New Minas, N.S.-based Elle, MD Biotechnologies has been recognized in the Emerging Category of the national CIX Startup Awards run by Toronto-based Elevate.

The awards are the largest national showcase of innovative tech companies, the group said in an announcement. Selected by a committee of more than 100 North American investors, the awards program is intended to bring promising startups at both early and growth stages to a global audience of active investors.

Headed by Dr. Jennifer Johnston, Elle, MD is developing a user-controlled contraceptive that’s free from pain, procedures, and hormones. Johnston, who founded the company in 2022, is a family physician and assistant professor at Dalhousie University School of Medicine.

This year’s CIX Startup Award winners represented various industries, including climate technology, renewable energy, medtech, fintech, e-commerce, security, big data, and software. Winners were selected from more than 370 applicants and reviewed by 94 leading North American investors, organizers said

In October last year, Elle, MD received a $100, 000 investment from Invest NS, matching an investment from the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation earlier in the year. In 2024, the company participated in Creative Destruction Lab Atlantic. CDL is a nine-month, milestone-based accelerator that operates in six countries. The program, which does not charge founders a participation fee or take equity, is divided into a series of five meetings over nine months, with an emphasis on entrepreneurs setting and then meeting key growth objectives.

On March 25, the company will present at the CIX Summit at the Design Exchange in Toronto, connecting with 600-plus investors, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders from across the continent.