Top innovators trying to tackle the challenges of today and tomorrow have received a boost — in both capital and recognition — through this year’s NexStream Tech Competition.

The NexStream Tech Competition is an imitative by the Campbell River Area Angel Group (CRAAG) and City of Campbell River encouraging businesses to develop solutions to challenges in B.C.’s coastal region and develop the city’s tech industry. The competition included four categories this year: health and emergency preparedness, food security, sustainable resource innovation and ‘wildcard’ — where participants identified an issue and provided a solution to it.

Over the contest, each participant was required to outline their concept, and then if they were short-listed, to develop a demo, proof of concept or working prototype for it. NexStream then reviewed each submission and witnessed a live demonstration of each product or service to judge the competing efforts.

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On July 8, the city’s economic development department and CRAAG announced the winners of this year’s competition, which included four B.C. companies:

• AazeintTx, Gordon Anderson (Calgary, A.B.) — won the Health and Emergency Preparedness category for a novel oral treatment for acute asthma;

• AVA Technologies Inc., Valerie Song (Vancouver, B.C.) — won the Food Security category for an indoor smart garden;

• MintGreen, Jenn Zee and Colin Sullivan (Burnaby, B.C.) — won the Sustainable Resource Innovation category for a digital currency mining heat recovery system;

• Open Ocean Robotics, Julie Angus (Victoria, B.C.), won the Wildcard category for solar-powered autonomous boats for data collection; and

• Rootd, Ania Wysocka (Vancouver Island, B.C.) — won the Community Service award for an app for managing anxiety

“We are delighted to announce these five winners of NexStream 2.0. They stood out even within an impressive field of more than 60 initial entrants spanning a wide range of technological innovation,” said David Baar, CRAAG member.

Through the competition, more than $2 million in investments have been made available to these winning companies.

“The city is advancing and enriching a local innovation economy through Campbell River’s own NexStream Tech Competition,” said Mayor Andy Adams. “The talented teams of participants, and the tremendous range of skills, experience and insights that they bring to the competition’s industry-related challenges is most impressive.”

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Campbell River Mirror