Innovative start-ups. They’re such an important and exciting part of Hamilton’s growing economy. The Lion’s Lair Gala gave us the chance to see, first hand, new ideas coming to life.
Okay, first, this post is a bit of a trip down memory lane. Not an overly long trip – but a solid couple of weeks. In the world of the freelance writer, that usually means things are mighty busy. And that’s a good thing. But this is one of those posts that I just couldn’t go without writing.
The Lion’s Lair Gala
Way back on September 27th, I had the opportunity to attend the Lion’s Lair Gala alongside a handful of my CoMotion coworkers. Lion’s Lair is an annual business competition – in Dragon’s Den style – presented by the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce and Innovation Factory; on the line is over $100,000 of cash and in-kind prizes.
This was my first trip to the event. Held at the beautiful Liuna Station, there was plenty of sizzle in the ambiance and surroundings. But getting to see the pitch videos of 10 of the selected-best ideas was the real treat. Evaluating them around the table, celebrating their uniqueness, and providing arm-chair assessments of how each could be successful. Not only was this fun, it was pretty inspiring, too.
CoMotion partners and members at Lion’s Lair
CoMotion – providing office space as prizing partners
CoMotion was, again, an in-kind prize partner for the Lion’s Lair event. Considering that these coworking spaces are a hub for innovative start-ups, that only makes sense. In fact, one of the finalists, Fotaflo, is a former member of the CoMotion-On-King space. Being part of the entrepreneurship pulse here in Hamilton is a key part of CoMotion’s contribution to the economic growth of our city – especially here downtown. And within the confines of its two locations, this presents even more opportunity to member businesses and freelancers. Start-ups join and grow. How they grow can often be the result of sharing resources, ideas and/or tapping into the skills and services offered by other members.
Closing the show with the 2018 award winners.
New members, new ideas and new opportunities
And now, thanks to CoMotion’s prizing support of Lion’s Lair, we have the chance to welcome winners MesoMat into our space. This start-up has developed an advanced, stretchable material that looks to capitalize on the growing wearable-tech industry. As you can imagine, that would definitely be a unique business to either of CoMotion’s spaces. Adding more diversity to the mix brings even greater opportunity for mutually-beneficial relationships and growth.
Check out the videos from the Top 10 finalists from Lion’s Lair 2018 here.
