Six winners of the annual Spark Nova Scotia competition for rural, coastal and edtech startups were announced during an event Tuesday, beating out 64 other applicants.

The winning companies in each of three regions — Cape Breton, Nova Scotia North and Nova Scotia Southwest — received $50,000 each, while the second place finishers received $40,000.

Spark is organized by the Nova Scotia

The information economy is Halifax’s fastest-growing employer, though the university programs that feed skilled workers into the innovation ecosystem have seen their student bodies decrease, according to the Halifax Partnership economic development group’s 2024 Halifax Index.

The report, which defines industries based on the North American Industry Classification System used by Canada, the

Tribe Network, the Halifax-based startup support organization for BIPOC founders, has announced funding of $500 to $1,000 for BIPOC entrepreneurs via its Start Small grants.

The grants are one-time, but also come with mentorship and educational programming, as well as networking events. To be eligible, companies must be at least one-third owned by a BIPOC founder and have less than $5,000 of

Earlier this month, top brass from the marine industry, including both international and regional players, met in Halifax to discuss the future of electrification and the role Atlantic Canada could play.

The verdict, according to moderator Brent Dancey of national research non-profit Oceans North, was clear: with Norway and the United Kingdom having emerged as early frontrunners in the marine

Invest Nova Scotia is seeking bluetech, advanced manufacturing and electric vehicle companies to join a trade mission to Biloxi, Mississippi for the SEUS-CP Business Forum from Aug. 4 to 6.

The forum, its name being short for the Southeastern United States and Canadian Provinces, is primarily aimed at facilitating business development for small- and medium-sized companies, with an emphasis on

Eight months after it launched its product in the United States and four months after winning Health Canada approval, Halifax- and Toronto-based MIMOSA Diagnostics has closed a funding round for an undisclosed amount, led by California’s Kern Venture Group.

Also included in the round were Kindling Venture Partners, another California company, Vancouver’s Spring Impact Capital, Toronto-based

The Nova Scotia Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture and non-profit Efficiency Nova Scotia have announced a $6.5 million, three-year funding program to bolster electrification in the seafood industry, including through a demonstration study with Halifax-based Glas Ocean Electric.

Dubbed the Fisheries and Aquaculture Energy Efficiency Innovation Fund, the money is earmarked for research and

Rise, the Fredericton B-Corp specializing in sustainable home renovation materials, has signed what CEO Matt Daigle hopes will be a series of marketing partnerships with the stars of home improvement TV shows.

In an interview Monday, Daigle said a recently announced deal with HGTV host Bryan Baeumler — who is also now a shareholder — is the first salvo in a new strategy of marketing Rise via

Entrepreneurs and investors gathered at the Halifax Convention Centre last week for the Atlantic Venture Forum, in what organizers at the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency described as a bid to foster bridge-building between the East Coast startup ecosystem and key players from outside the region.

The innovators that gathered on Argyle Street last week did so amidst a regional funding

Virtual startup accelerator Propel has named six companies participating in its Validation program for very early-stage founders.

The course focuses on teaching new entrepreneurs how to validate their business ideas and follow lean startup methodology in preparation for Propel’s other, more advanced programming. The organization recommends Validation for companies earning less than $1,000 of