The University of New Brunswick held the virtual demo day Thursday for its Summer Institute accelerator, with five companies pitching.
Most startup accelerators teach lean methodology to innovation-driven businesses. The Summer Institute takes a different tack by seeking to back companies with positive social and environmental impacts.
Eight companies originally enrolled in the 13-week program, with five successfully finishing.
“We’ve had some tough times, but we’ve had some fun,” said Joe Allen, Managing Director of UNB’s Accelerator Programs, during the demo day. “The way I see it is, you can’t build a diamond without some pressure.”
Based out of UNB’s J. Herbert Smith Centre for Technology Management and Entrepreneurship, known as TME, the Summer Institute teaches sales, marketing, and customer validation skills. It has previously accepted companies from other countries, but the entire 2021 cohort is headquartered in New Brunswick.
The five companies that pitched were:
Irtiza Khan, Minh Nguyen, Moneeb Kassimi, and Roy McIntosh
Tutor on Time is a matching service to pair students with freelance tutors, including on short notice. The company aims to differentiate itself by offering shorter wait times than other tutoring platforms and save money by not employing full-time tutors.
Vivera Natural Cosmetics
Mariam Ismail
Vivera is manufacturing natural cosmetics products, drawing on founder Ismail’s expertise as a pharmacist. The company’s products include a Moroccan-style paste soap traditionally used in steam baths.
Emily Durling
Soul Star sells essential oils, with a plan to eventually switch to reusable bottles that customers will pay to refill.
Amy Andrews, Bridget McCloskey, and David Itoafa
Lifetrack originally set out to develop advanced life jackets for fishers. Since then, it has pivoted to develop a safety app for general audiences, which will include features such as the ability for parents to track the movements of their children.
Emilie Patterson
Founder Patterson started by selling herbs for use in herbal remedies via an Etsy store, with the quantities small enough to be shipped as letter mail. To improve the financial viability of the business, she has added other offerings, such as teas and herbal starter packs.
