The afternoon of this year's Atlantic Business Summit will become a battleground. Enter the Lobster Trap, where aspiring entrepreneurs pitch their business concepts to a panel of Atlantic Canadian business moguls and angel investors. They've cut their teeth on decades of entrepreneurial experience, so it will takes more than passion to convince these boardroom leviathans that your idea is worth their attention.

The contenders are:

Skillz Systems Inc. has developed QuickStickz, a new and interactive puck handling training system. This tool allows hockey players to hone a precise ability to handle and control the puck in high-speed and challenging situations. This unique product addresses a market of more than 5 million hockey players in North America and around the world, in a market sector that is willing to spend significant sums of money to increase a player’s competitive edge.

Intelivote Systems Inc. is a premiere Canadian electronic voting system company that provides the voter with a dynamic choice of voting options. Intelivote seamlessly integrates traditional polling station voting with an electronic voting solution which includes telephone, wireless and Internet voting.

MedRunner Health Solutions Inc. has a web-based electronic prescription platform that securely allows physicians to transmit prescriptions instantly to pharmacies via PC, Blackberry or iPhone. This application seamlessly integrates with pharmacy systems and provincial Drug Information Systems.

The judges are:

Ross Finlay is a co-founder and Director of the First Angel Network Association – Atlantic Canada’s association for private investors.  Ross has been an angel investor since 2000; as well, he has assisted a number of companies raise private equity.  He is a recognized facilitator, business planner, and strategic change advisor who has an extensive background in public, private and not-for-profit sectors.  In 2002 Ross was a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Medal for outstanding community service through his efforts in numerous charities.

Brian Lowe, co-founder and director of the First Angel Network Association, is an accomplished entrepreneur and businessman with over thirty years experience in the the incorporation and funding of several startup companies, including raising over $10 million in funding for ImmunoVaccine Technologies. Brian attended St. Mary’s University, Halifax, Nova Scotia where he studied for his Bachelor of Commerce, Business Administration until 1975.

Dan Nowlan is a managing director in the Equity Capital Markets group at CIBC World Markets. He has executed numerous transactions as the lead underwriter including the initial public offerings of dozens of multi-million dollar firms.  Mr. Nowlan holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Mount Allison University and a Masters of Business Administration from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario.

Gerard Buckley, an angel investor with Maple Leaf Angels, is a senior business & finance executive and a foreign exchange risk management expert with over 30 years of experience. Mr. Buckley holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from MSVU and an MBA from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto.  In 2003, Gerard was awarded the Queen’s Jubilee Medal for his volunteer work with youth which includes serving as a Governor of the Army Cadet League of Canada for the past 15 years and establishing the Gerard Buckley Cadet Scholarship.

Which startup will advance to the next level in the presence of their peers? Which ones will be boiled in butter? To find out, attend the Atlantic Business Summit this Friday, June 18th at the MaRS Collaboration Centre in Toronto.