FreshTracks & Bolton Valley hosted another successful Peak Pitch Vermont event on 3/6/09.  Over 50 people gathered on the mountain to share lift rides and exchange business ideas between ski runs at Bolton's Timberline base area.  Below is a video summary of the event which gives a good feel for the day.

Hosted by FreshTracks Capital, the Vermont Peak Pitch '09 event will take place at the Bolton Valley ski resort on Friday, March 6th. Save the date, and sign up now at www.peakpitch.com

Lee Bouyea, Managing Director of FreshTracks Capital, and Craig DeLuca of The ARNO Group will lead a Seminar aimed at non-traditional businesses looking to secure startup or expansion capital.

Here is a promotional video from ISIS which gives a good overview of their product mix and the company's approach to the market, which can be summed up as: "ISIS fits women.  Women who hibernate in winter and conquer it - sometimes on the same day."

The 2nd Vermont 3.0 Career Tech Jam was another resounding success.  FreshTracks once again participated in the Vermont 3.0 Tech/Creative Career Jam by hosting a booth, becoming a sponsor, blogging for the event and hosting a panel on Entrepreneurship and Raising Capital.

The Renewable Energy Vermont Conference was held on 10/15 at the Sheraton Hotel in South Burlington.  David Blittersdorf of Earth Turbines spoke on the “Can Vermont Become 100% Renewable?” panel, using his time to describe what he saw as the Big Energy Picture.

FreshTracks Capital recently traveled to Manchester NH to participate in the Speed Venture Summit, a conference designed to match entrepreneurs with investors through a 15 minute speed dating pitch format. 

Champlain College launched its new Emergent Media Center on 10/21 at the Champlain Mill in Winooski.  The EMC focuses on the power of electronic games and social networking, and the power of innovation that these two industries are bringing to our world today. 

Bob Bloch, Director of Champlain College’s BYOBiz Program, recently invited Alan Newman, co-founder of Magic Hat Brewery to speak at the school’s Alumni Auditorium as part of BYOBiz’s Speaking from Experience Series.

In early October, FreshTracks attended the Village Ventures Fund Managers Meeting at the Intercontinental Boston.  This annual conference is an opportunity for the Village Ventures network to gather for 2 days of great relevant content about growth companies and venture financing, intertwined with a healthy amount of networking.

Vermedx Inc., a Burlington, Vt.-based health-care information technology company, has pulled in $500,000 in a Series A funding round led by FreshTracks Capital LP, a venture capital fund in Shelburne, Vermont.

Vermedx Inc., a decision-support healthcare information technology company currently focused on the diabetes market, announces that it raised $500,000 in a Series A financing with lead investor FreshTracks Capital.  FreshTracks has been watching Vermedx's progress in the market for more than two years. 

FreshTracks Capital of Shelburne, Vermont was pleased to learn that Google Ventures may be taking an interst in Vermont firms.  Google Ventures is ready with a $100 million investment fund.   FreshTracks is Vermont's only venture capital firm. 

NEHP, Williston, Vermont manufacturer of piping systems for semi-conductors and pharmaceutical companies, wants to expand and turns to the Small Business Administration for its financing needs.

Marketing executive John Gilbert, 52, has been named new chief executive officer at The Vermont Teddy Bear Company, company officials announced today.

Carbon Offsets:  Are They Worth Your Money?

Billy Connelly, a spokesman from NativeEnergy speaks to MSNBC about carbon offsets, carbon calculators, the carbon that the average American home generates, and what they are doing about it.  “One of the biggest causes of carbon impact for Americans is their travel-related emissions,” says Connelly. When putting the earth first, travel options used to be limited: Stay home or walk. Today, we can balance out carbon emissions from flying — and from driving and electricity use — by purchasing carbon offsets.

According to Cairn Cross "Vermont attracts a particularly creative group of green entrepreneurs. The lifestyle and ethos of the state are already perceived to be green, and so it is not surprising that there are many Vermont entrepreneurs who are working on developing green businesses."

Vermont Teddy Bear's busiest time of year lands much press coverage about it's employees and the manufacturing process in Seven Days.  The Burlington Free Press reports on the "Ultimate Lover" Bear, and the Tampa Bay Examiner promotes the unique quality of the Vermont Teddy Bears for Valentine's Day, featuring "Lover Boy", "Love Bandit", and "Knight in Shining Armor".

Freddie Laker, Director of Digital Strategy at Sapient, has much to say about Kluster in his recent review for Advertising Age: "I've mentioned over the last year that I'm a fan of Kluster. Kluster is a group decision-making tool with its roots firmly set in social networking. It allows you to set up private or public groups focused around generating ideas in a democratic and collaborative environment enabled through technology."

SolaOne Solutions has been providing solar powered/LED lighting systems across 38 Massachusetts municipalities, illuminating signs, flags, and monuments where accessing conventional power lines are prohibitive.  Funding has been provided by the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust, and volunteers from the Massachusetts International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers provided their expertise and labor free of charge.   

*FT Leads $500k investment in Vermedx

*Kluster Launches Spinoff Quirky.com

*EWMG Lands TV Coverage on ABC, Wins Another James Beard Award

*VTB Launches New Captain Kirk & Spock Bears

*Kluster Announces Spinout Quirky Inc. - Lands Press in BusinessWeek

*ANW is now Auterra

*NativeEnergy is Exclusive Carbon Offset Marketer for Greensburg

*EatingWell In Season:  The Farmer's Market Cookbook

*Win a $1,000 Shopping Spree from ISIS

*JnJ Development Corp. Completes Investment in GetWell

*Vermont Teddy Bear Hires New CEO, John Gilbert

*Kluster CEO/Founder Ben Kaufman Takes Trip to the White House

*EWMG Nominated for 3 James Beard Awards

*Draker Labs Hires Two New Sales Executives

*NEHP Featured on Fox 44 News

*Cross to Speak at VBSR Conference

*Bouyea to Speak at Invention 2 Venture

*Join FreshTracks at Peak Pitch Vermont on Friday 3/6 at Bolton Valley

*NativeEnergy Covered by MSNBC & InfoWorld

*Kluster Featured in Advertising Age

*VTB Featured in Seven Days, Burlington Free Press & Tampa Bay Examiner

*AppliedNanoWorks Launches FlexB Flame Retardant

*SolarOne's Massachusetts Installations

*Cairn Cross Interviewed in Burlington Free Press

*Join FreshTracks at Peak Pitch Vermont at Bolton Valley on 3/6/09

*Workshop "Securing Investment Capital for Non-Traditional Businesses"

*Blue Oak and Draker Team Up for New Montior Combiner Box

*NativeEnergy Lands Coverge in Business Week, Billboard, & MSNBC

*EatingWell Receives Press Hits in Seven Days, MLive, Washington Post

*Kluster Launches CharterforCompassion.org Alongside TED & Lands CNBC

*16th Annual VIF Features Successful Pitches from 15 Companies

*NEHP Featured in Business People Vermont

*EatingWell Partners with Price Chopper

*FreshTracks Featured in Burlington Free Press
*FreshTracks Lands Coverage in Vermont Business Magazine
*NativeEnergy Rated 1st Among Carbon Offset Providers
*Second Vermont 3.0 Tech/Creative Career Jam is Another Success
*Brighter Planet Announces Winners of its Video Contest
*VTB Vice-Presidential Bears Continue Media Momentum

*Cairn Cross featured in VBM Piece

*Vermont3.com Blog & Panel

*Draker Financing Featured in MHT

*Kluster in FastCompany

*NEHP in FabTech & SolidState Technology

*EatingWell part of MSN & Hearst's new Food Channel: Delish.com

*SolarOne Solutions: Northern Exposure

*FreshTracks Completes New Investment in Draker Labs

*ANW Announces new Process for the Oil and Gas Industry

*NE Partners with the Philadelphia Eagles & Method Products

*SolarOne Lands Key New Hire & Expands into New Facility

*EatingWell Announces Partnership with Glam Media

*EatingWell Featured in the LA Times

*SolarOne - Mass High Tech Press

*NEHP Coverage in FabTech

*Kluster Launched New "Private Rooms", Lands Coverage on PE Hub

*Vermont Investors Forum Scheduled for 10/30/08

*NativeEnergy Coverage in TheStreet.com