AVSS Wins FAA Nod

Rothesay, New Brunswick-based Aerial Vehicle Safety Solutions has won approval from the United States’ Federal Aviation Administration for its parachute systems to be used as a “means of compliance” for drone operators to meet legal requirements related to safety equipment.

In particular, AVSS said in a statement its system can be used to comply with the FAA’s “flight over people” rules for

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Genesis CEO Michelle Simms Bows Out

Michelle Simms, the longtime CEO of Newfoundland and Labrador startup hub Genesis is stepping down from the role, she announced Tuesday.

Simms, who has worked at Genesis for 22 years and been Chief Executive since 2016, said in a social media post that she is leaving the role to pursue another, as-yet-undisclosed opportunity, with her last day on the job slated to be May 24.

“Undoubtedly, the

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PolyUnity Renews Ottawa Children’s Hospital Contract

PolyUnity has signed a five-year deal with the Ottawa-based Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, or CHEO, building on a 2022 and 2023 trial that saw 460 damaged pieces of equipment repaired with the St. John’s startup’s 3D printing technology.

CHEO said in a statement that supply chain woes, including problems obtaining parts for existing equipment, is leading it to turn to innovation-focused

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Kraken Posts Record Revenue Once More

For the second quarter in a row, St. John’s-based Kraken Robotics has posted record revenue figures, revealing it brought in $28 million for the three months ended Dec. 31, a 218 percent increase over the same quarter the year prior.

Seventy percent of that revenue came from product sales, Kraken said in a statement, and 30 percent from its service business. The company’s revenue guidance for

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CDL Atlantic Open for Applications

Creative Destruction Lab Atlantic is looking for applicants for its two programs for the 2024-2025 season.

The Atlantic Canadian branch of the Toronto-based organization operates two programs each winter: the Prime Stream, which is open to companies in any sector; and the Oceans Stream for bluetech companies.

CDL is a nine-month, milestone-based accelerator that operates in six countries. The

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Clean Valley Plans “Hardware-as-a-Service” Model

When Halifax’s Clean Valley CIC closes its current funding round, it hopes to have $1.5 million to help pay for up-front production costs as it looks to transition to a “hardware-as-a-service” revenue model.

“Instead of having our customer pay a large capital cost, they’ll pay much smaller, monthly, incremental fees,” Founder Nicholas LaValle said in an interview Wednesday. “And the reason why

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DOT Moves to Larger Manufacturing Space

Dartmouth Ocean Technologies, or DOT, has moved into new office and manufacturing space on Brownlow Avenue in Dartmouth, as CEO Arnold Furlong looks to scale the company in response to strong demand for its environmental DNA monitoring tech.

One driver behind DOT’s expansion plans is a $1 million deal with the Department of National Defence to develop an environmental DNA, or eDNA, monitoring

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Tribe to Host Pitch Competition

Halifax-based Tribe Network will host a pitch competition, dubbed Innovate and Elevate, for Black founders from across Atlantic Canada on May 23.

Shortlisted entrepreneurs will deliver three-minute pitches with the help of six-slide pitch decks, and will receive feedback on their businesses and pitching skills. The winner will also receive a $600 Visa gift card.

“Designed for entrepreneurs at

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Özge Yeloğlu Named Propel Chair

Virtual startup accelerator Propel has a new Chair, CIBC executive Özge Yeloğlu, along with three new board members.

Yeloğlu, who is now CIBC’s Vice President of Advanced Analytics and AI, previously held senior roles at Microsoft and is a Founding Partner of Atlantic Canadian female-focused venture capital shop Sandpiper Ventures. She replaces outgoing Chair Jeff White, CEO of the New Brunswick

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