Atlantic Canadian startups are finishing the year with a flourish of fundraising, pushing the total amount of equity capital placed in young innovative companies in 2012 up over $50 million, spread across more than 45 companies. 

That $50 million figure isn’t the total for the whole year, as I’ve heard that a few other announcements are in the works before we’re all singing Auld Lang Syne. It’s simply the amount that entrepreneurs have reported to Entrevestor this year.

I try to track the investments into these young tech, biotech, cleantech and whatever-tech companies, and compiling

SimplyCast, the Dartmouth-based multi-channel marketing company, today will unveil its new Canadian data centre in Toronto, which will allow it offer enhanced communications services to large Canadian organizations, including governments.

The data centre will give SimplyCast clients the option of storing their company and client data completely in Canada, which is becoming increasingly necessary for Canadian organizations due to Canada’s relatively  strict privacy laws . Many government agencies and universities are required to keep data within Canada's borders.

“This is a huge deal for

Equals6, the Halifax-based social network linking students and potential employers, has formed a partnership with a Nevada-based network for student interns as part of its strategy to target growth in the United States.

The Halifax company said in a statement it had struck a partnership with YouTern, an online community that helps students seek internships and meet mentors, especially in the Silicon Valley area. By working together, Equals6 and YouTern can share content, reach more students and offer each other’s products to their clientele.

 “At Equals6, we are constantly looking for

Precipice Capital of Dartmouth said Wednesday it has hired Philip Bassil, a former managing director of BSM Global Partners Inc., who will be joining the firm as Managing Director, Power & Utilities.

“I was fortunate enough to have had the experience of collaborating with Phil on a previous project which gave me a first-hand look at his dedication to his clients and his craft,” said Precipice President Chris Dobbin in a statement. “His skill set is well-suited for our firm as we continue to build Atlantic Canada’s leading independent bank and corporate finance firm.”

Dobbin established

Our startup community has a problem: too many young companies are looking for too much money. Strategic investment is becoming part of the solution.

There are literally dozens of companies in the region that have raised a few hundred thousand in seed funding and now need $2 million or more (sometimes a lot more) in follow-on funding to finance the rollout of their main product. My estimate is that there will be demand for more than $100 million over the next two years.

Most of these companies are hoping to tap investment from venture capital funds, but the region’s startups are on track

The New Brunswick Innovation Foundation announced yesterday that the total prize value of its Breakthru competition – which assesses the business plans of embryonic companies -- has risen to a total of as much as $406,000, making it the largest competition of its kind in Canada.

The NBIF and the law firm Cox & Palmer are staging the fourth bi-annual Breakthru competition, which assesses viable business ideas and teams’ ability to plot out their development and then execute on the plans. No business is too early for the competition, the entries for which close on Dec. 20.

The foundation

Our Guest Columnist today is Ian Cavanagh, Chief Executive Officer of Ambir Co., founding Chairman of the NB IT Council and Member of the New Brunswick Business Council. Ian is also a mentor with Launch36. This article has appeared already on the Ambir website and in the Telegraph Journal of Saint John.

 

As we head towards the end of another year, ongoing economic uncertainty faces both businesses and governments around the globe.  We are reminded daily of the challenging fiscal climate we are experiencing here in New Brunswick.  The picture that gets painted is a bleak one, lacking

Clarity, the Moncton-based startup that connects entrepreneurs with advisers around the world, has announced a $1.6 million round of investment, which is a key step in founder Dan Martell’s plan to develop a multinational company over the next decade or so.

The financing includes investment by two Silicon Valley venture capital funds that backed Halifax-based co-browsing sensation GoInstant, as well as a range of funds and individuals from across North America. While it is one of the largest VC deals in the region this year, it is most notable because of the quality of investor.

The founders of Execute Skate, a Halifax startup developing an app for skateboarders, are casting an eye to California so they can work with the best tech experts — and skateboarders — in the world.

The quartet of entrepreneurs met in September when they enrolled in Dalhousie University’s Lean Startup course, which teaches entrepreneurship by having students start a business. They began to devise a piece of hardware that attaches to the bottom of a skateboard and monitors what tricks the skateboarder is performing. This is accompanied by software that shows the data on a mobile device,

Adeptio, a Charlottetown Software-as-a-Service company aiming to improve wellness and productivity, has closed a $500,000 round of seed financing and is working on plans to raise more than $2 million from venture capital investors next year.

The company was spun out of Fredericton-based tech consultancy SwiftRadius in July with seven employees. In just four months, it has gained traction, secured corporate clients, hired three more employees, and continues to add features to its personal achievement software.

“We have nine companies on board and a very active (sales) funnel — quality