2018 Ramp Up Weekend

The Steinbach Chamber of Commerce is excited to Partner with North Forge to present the first ever Ramp Up weekend in Steinbach! Sign up to pitch your idea, if you don't have one you can still sign up and use your strengths to join a group and go from idea to viable business in 42 hours! Ramp Up Weekends pull together teams of developers, designers, makers, entrepreneurs and mentors to test their mettle in a heated competition that rewards the top ideas with cash and prizes and everyone else with amazing amount of fun. The goal is to connect marketable ideas with the talent needed to launch them and to access resources to help fuel growth.
 

 

Who is North Forge?
What is Ramp Up?
Watch the Facebook live video here!
 

Friday
6:30 pm Start

• Registration
• Introductions and what to expect over the next 42 hours
• Pitch your business
• Vote for your favourite pitch and choose your project
• Build a team 

10:00 pm End
 
Saturday
8:00 am Start

• Teams spend the day working on their business
• Create! Logos, websites, mock-ups, products built, customer validation
• Mentors attend to assist and advise

(Red River Campus will close at 6:00pm, supper will be provided off campus. Teams are welcome to continue working at alternative locations.)
 
Sunday
8:00 am Start 

• Continue building the business
• Pitch prep
• 11:00 am pitch competition
• Each team has 5 minutes to pitch followed by 5 minutes of Q & A
• Judge deliberation
• Awards

• 1st place - $1,500 cash prize plus 6 months free NF EAST membership ($1,500 service value)
• 2nd place - $500 cash prize plus 6 months free NF EAST membership ($1,500 service value)
• 3rd place - $200 cash prize plus 6 months free NF EAST membership ($1,500 service value)

• Jean-Guy Talbot FCPA, FCGA -  founder & CEO of Talbot & Associates
• Alphonsus Utioh, Manager, Research and Development Food Development Centre
• Kevin Penner, Co-founder  Powerland Computers
• Alberto Velasco, Director, Trade service World Trade Centre Winnipeg
• Robert Keizer, Founder  Pegboard Hosting & Pricerazzi
• Scott Macaulay, Instructor Red River College, Organizer Ramp Up Weekend Manitoba
• Shane Li, President North Forge East, Instructor Asper School of Business
• Jeff Simpson President Aquatic Life
• Adolf K.Y. Ng, Director of University of Manitoba Transport Institute, Professor at University of Manitoba Asper School of Business
• Elvin Krahn, Commercial Account Manager at BDC

• Stuart Henrickson, Head of Corporate and Commercial Banking HSCB, Manitoba
• Jenn Lusby, Business Development Manager Futurpreneur, Manitoba and Saskatchewan 
• Joel Hartung, Owner/President of The LumberZone

• VisualSpection, Winner, Ramp Up Weekend 4, http://www.visualspection.com/
• Permission Click, Finalist, Ramp up Weekend 3, Most Promising Startup in Canada at NACO Summit 2014, Finalist, Venture Challenge, Innovate Manitoba, Global Finalists, Education Challenge, Closed See Round Finance, https://permissionclick.com/ 
• Bamboo Beef, Winner, NF EAST Ramp Up Weekend 2017, 5 employees, Product launched, Working on sales with major sales channels in Canada
• Connexus, Winner, Ramp Up Weekend 10, Top three, NF East Ramp up Weekend 2017, Developed the product from ACE Lab, looking to launch their product at 2018 Fall University of Manitoba Student Orientation.