Emera ideaHUB, the Halifax-based early-stage, deeptech incubator, has named 10 startups that have been accepted into its Spring 2026 ideaBUILD program.
Designed to help founders transform ideas into real-world solutions, ideaBUILD supports physical product development. The 10-month program offers founders a $10,000 grant towards prototyping materials, a 12-week bootcamp, and leading industry advisers who work alongside them to validate and build their product’s first operational prototype.
“We’re excited to welcome this talented group of founders into the Emera ideaHUB community for our Spring 2026 cohort,” said Jordan Martin, Program Manager at Emera ideaHUB in a statement. “Each team brings a unique perspective and innovative solution to tackle a real-world problem. We look forward to supporting them as they move from idea to prototype.”
The participants are:
Abbatek Group Inc.: Abdul-Latif Alhassan, Jackie Ray Bauman, Ivo Arrey.
The company provides a microplastics detection ecosystem. Its flagship SaaS platform, MPConnect, uses AI to integrate spectral and image analysis, cutting research time and increasing accuracy. They are currently developing MPDetect, a quantum-enabled sensor to provide real-time, in-field quantification of microplastics for environmental and industrial monitoring.
Aegisnova Inc. Brandon Watson, Elricko Watson
Aegisnova is for patients who take medications that require regular blood test monitoring. With the critical problem of long wait times, travel burden, and delayed results from traditional labs, the product is a pharmacy-based healthcare kiosk with automated blood collection and onsite testing. It provides fast, convenient, clinically reliable results, with optional same-day virtual consultation.
EsseReale Kevin Easom, Muhammad Adeel Ahsan
EsseReale is developing Yo-Go, a next-generation hands-free seated mobility device that uses intelligent self-balancing and intuitive body-based control to make personal movement safer, easier, and more accessible. The venture is focused on bringing advanced robotics into everyday mobility to give people a more natural and independent way to move.
Feedr Steven Kelly
The venture is developing a high-resolution grid monitoring platform that enables electric utilities to detect, classify, and locate electrical disturbances on distribution networks in real time. By turning fast electrical data into actionable insights, the solution helps utilities improve reliability, reduce outage durations, and better manage modern grid challenges such as distributed energy resources.
Locus Fit Jackson Chambers
The company is building self-configuring sensor nodes that eliminate manual workout logging for athletes and coaches. Each “neuron” uses RFID and Motion capture technology to automatically identify equipment, register athletes, and capture every rep. No apps to open, no data to enter. The same device can be strapped to the body to function as a low-cost motion capture system, delivering movement analysis capabilities that currently cost tens of thousands of dollars.
Mulli Swing Solutions Brycen Munroe, Ethan Belliveau, Alex Khoshbakhtian
Mulli Swing has developed sensors that attach to the grip of a golf club, producing data that helps golfers and their coaches analyze the player’s grip and swing.
PetBuddy Rabjot Kaur, Parth Bindra
PetBuddy is an AI-driven smart collar that monitors health, activity, and behavior to detect issues early and strengthen communication between owners and pets.
RespAI Bryce Mulley, Abdulmujeeb Abdulweed
RespAI is an exposure intelligence system for firefighters.
Stroke of Luck, Steve MacDougall, Ross MacDougall, Sarah MacDougall, Hamza Shafi
Stroke of Luck is a health technology company developing AI-powered solutions to improve stroke rehabilitation. Founded and led by stroke survivor Steve MacDougall, the company is driven by lived experience and focused on making high-quality rehabilitation more accessible, effective, and scalable.
Visum Neurotechnologies, Mohammad Habibnezhad
Visum is focused on improving cognitive assessment and intervention in older adults with emphasis on physiological biomarkers using novel technological developments.
