So, last night we had our first ever CarbonAccelerator event. With no expectation or agenda going into the event, we ensured certain success and I think it is safe to say that we exceeded expectations by 400%.
4 Pitchers showed up and 4 interesting conversations ensued.
First up was Bob Jackson from Greenwood. Bob has created a device, Heat Help, that is essentially a fan box that sits on top of your typical baseboard heater. The fan is heat activated and creates efficiency by distributing the heat throughout your room. Bob is an inventor at heart and really needs someone to take his idea to the next level and get more information about the potential energy savings from his product. Several people in the room were intrigued by his invention and introductions were made.
Next up was Clara Fasset, the Litter Queen. Clara created a bio-degradable, flushable, wheat based cat litter right here in Nova Scotia. Clara has been selling her product at a few retail stores in Nova Scotia and direct to customers at the Market. Clara's been focused on getting her product listed in more retailers, but probably needs more focus on getting end users to start demanding her product from their retailers. Good discussion around her product and how it fits into the HRM waste stream, different ways she can position her product, etc. If you've got a cat, check her out the next time you're at the Market - Clara's going to get there 1 customer at a time.
Third was Michael Christie of Red Spruce - a Nova Scotian based rug hooking company. Armed with a stack of international magazine articles praising his creations, there is no question that Red Spruce is showing up on the radar of interior designers and collectors around the world. With an ultra-luxury product such as his, Michael needs to have a very compelling value proposition when he is pitching his wares. Lots of questions and ideas in the room and we were all excited to see such a fantastic product being made in the brothels, er.. hooking rooms of Nova Scotia.
Our final pitcher of the night was Aaron Bihari - Aaron is working on staging a February Festival on the Waterfront - "Bonfire". With 4 businesses with vested interests in outdoor pursuits, beverage, and the waterfront in attendance there was lots of feedback and ideas directed towards Aaron. Given the recent success of the Concert Series for the Canada Games, we've proven that Haligonians will come out any time of year as long as we are entertained. With a winter like we just had, one can't help but get excited thinking about making Smores on the waterfront, catching a great concert, having the kids run around an obstacle course and finishing it all off with a nice cold HopYard from Garrison at the end of the night.
All in all, I think everyone that came out was entertained and intrigued by the business ideas that they heard. We didn't solve any of the world's problems, we didn't land the million dollar investment, but we succeeded in fostering conversations about business. For those of you that thought we needed structure, you were wrong and just didn't get the point. Perhaps you should come to our next event to see what it's all about....
So there you have it - CarbonAccelerator #1 is done. And to keep the ball rolling, CarbonAccelerator #2 is now on the board - May 3, at Carbonstok again, at 6:00. Remember, these events are OPEN to the public, so tell your friends. As with the first one, we need pitchers to come forward, so if you want to get on the agenda for May 3, we still have spots, just send me an email, gordon@theuncommongroup.com
Finally, thanks to all the Advisors that came out last night, Kenzie MacDonald from Avison Young, Joachim Stroink from the Trail Shop, Brian Titus from Garrison Brewing, Leo Artalejo from MT&L, Christian Weisenburger from Beyond the Box Law and Joanne MacRae and Tracey Boyer from the Hub.
