Agile Monitoring Equipment took first place at this year’s Enterprise competition, a part of Enterprise Canada’s Entrepreneurship Conference, held in Vancouver February 8th – 10th, with their technology to address small holes in oil pipelines. Their novel device uses micro sensors inside the pipeline to provide an early alert of leaks which have previously been undetected on such a small scale.
Brad Bycraft: “Being a part of the competitions was a great learning experience… a completely different experience from what we usually get in engineering.
As an aspiring entrepreneur it was extremely valuable to stand in front of an audience and present material. I’ve been heavily involved on both sides of the venture, and I’ve been soaking up the business knowledge to try and expand my horizons. The preparation for the competitions was quite intense at some points.
Having the knowledge of both engineering and business allows you to answer the questions from the judges. Practicing the presentation over and over again, and just making sure you completely understand the venture has really helped for the competitions. Our team has been in contact, on multiple occasions, with a Director at Enbridge. We’ve also spoken with a Director at Kinder Morgan Canada, as well as other high level officers. Getting the opportunity to speak with some of these people is a really good experience. I’ve cherished the opportunity thus far, and we’re hoping to take the venture further. Winning both of these competitions has actually gained us some recognition with Enbridge, and we’ve had some inquiries from them.