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Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Press Release - 2012 Ready to Rocket List


Rocket Builders Names Top British Columbia Technology Companies To the “Ready to Rocket” lists for 10th Consecutive Year


Annual list highlights technology trends and those private
BC companies positioned for high growth in 2012.

VANCOUVER, BC – February 29, 2012

Rocket Builders today released its tenth annual “Ready to Rocket” lists of British Columbia technology companies that are best positioned to capitalize on the 2012 technology sector trends that will lead them to faster growth than their peers. Rocket Builders also released results from its 2011 lists, with 5 companies being acquired and 5 companies graduating from future consideration having achieved between $20 million and $30 million in revenue.

The annual “Ready to Rocket” lists provide accurate predictions of private companies that will likely experience significant growth, venture capital investment or acquisition by a major player in the coming year. The lists cover 3 different technology sectors:

  • Information and Communications Technology (ICT)
  • Cleantech (CT)
  • Life Science (LS)


The “Ready to Rocket” lists are the only predictive lists of its kind in North America, requiring many months of sector and company analysis.

“Each year, our team of analysts get lots of inquiries on how we are able to predict so accurately which companies will grow revenue. This year we put an interesting presentation together for investors which explained parallels to our approach and the approach demonstrated in the popular film Moneyball,” said Geoffrey Hansen, Managing Partner at Rocket Builders. “In the film, Beane broke with conventional thinking and put an emphasis on ‘on-base percentage’ to pick players. Similarly, the Ready to Rocket selection committee puts an emphasis on ‘customer acquisition’ metrics and potential.”

The 2011 Ready to Rocket list for ICT performed extremely well. The median growth rate on that list was 100% growth, with the majority of the 25 companies more than doubling revenue. Based on the success of the ICT sector in British Columbia, the 2012 Ready to Rocket list for ICT was expanded to showcase 30 companies. The list can be found here: http://www.readytorocket.com/2012/02/2012-ready-to-rocket-ict-list.html

“With the growth of mobility, tablets and cloud computing as major drivers of the ICT sector, there are many market opportunities that BC companies are capitalizing on,” said Reg Nordman, Managing Partner at Rocket Builders, “And despite slow economic growth in most global markets, ICT companies are finding ways to win customers in the United States and abroad.”

The 2011 Ready to Rocket list for Cleantech also performed extremely well, with 3 companies exceeding $30 million in revenue, and many more were able to more than double their revenues. The 2012 list will feature 12 companies, and the list can be found here:
http://www.readytorocket.com/2012/02/2012-ready-to-rocket-cleantech-list.html

According to Dave Thomas, Senior Partner at Rocket Builders, “B.C. continues to be a leader in cleantech innovation, and investments into this sector continue to grow. Despite a weak global economy, investments in clean technology such as solar power and energy efficiency rose 13% worldwide last year and 30% in North America. B.C. is well positioned for further growth with a very diverse group of companies covering many different clean technology approaches including alternative energy, waste management, and smarter power management.”

The 2011 Ready to Rocket list for Life Science featured many new investments and the acquisition of Wolfe Medical by Telus. The 2012 list will feature 12 companies, and the list can be found here:
http://www.readytorocket.com/2012/02/2012-ready-to-rocket-life-science-list.html

According to Thealzel Lee, Senior Partner at Rocket Builders, “B.C. has a strong tradition of creating successful companies in Life Science sectors like biotechnology and medical devices. We are also seeing a lot of innovation in the use of information technology to provide breakthroughs in research and healthcare. This week, many of the Ready to Rocket companies will be dealmaking at the 10th Annual BioPartnering North America event in Vancouver.”

For details on the “Ready to Rocket” lists, please visit http://www.readytorocket.com


Tuesday, February 28, 2012

2012 Ready to Rocket Event Presentation

Here is the presentation given at the VanCity Theatre on February 28th, 2012.


Tuesday, January 24, 2012

2012 Call for Nominations


Have a "hot" growth company in the technology sector you want the world to hear about? Nominate them to BC's 10th Annual "Ready to Rocket" list.

Rocket Builders is Seeking Nominations for the 2012 "Ready to Rocket" and "Emerging Rockets"Lists. This recognition program will showcase companies in ICT, CleanTech and Life Science sectors and will be presented before the VEF event at the end of February.

BC is home to many of Canada's most exciting technology companies. Rocket Builders has built a unique methodology for analyzing market trends and using this knowledge to predict revenue growth in the coming year. Each year Rocket Builders publishes lists which profile the BC companies that have the greatest potential in the coming year. 

The "Ready to Rocket" Lists feature top technology companies that are best positioned to capitalize on the largest growth trends in the technology industry. This upcoming list will the the 10th year of this recognition list.  We expect that companies selected to the "Ready to Rocket" list will outperform the economy and represent important trends that are creating rapid revenue growth. 

We are seeking nominations for the 2012 "Ready to Rocket" lists that we will present on February 28th 2012. Nomination deadline is February 19th 2012, but submission as soon as possible will allow the selection committee more time to consider your nomination. 

What are we looking for in "Ready to Rocket" companies? 

CleanTech Ready to Rocket List for 2012

To qualify for nomination, a company must be beyond the proof of concept stage - customer validation, scalable demonstration project, and established industry relationships.

The selection committee is looking for companies that have the potential for 50% to 100% growth in the coming year, and are in good position to leverage industry trends or key industry partnerships.

CleanTech includes renewable energy (wind power, solar power, biomass, hydropower, biofuels), green transportation, electric motors, green chemistry, lighting, environmental protection (air, water, soil) and any innovation that improves energy efficiency.

Life Sciences Ready to Rocket List for 2012

To qualify, a company must be entering a breakthrough stage in their maturity - customer validation, regulatory approval, and established industry relationships.

The selection committee is looking for early indicators of long-term potential and increasing shareholder value, such as passing key regulatory hurdles and achieving related validation steps.

Life Sciences Technology includes Biotechnology, Pharmaceuticals, Medical Devices, Healthcare Information Technology and other innovations improving health.

ICT Ready to Rocket List for 2012

To qualify for nomination, a company must have more than $500K in revenue and a growing base of customers. 

The selection committee is looking for companies that have the potential for 50% to 100% growth in the coming year, and are in good position to leverage industry trends or key industry partnerships.

ICT includes Information, Communications, Wireless, New Media and Internet technologies.

Nominations

Nominations can be submitted online at http://www.readytorocket.com/p/nominations.html

Please nominate a company even if the company is "too early" to qualify as Rocket Builders also recognizes emerging companies. Many promising companies are too early in commercialization, too early in first revenues, or in transition to new markets or business models. Based on the potential of their technology alone, Rocket Builders recognizes their potential in a "Emerging Rockets" list. These companies represent companies to watch over the next few years and are likely to mature into "Ready to Rocket" companies.