Rock the vote for Ontario finalist in quest for $100,000 BDC Young Entrepreneur Award grand prize

Cordon Media's Milan Baic ready to tap into opportunity with game-changing app

TORONTO, May 22, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - The Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) announced today that the turning point project, "DealTap", submitted by local businessman Milan Baic will represent Ontario in the finals of the 2013 BDC Young Entrepreneur Award.

Milan's project will see his company, Cordon Media Inc., launch a ground-breaking app that aims to change real estate transactions. Milan has to move voters across Canada to seal this deal and take home the $100,000 grand prize!

A digital agency with a strong track record for innovation, Cordon, has zeroed in on a big opportunity: the need to simplify the process of buying and selling property. With DealTap, Milan and his team have come up with a new solution that will enable real estate agents and all the other parties involved in a transaction to collaborate on agreements from anywhere on any device. To get their product market ready and support launch efforts, the project needs additional funding. "DealTap is the result of the knowledge we gained by helping customers in the real estate industry," says Milan. "It's a practical solution that will save a lot of time, energy and frustration: no more printing, scanning or faxing and a lot less need for travel." Milan's team is also very well aware of what platforms are currently on the market, and is confident the product addresses the fundamental problems real estate agents are facing every day.

Milan started Cordon shortly after graduating from university. The company was initially a production studio providing services to advertising and marketing agencies, among others. They proved themselves with award-winning projects, such as a microsite for the new Madison Square Garden stadium, a project that brought the company numerous industry awards. To scale the business, Cordon has focused on developing platforms for select industries, mostly where technology adoption has been slow.  "Our focus on select industries provides tremendous growth opportunities. With DealTap, we have a scalable platform to build on. We like to start with smaller markets and prove that we can solve their problems, then gradually expand. DealTap for real estate is just the beginning."

"All the finalists competing for the 2013 BDC Young Entrepreneur Award have presented sound turning point solutions that could provide a solid springboard for future growth and success," says Michel Bergeron, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Public Affairs at BDC. "Milan's proactive approach to overcoming past challenges demonstrate the kind of vision, insight and market understanding that are the hallmarks of a successful business."

"We don't start building for a billion-dollar market; we want to solve real problems, narrowing our focus but doing things really well," says Milan. "DealTap is the first step and we need all of Canada to give us a hand. With your help we can secure the funding we need to really change things for the better."

Voting for the 2013 BDC Young Entrepreneur Award contest runs from May 22 to June 11. To support your favourite project, log into the contest microsite and vote once a day. Follow the contest through updates on Facebook at "BDC Entrepreneur", Twitter at @BDC_News and LinkedIn. The BDC Young Entrepreneur Award winner and runner-up will be announced on June 17. The runner-up will receive $25,000 in consulting services.

About the BDC Young Entrepreneur Award contest
Created by the Business Development Bank of Canada in 1988, the BDC Young Entrepreneur Award contest pays tribute to remarkable Canadian entrepreneurs between 18 and 35 years of age. Nine finalists were short-listed to compete for a $100,000 grand prize. The winner will be selected by public vote and the contest runner-up will receive a second prize of $25,000 in consulting services.  The Financial Post and La Presse are the media partners of the 2013 BDC Young Entrepreneur Award. www.bdc.ca/yea

About BDC
Canada's business development bank, BDC puts entrepreneurs first. With almost 2,000 employees and more than 100 business centres across the country, BDC offers financing, subordinate financing, venture capital, securitization and consulting services to more than 28,000 small and medium-sized companies. Their success is vital to Canada's economic prosperity. www.bdc.ca

SOURCE: Business Development Bank of Canada

Maria Constantinescu
Senior Advisor, Public Relations
Business Development Bank of Canada
[phone]
[email protected]