Two Atlantic Canadian companies, EmployNXT and StarLuv, are among the 20 joining the 2024 cohort of Calgary-based Movement51’s Founder Lab training program for female founders preparing to raise capital.

Movement51, the non-profit arm of The51 venture capital shop, aims the Founder Lab program at entrepreneurs planning to raise up to $1.5 million within about six to eight months. The 11-week program is delivered via a hybrid of in-person and online content and culminates with a demo day in Alberta.

“What’s the importance of a data room, a five-year forecast, and investment-ready pitch deck?” says Movement51 on its website. “From mock investment scenarios to calculating your pro-forma cap tables, we’re here to demystify the entire fundraising journey.”

Co-founded by CEO Shubhra Singh, Purvasha Dewanjee and Rajat Budhiraja, EmployNXT works by matching job applicants with employers based partly on skills testing, with information such as applicants’ race and gender concealed to prevent it from influencing hiring decisions.

Singh originally envisaged EmployNXT as a LinkedIn group for women in the technology sector who wanted to share advice and resources when she started in the industry in the early 2000s. 

It was after she arrived in Halifax in 2021 to pursue a master’s degree in technology entrepreneurship at Saint Mary’s University that Singh began collaborating with her two current business partners, Purvasha Dewanjee and Rajat Budhiraja — both of whom joined in 2023, the year after Singh incorporated the business. Dewanjee is a veteran AI salesperson and graduate of the same degree program as Singh, while Budhiraja is a longtime tech executive based in Toronto.

Now, Singh’s team has developed an artificial intelligence system to help match employers with job applicants based on the AI’s assessment of their abilities and preferences, with the aim of reducing the opportunities for bias to creep into employers’ decisions.

Starluv, meanwhile, is an online marketplace on which users can buy and sell pre-owned clothing and accessories. Founded by Adilya Dragan in 2021 and based in St. John’s, N.L., the company’s brand messaging leans on the sustainability and social benefits of reselling clothing. Earlier this year, the company joined online startup incubator Propel’s Traction and Growth program for companies looking to scale their sales, following up on its graduation from Newfoundland startup hub Genesis’ Evolution program.