Dawson Creek company one of six finalists for Northern Angel Summit finale

DAWSON CREEK, B.C. —  A Dawson Creek company is among the six finalists for the 2026 Northern Angel Summit Finale.

According to Northern Innovation Network, Dawson Creek-based LineStein Tools has been named as one of the top six finalists for the finale on June 26th at the Prince George Conference and Civic Centre.

LineStein Tools aims to make “life a little easier for the hardest working tradesman,” the company’s website said. 

Stephanie Bijl, co-founder of LineStein Tools, explained how the company was developed in 2021.

 “It came up initially with a concept that my co-founder developed while being on site,” Bijil said. 

“He started noticing industrial doors, mostly in oil and gas, being propped open with random objects, barrels, bins, rocks and flanges,” Bijl continued.

Bijl said her co-founder, Darrell Bijl, designed a door stop used on steel-grade platforms to keep doors open.

“It was a concept that he was like, ‘I think there’s a better way to do this that would introduce safety or bring a better safety measure on site and increase professionalism,’ said Bijl. 

Bijl originally heard about the Northern Angel Summit from a friend who suggested her company might be interested in participating.

Bijl said she has previously worked with the hosts of the summit, Northern Innovation Network, so it was easy to find out more about the event. 

According to Mary Mytting, Executive Director of Northern Innovation Network, the summit’s purpose is to help companies access private capital. 

Of the six finalists, the winner will be chosen by “angel investors” who Mytting said are “looking to invest in startup companies.”

The other finalists include Enviro Integration Strategies, Minera Systems, NANOSentinel Technologies, Simply Sweet Games and Stackd by DesignTIME Solutions.

Bijl explained the company’s reaction to being named a top six finalist.

“We’re proud,” she said. “Initially your excited because we’re looking to scale and we want capital investment, so this is now aligned with our vision of where we’re moving.” 

The six companies were selected by Summit Angels Investors after months of founder training, pitch preparation, data room development and real-time pitch events.

A June 9th press release from Northern Innovation Network said the summit was developed to connect founders focused on growth with local investors and “strengthen the investment ecosystem in Northern B.C.” 

Mytting explained the importance of supporting companies that provide services to northern B.C.

“We need to innovate, we need to have innovative companies, we need to have innovative products, we need to have an industry that is growing in northern British Columbia that maybe isn’t part of the resource sector, or maybe it enhances the resource sector,” she said. 

Last year’s winner was a company based out of Prince George, which was described as a “landmark celebration of innovation, entrepreneurship and investment in northern British Columbia. 

“I would speak to the winner last year, that was Open Water Solar, and they have created a solar panel that’s literally about the thinness of a credit card,” she said. 

“That solar panel can be put on drones, it can be put on reefer trucks, and they’re manufacturing that product in Price George, so that’s creating jobs in manufacturing right in our region,” Mytting continued. 

Mytting offered insight on a new addition to the summit.

“This year we’ve actually invited the companies that participated in the summit but maybe didn’t make it to the finale, we’ve got an innovation showcase, so each of them are going to have a show booth where they can show off their technology,” she explained. 

According to Mytting, the summit will also give audience members the opportunity to ask questions of each of the six finalists and to vote for a “people’s choice award” for the finalist they think should win the summit. 

Bijl said she is most excited about the realization that innovation can come from places beyond big cities.

“Innovations and companies that are scaling and doing great things can come from smaller northern communities, just like ours up in northern B.C.,” she said. 

The winner of the summit will receive a $100,000 investment. 

General admission tickets are available on the Northern Angel Summit website and range from $85 to $95.