Two New Brunswick startups – Seafarer AI and Vartis Space – have been accepted into the inaugural cohort of Vimy Forge, a new defence-focused accelerator that has just received $1 million in federal funding.

The federal government issued a press release Monday announcing that the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) will provide $997,000 to the Fredericton-based accelerator through the government's Regional Defence Investment Initiative.

Recently launched, Vimy Forge targets early-stage Canadian startups developing technologies aligned with the priorities of the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces. The organization says its program is designed to help founders navigate defence-specific challenges such as capability development, procurement processes, compliance requirements, and long-term adoption within the military.

“Vimy Forge is answering a clear call to build more of Canada’s defence and security capability at home,” Duncan McSporran, founding partner at Vimy Forge Corp., said in the federal government’s statement. “By supporting Canadian innovators at the earliest stages, we are helping turn world-class ideas into deployable solutions that strengthen our sovereignty, reinforce our industrial base, and contribute to long-term economic resilience.”

The initial cohort – named Black Flight in honour of an all-Canadian squadron from the Royal Naval Air Service during the First World War –includes the two New Brunswick companies as well as startups from British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec.

Based in Saint John, Seafarer AI uses advanced sensor networks, artificial intelligence and data analytics to enhance operations in such areas as port security, environmental monitoring, and maritime intelligence. Led by CEO Ian Wilms, the company was selected in September to lead a $964,000 Ocean Supercluster project focused on applying AI to port dredging.

Led by serial entrepreneur Norm Couturier, Vartis Space has developed a universal timekeeping system capable of synchronizing time on the Moon, Mars and elsewhere in space. The company, which is headquartered in Fredericton and Milton, Ont., says its mission is to deliver an inclusive and advanced interstellar timekeeping system for the global space community.

The Regional Defence Investment Initiative is designed to deliver $357.7 million to defence industries over three years through Canada’s regional development agencies, including ACOA. Of that total, $38.2 million will be allocated to the Atlantic Canadian agency.