Mark Payne and Paulin Laberge join BCIC as Entrepreneurs-in-Residence

BRITISH COLUMBIA, July 27 /CNW/ - BCIC is pleased to announce the appointment of Mark Payne and Paulin Laberge as Entrepreneurs-in-Residence. In their roles, both will be instrumental in the creation of strategic initiatives supporting BCIC's mission of developing entrepreneurs and commercializing technology through startup companies and partnerships between industry and academia.

"We are honoured to have two individuals as esteemed as Mark and Paulin join the BCIC team," said Dean Rockwell, CEO of BCIC. "As we move forward to develop the moving parts that make up BC's entrepreneurship ecosystem, the expertise and knowledge they each possess will be invaluable to the early-stage startup companies we are helping."

With extensive experience in leadership, sales, marketing, emerging technologies and business development, Payne's initial focus at BCIC will be on establishing a framework for the creation of province-wide incubation and accelerator facilities and programs.

Laberge is a seasoned leader in the high technology industry. His role will be to identify and develop strategic initiatives of high value to early-stage technology companies. His initial efforts will focus on establishing a province-wide venture mentoring service to enable CEOs to develop personally and professionally by learning from their peers and experienced mentors.

BCIC is committed to the development of BC's high technology industries by offering programs and resources that support development of entrepreneurs; commercialize new technologies; and raise BC's profile as a top-tier technology centre in the world.

    
    Biographical Details
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Mark Payne

Entrepreneur-in-Residence, BCIC

Payne joins BCIC as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence, working with early-stage technology startups. He specializes in working with companies going through significant change, ranging from driving early-stage acceleration and revenue growth to reorganization and business turnaround. His roles have included CEO, Managing Director, board and non-executive director, consultant and investor. With over 25 years of experience in international organizations, early-stage companies and startups, Payne has worked in the private and public sectors in Europe, The Far East and North America.

Paulin Laberge

Entrepreneur-in-Residence, BCIC

As an Entrepreneur-in-Residence with BCIC, Laberge's role is to identify and develop strategic initiatives of high value for early-stage technology companies. Laberge has held a variety of technical and managerial positions in several public and private technology industry companies. He is past CEO of Con-Space Communications and three other technology companies. He is a current director and past Chair of ACETECH and is a mentor and a leader of ACETECH's Growth Strategy Program. Laberge is also an advisor and independent director of a number of technology companies. Laberge is a professional engineer and holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering.

About BCIC

BCIC develops entrepreneurial talent and commercializes technology through startup companies and partnerships between industry and academia. BCIC focuses on competitively positioning British Columbia in today's global knowledge economy in order to provide significant employment opportunities and a high standard of living for British Columbians. For more information about BCIC, visit www.bcic.ca.

For further information: Media Contact: Lindsay Thom, Media Manager, 604-602-5249