NB-based Sankara Expands into Halifax

Sankara survived the pandemic by pivoting from catering and in-person events to delivering meal boxes of pre-cooked ethnic food to homes. Now the online multicultural marketplace is expanding into Halifax and seeking new partners.

Saint John-based Sankara is a social enterprise that allows immigrant and refugee chefs, grocers and artisans to sell their products free of charge. Customers pay a

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Appili Moves to TSX Main Board

Appili Therapeutics Inc.’s common shares will begin trading on the main board of the Toronto Stock Exchange on Wednesday, after spending 15 months on the TSX Venture exchange.

The Halifax-based company, which is working on bringing a portfolio of anti-infectious drugs to market, issued a statement Monday saying the change would take place at the start of trading Wednesday. By trading on the main

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Sustainably Stocked Reduces Packaging

Green e-commerce startup Sustainably Stocked is using its home city of Halifax to dial in its marketing and logistics strategies with the goal of later expanding to other Canadian cities.

Co-founders Dessie Maliaka and Adam Olsen sell kitchen staples like almonds, salt and sugar in reusable glass or compostable paper containers to reduce plastic waste.

Maliaka said in an interview that, growing

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MacDonald Wins Mitacs Award

Sheamus MacDonald’s work in protecting fish product supply chains and enhancing the sustainability of fish stocks has been recognized with a Mitacs Entrepreneur Award.

MacDonald, President and Co-Founder of Dartmouth-based Sedna Technologies, has been named Global Impact Entrepreneur by Mitacs, a non-profit that supports Canadian growth and innovation. MacDonald is one of five

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Volta Cohort Seeks Applicants

Volta has opened applications for its next Volta Cohort program, a pitching competition in which Atlantic Canadian tech startups vie for prizes of $25,000 each.

The Halifax-based innovation hub holds the competition every six months, usually dividing $125,000 in prize money among five early-stage startups. The program – which is open to startups from across the region -- was designed to address

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PSG Takes Control of Wagepoint

Wagepoint, a payroll software company that traces its roots to Nova Scotia, is now majority-owned by funds affiliated with Providence Equity Partners following a recapitalization of more than $10 million.

Wagepoint issued a statement late Wednesday that funds advised by Boston-based Providence Strategic Growth, or PSG, the growth equity affiliate of Providence Equity Partners, have invested more

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Genesis Microfund Reaches Halfway Point

St. John’s-based Genesis said this week that it has invested about half of the $775,000 microfund it established last year for members of its Enterprise program.

The Newfoundland and Labrador innovation hub launched the microfund in January, 2019, to provide a boost to startups entering the Enterprise program, which is for companies that are beginning to scale.

The microfund has now provided

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New Fund for Black Entrepreneurs

A new national program that will provide loans, mentorship and other services to Black entrepreneurs has been launched by the federal government.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced funding of nearly $221 million. The federal government will provide almost $93 million over the next four years, and the rest of the funds will come fom eight Canadian financial institutions. 

“The

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ACOA Backs Nexus with $550K

Halifax-based Nexus Robotics has received $550,000 in funding from the federal government to help it bring its weed-picking robot to the market next year.

The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency announced the funding on Wednesday, saying it has helped the company hire an experienced CEO and carry out ongoing field tests.

“The Nexus Robotics team is very appreciative to receive funding from

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Continuing with PPE Supply Chains

Five months after COVID-19 sparked a medical manufacturing collaboration between companies, government and academia, Enginuity’s Alastair Trower sees an opportunity for Canada to permanently strengthen its medical supply chains.

In March, as governments began struggling to source face masks, medical gowns and other supplies, the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency organized a phone call with

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