CoLab Software Raises C$28.6M

St. John’s-based CoLab Software has raised a US$21 million, or C$28.6 million, Series B funding round led by New York’s Insight Partners, with plans to use the money for a commercialization push and “big swings” on AI.

The raise comes on the back of tenfold revenue growth since CoLab raised its Series A in 2021, CEO Adam Keating said in a statement posted to social media. The latest deal also

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Volta to Host Pitch Competition May 28

Halifax startup hub Volta will hold its next quarterly Virtual Pitch Competition May 28.

The competitions offer budding founders the chance to practice giving a three-minute pitch to a panel of judges. Winners are chosen based solely on the quality of their pitches, not the quality of their companies.

Victorious entrepreneurs will receive a $500 Visa gift card. 

Volta says on its website that

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NovaResp Raises $3M

NovaResp, the Halifax developer of technology for treating sleep apnea, has raised a $3 million seed extension round that CEO Hamed Hanafi expects to fund the company through completion of its clinical trials.

The deal builds on a $2 million round NovaResp closed in Dec. 2022 and is led by board member Dr. Neil Smith, along with returning investors Concrete Ventures and  Invest Nova Scotia.

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UpBeing Aims for Responsible Alternative to Social Media

A Halifax startup is aiming to create an online platform that leverages the positive, community-oriented aspects of social media without relying on manipulative engagement-boosting practices or monetizing users’ personal data.

Chief Executive Sam Daviau described UpBeing Tuesday as “social, but not social media,” quoting from ads the company is running, ironically, on social media. He and

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Seven Pitch at Volta, CDL Investor Day

Seven companies pitched at Halifax startup hub Volta’s spring Investment Day event Tuesday, which it hosted in collaboration with accelerator Creative Destruction Lab Atlantic.

The event gave pre-vetted seed-stage and Series A companies the chance to pitch to an audience of funders and industry players from both inside and outside Atlantic Canada, followed by opportunities to meet with

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Ocean Startup Project Seeks Idea Challenge Applicants

The national industry group Ocean Startup Project is looking for applicants to Ocean Idea Challenge, which offers young companies up to $7,000 of funding, as well as training and support services.

The Idea Challenge is a milestone-based accelerator program for entrepreneurs working on customer discovery and product-market fit, and for top-performing companies. It feeds into the more advanced

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CareerBeacon Announces Bursaries

Moncton-based online recruitment and talent management website CareerBeacon has announced a set of 10 bursaries worth a combined $25,000 for first-year post-secondary students, including $10,000 earmarked specifically for students in the trades.

The YearOne bursaries are a joint project with clothing brand East Coast Lifestyle and residential heating company Wilsons. Last year, the program

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Planetary Cracks XPRIZE Top 20

Halifax-based Planetary Technologies has cracked the top 20 finalists for the US$100 million Carbon Removal XPRIZE startup competition, building on a prior, $1 million interim award the company won in 2022.

Founded in Ottawa in 2019, Planetary has developed a system to convert alkaline rocks left over from mining operations into a substance called bicarbonate, which it plans to release into

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