Local Economic and Business Development Organizations Announce Winner Of Ventureprize London Competition!

London venture wins $30,000 in cash and prizes in first year of business plan competition. LONDON, ONTARIO, 11 February 2009 – The winners of more than $45,000 in cash and prizes in the 2009 VenturePrize London Business Plan Competition were announced on February 10th at a celebration at the London Convention Centre. First prize consisting of $30,000 in cash and in-kind prizes was awarded to Antic Entertainment, a video game creation company, founded by Fredrik Liliegren, Jeff Evans, and Mark Mikulec. Second prize consisting of $15,000 in cash and in-kind prizes went to Fortress Data Vaulting, founded by Sean Sweeney. The company specializes in providing business continuity consulting and associated support services. Remaining finalists, Braise Food and Wine, Kosuma Healthy Stuff, and Vinestein each received $500 honorariums. Antic Entertainment founder, Fredrik Liliegren said, “Participating in this competition was really great because it forced us to focus on our business goals and revenue model in a way that we hadn’t done previously.” VenturePrize London represents the collective effort of the London Economic Development Corporation, Small Business Centre, The Stiller Centre and TechAlliance. “The competition celebrates our city’s entrepreneurial culture and recognizes the role that independent businesses play in our economy.” says Nancy Kopriva, VenturePrize London Steering Committee Chair. “Congratulations to this year’s winners, they’re certainly assets to the London business community” Prizes for the competition included cash and product contributions from sponsors, Scotiabank, Lovers AtWork Office Furniture and bizzmail. Open to London-based businesses in operation less than two years, judging for the competition took place in two rounds. First round consisted of a comprehensive review of the business plans, resulting in 5 finalists. Finalists then presented their businesses before a panel of 3 judges who chose the 2 winners. CONTACT: Nancy Kopriva VenturePrize London Phone: 519.659.2882 ext. 234 Email: nkopriva@sbcentre.ca www.ventureprizelondon.com Finalists: Antic Entertainment – Contact - Fredrik Liliegren, 519-936-2805 Antic Entertainment is a video game creation company focused on developing and publishing casual games for the hardcore player. Antic Entertainment is committed to making fun, easy-to-learn games that provide players with a huge amount of depth and amazing value for their money. Braise Food and Wine – Contact – Rob Taylor, 519-433-1414 An upscale restaurant located in downtown London, Braise Food and Wine seeks to be recognized as the single best restaurant in the London area through their dedication to the pursuit of rare perfection in food service and atmosphere. Fortress Data Vaulting – Contact – Sean Sweeney, 519-936-1956 Fortress Data Vaulting specializes in the provision of business continuity consulting and associated support services. Their aim is to identify unforeseen risks and provide solutions that secure and protect a business in the event of an unexpected business interruption or shutdown. Kosuma Healthy Stuff – Contact – Judy Gremaud, 519-679-1234 Kosuma Healthy Stuff is an innovative food manufacturing company using only natural, functional ingredients to promote wellness and healthy eating. Their mission is to promote wellness with natural derived nutritional power foods. Vinestein – Contact – Leigh Ann Jackson, 519-652-0227 Vinestein is a device which consumers may use to physically participate in the on-premise wine making process at their desired store by accessing the store and the device remotely from a computer or other means of internet access.