My sandshoe attachments give me great traction to cruise the beaches here and away (I just returned from a one week holiday in San Jose da Cabo). Below you will be able to read more about individuals using SideStix to get back to the places that give them inspiration and joy while also trying new activities with my SideStix attachments such as long, pleasant walks on a sandy beach.

For those who live in the mountains, skiing and snowshoeing are still available in most areas. Jothy Rosenberg recently experienced the fun of using our SideStix snowshoe attachments for the first time. Check out his video testimony.

-Sarah

SideStix are now available at Victoria’s Peoples Pharmacies (locations available under Store – Retail Locations)

Watch now:

Almost two months after taking home the 2011′s BCIC-New Ventures Competition: Regional second place prize, BCIC caught up with Sarah Doherty and Kerrith Perreur-Lloyd of SideStix (right) to see what they’ve been up to, and perhaps more importantly, the lessons learned from their experience in the Competition. As we suspected, the duo has not slowed down one bit!

“One of our biggest challenges before entering the Competition was profiling and marketing our company,” said Doherty, CEO of the innovative sports crutch for the forearm. “The lessons and advice we took away from the seminars and from our incredible mentors really helped us to focus and get organized to move on to the next step to improve our business. “

And the advice and experience stuck with the team. Since the Competition ended, SideStix has improved their technology by incorporating carbon fibre (lightweight and highly durable), managed to get their product into 10 retail medical equipment stores and three hospitals in Greater Vancouver and will soon be facing yet another panel of judges on CBC’s Dragons’ Den.

“It was actually the judges in the Competition that told us to try to get onto Dragons’ Den to help increase our publicity… and we followed that advice!” said Doherty. “There are definitely exciting times ahead for us. While we are not guaranteed to make it on air, we are looking forward to the experience that will help us improve even more in our business.”

SideStix is also continuing to expand their target market, awaiting approval from groups like Veterans Affairs Canada to be an exclusive provider, as well as pro sports teams like the Vancouver Canucks and the BC Lions to use their crutch for recovery of injuries for players. In the meantime, they are still very focused on selling their product online and plan to revamp their website to be more e-commerce friendly.

The final application deadline for the BCIC-New Ventures provincial competition is TODAY! If you are a BC resident, team or business with an innovative technology product or service that has not yet secured significant financing from external investors, your next step is to enter this competition to gain practical skills, network with the tech community and get advice from industry leaders.

How could this fairy-tale story not make it to air?

For young and exciting companies this is the perfect opportunity to showcase ingenuity and try to cut a deal with an investor that may just have the industry contacts and experience it takes to move their venture to the next level. From manufacturing to marketing each dragon brings their own strengths to the table and is known for their unique perspectives about what is needed to build a successful business.

The pitch will be filmed as if it were to air; it is still at the discretion of the show’s producer which segments will actually make it to television. Although medical equipment has been showcased on the program before, this will be the very first forearm crutch to be demonstrated to the dragons. With this in mind it could be a fantastic opportunity for SideStix if the segment makes it to air, regardless of outcome.

After coming in second place at the British Columbia Innovation Council’s New Ventures Regional competition in February, this could very well be the next stepping stone forwards in changing the paradigm of the common crutch. Through innovations only found in SideStix forearm crutches, the popular idea that crutches are an uncomfortable nuisance will be history.

If all goes well and a deal is actually made, this will not be the first Dragon’s Den success story from British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast. Last season Holy Crap Cereal struck a deal with Boston Pizza founder Jim Treliving to market the organic product. Since airing the owners of Holy Crap cereal have been swamped keeping up with orders for the vegan product; a situation any business owner can agree is not a terrible one to be in.

With May 24th looming on the calendar SideStix will be working on tightening up sales figures along with other aspects of the company, prior to putting it on the line before the cameras. Combing the Sunshine Coast for the Dragon’s Dens biggest fans for a mock pitch will be one way which we will be preparing for the big day. These are exciting times for SideStix and we will be doing out best to make it to air. Regardless this experience will help us focus on areas of the company which need more attention and provide yet another goal for us to work towards.

Join us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to keep up-to-date on our progress.

Winter Park provides the playground where the cutting edge of adaptive technology and devices can be taken through their paces. Being able to experience the outdoors is the thread which pulls us together to benefit from sharing our knowledge and experiences to overcome obstacles common to us all. This is not merely a technology showcase, but a gathering of like-minded individuals from all walks of life. Combining hands-on clinics, product demonstrations, nature excursions, films, art, keynote addresses, leadership exercises and a scientific symposium this is an event which celebrates what is possible and what has already been achieved.

Being able to showcase the design and quality of SideStix forearm crutches, in an environment which it has been touted as providing increased accessibility to, is an exciting offer alone. Being asked to participate on the inventor’s panel is a privilege beyond that. SideStix is proud to share its own experiences with inspiration, development and marketing regarding our line of adaptive forearm crutches.
We will be offering demos of our crutches for participants to try for themselves throughout the festival and are looking forward to being a part of an event which coincides directly with the principles and mission of SideStix Ventures Inc.

We look forward to seeing you in Winter Park and letting you see for yourself the advancements in mobility and accessibility that SideStix can provide for those who benefit from the use of forearm crutches in outdoor adventure and daily life.

Few people can say they’ve climbed two of the tallest mountain peaks in the world. Sarah Doherty is one of them, and she’s done it on one leg.

At 13, Doherty lost her leg after she was hit by a drunk driver. While the tragic accident may have taken away a limb, it didn’t take away her spirit.”

Read the full article: Going the distance: Amputee develops innovative sports crutch

“To endure the physically demanding five to seven day adventure along the coast of Vancouver Island — hiking 120 suspension bridges, through fog and mud, climbing hundreds of cliff face steps and camping in torrential rain — is considered quite a feat.”

Read the full article:
Mountain Peaks no Match for Taunton Native

Rob Brown on a Canadian spirit that paved the way for a remarkable innovation:

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