Tiffany James broke into a broad grin when her company Halifax Hair Extensions won the Pitch101 event at Acadia University on Friday. But she wasn’t through: an hour or two later, she also won the university’s Wes Nicol competition for business plans.

James’ double-win highlighted an afternoon of entrepreneurship in Acadia’s magnificent K.C. Irving Environmental Science Centre. Acadia is too often overlooked in the startup universe in Atlantic Canada. The university’s Entrepreneurship Centre and its Data Centre for Rural Issues are developing some interesting young businesses.

One thing that was apparent at the Pitch 101 event was Acadia’s role in entrepreneurship in the food arena – a huge and underdeveloped market. Several of the pitchers had ideas on producing and distributing food. It meshed nicely with other notable projects at the university and its F5/Food event, a 48-hour Idea Lab taking place next month.

But on Friday, the day belonged to Halifax Hair Extensions, which is an online retail and wholesale distributor of hair extensions, styling tools and hair care products. The company launched this year and has already developed a budding clientele, selling in Nova Scotia and around the world. Now Halifax Hair wants to use the prize money -- $500 from Pitch 101 and $5000 from the Nicol Award – to expand the business and conduct some marketing, especially within Nova Scotia. James will also move on to the national finals of the Nicol Award in Ottawa in March.

“With the investments we received we can advance into the second step in our strategic business plan,” said James in an email over the weekend. “The future of Halifax Hair Extensions is to connect the market of hair stylists, salons, and clients throughout the province of Nova Scotia.”

Second place in Pitch 101 – which is organized by Invest Atlantic – went to David Bethune of Acadian Sea Salt, which is proposing to produce salt from Atlantic Ocean water. Third place was captured by David Howe of Toothbrush Subscriptions, which delivers toothbrushes to clients every two months, thereby developing a client base for an oral health ecommerce site. It already has 100 clients, 90 percent of them in the U.S.

In the Nicol award, the $2,000 second prize went to Chris Moore of South Shore Board Sports, which plans to rent out surf board gear on Nova Scotia’s South Shore.

Justin Kavcic, of Green Tops Contracting captured the $1,000 third prize and Wesley Booth, of Start Up Loft took the $250 fourth prize.