in 16 countries
• Marine Drive Mobile—who deliver universal accessibility for people with visual and dexterity challenges
• PortaLife Solutions, Inc.—who develop mobile solutions for healthy lifestyles including CarrotLines, a mobile application to help consumers make informed buying decisions based on their dietary and lifestyle preferences
• QRL—who increases customer loyalty and profits for restaurant operators by enabling customers to participate in a loyalty program on a self-serve basis using their smartphones
• Single Digit Labs—who are creating new and captivating ways of using camera smartphones

“We were impressed by the quality of the applicants,” said James Maynard, President at Wavefront. “The response reaffirmed our belief that B.C. is a growing hub for wireless innovation. Many of these ideas and technologies have the potential to be very significant business opportunities.”

“These are very promising early-stage wireless companies,” said Dean Rockwell, CEO of BCIC. “Wavefront has a proven track record of finding and nurturing wireless companies. BCIC is proud to partner with Wavefront in the delivery of the Entrepreneurship@Wavefront program. Together we are helping to shape our provinces’ entrepreneurship ecosystem to support technology startups from idea to market, fueling economic development and BC’s position in the knowledge economy.”

Participants, who this week began to move into the office space included as part of the program, will meet with Wavefront staff to present more information about their companies, develop an action plan for commercialization, and determine the most effective mix of Wavefront expertise to accelerate their businesses forward.

A full list of program features and benefits is available online at http://www.wavefrontac.com/entrepreneurship-at-wavefront.html.