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Nov 28, 2024
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Shannon van Leenen, MA
Senior Media Relations Specialist
Mobile: 403-671-3274
Bow Valley College’s Indie Ignition Accelerator awards $60,000 to startups with dreams of making it big in gaming and esports
You’re in a room full of angry cats at a veterinary clinic, trying to get them back into their cages, without getting scratched to pieces. There are several other tasks you need to complete as well.
Okay, so maybe this room is virtual. Still, this situation is not for the faint of heart. This is one of the scenarios envisioned for Feline Frenzy, an educational video game designed by Bow Valley College faculty members Kerry Sharples and Dan Barnfield as a potential learning tool.
It’s the culmination of a 12-week program that helps digital creatives advance their games and businesses and ignites the gaming and esports industries in Alberta.
“I was most impressed by the resiliency and courage of our participants. They demonstrated agility, which is key to entrepreneurial success. There is so much passion and opportunity in Calgary’s creative industries, and we’re thrilled to see these businesses take off,” says Ryan Coutts, Digital Entertainment Accelerator Lead, Bow Valley College.
Esteemed industry judges heard the pitches on November 20th at Platform Calgary. After deliberation and consideration, Indie Ignition has awarded the seed money prizes to the top three contenders in esports and game development.
| Game development: | Esports: |
| Killdeer Studios, Taia DeBona ($12,000) – Creating a higher quality puzzle game experience on mobile devices than what’s typically offered in the market. | Alberta Scholastic Esports League, Shadi Hanna and Andrew Tran ($12,000) – Launching an esports league for junior high and high school competition, focusing on creating a stable competitive academic esports ecosystem. |
| Playtheos, Kerry Sharples and Dan Barnfield ($10,000) – Feline Frenzy, a game designed to help train Vet Techs on how to help treat cats, blending real-world, on-the-job scenarios with gamified training. | Coldhands Collective, Steven Tworow, Heather Spacek, Scooter Whiskey ($10,000) – Creating a non-profit events company supporting local esports communities. |
| EarthMMO, Thomas Vu, Rowan Sommerfeld ($8,000) – Creating an AR RPG that utilizes real-world businesses and locations to build community engagement and drive foot traffic to local businesses. | Liminal Frame Media, Emmanuel Ho ($8,000) – Creating an esports focused marketing and branding agency, helping esports companies establish a clean a defined brand identity. |
About the judges:
Jenn MacDonald is an entrepreneurial ecosystem builder with tons of experience supporting startups and community. She is currently running a business focused on supporting mental health for entrepreneurs. She's been involved in the ecosystem for many years and has a BBA in innovation and entrepreneurship, with a Master’s in economic development and innovation.
Jessica Medeiros is the founder and CEO of Femme Gaming, an organization dedicated to creating a more inclusive and welcoming environment for female and female identifying individuals, within gaming and esports. She has done a tremendous amount of advocacy and speaking as well as organized many great events with some big partners, including BMO and the Toronto Raptors.
Branden Sloane is the founder and CEO of Zugalu Entertainment, a Calgary based game development company that has been releasing games since 2014. Their current title Thrive: Heavy Lies the Crown just recently entered early access after receiving CMF funding and a publishing deal with PlaySide.
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Media and photo requests:
Shannon van Leenen, MA
Senior Media Relations Specialist
Bow Valley College
403-671-3274 Mobile
shvanleenen@bowvalleycollege.ca
About Bow Valley College
Bow Valley College, founded in 1965, is the largest college in the Calgary area, with over 15,000 students. We focus on preparing graduates for in-demand jobs across Canada. Our graduates contribute to the economy and community through careers in business, entertainment arts, technology, health care, social services, and more. We are proud to be named one of Alberta’s Top 80 employers and one of Canada’s Top 50 research colleges. Our innovative applied research, focused on health and health technology, educational technology, and social innovation, is helping shape the future of college education. Learn more about the opportunities we create for students, employees, and our province at bowvalleycollege.ca.
