Last night, the third InnovateNB celebration honoured innovators from New Brunswick’s economy and heard a keynote address by new premier Susan Holt.
The awards ceremoney in Moncton was preceded by an afternoon of wide-ranging discussions with an emphasis on AI.
"This year, we are especially proud to highlight our trailblazers in AI, whose achievements exemplify resilience, creativity, and the economic power of cutting-edge technology,” said Cathy Simpson, CEO of TechImpact, a founding organization.
“Through their stories and accomplishments, we are reminded of our collective potential and leave inspired to contribute to New Brunswick’s growth as a hub for innovation."
Holt, who became New Brunswick's first female premier earlier this month, was a familar face to the innovation community as she previously held several positions in the public and private sectors supporting the province's startups. "This really feels like a bit of a homecoming for me," she said, adding that one of her first jobs was with Chalk Media, a startup that exited in 2009.
Holt noted the need to channel more investment into startups and said she wanted to improve the province's Small Business Investor Tax Credit. She would also like to see the federal government modernize its Scientific Research and Experimental Development, or SR&ED, tax credit, which was introduced decades ago.
At the ceremony, InnovateNB also announced three new members of its Hall of Fame: Sandy Bird, Chris Newton, and Brian Flood (who passed away earlier this year), three co-founders of Q1 Labs. Their pioneering cybersecurity company was launched during the dotcom boom of the 1990s and later sold out to IBM, reportedly for more than $600 million.
The InnovateNB winners were:
Emerging Innovator
Farough Motasemi – Anessa Biogas Software
Most Innovative Product or Service
Productivity Improvement by Adopting Technology
Public Sector Award for Innovation
Economic Impact Through Innovation
Most Innovative Startup
Diversity and Inclusion Champion
Collège Communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick
Innovation in Academia and Research
Dr. Shelley Doucet, Centre for Research in Integrated Care, University of New Brunswick
Innovation Champion
Innovators to Watch
Pascale Michaud, AgroGene Solutions
Tricia Hayes, Loch Lomond Villa Foundation
Dr. Trevor Robin Hanson, University of New Brunswick
Cyndhi Nai-Omi Carrasco Delgado, Wow Creators
Rebecca McSheffery, Pond-Deshpande Centre
Dizolve Group Corporation
Houlie Duque, HomeschoolToGo By GHP Scholastic Inc
Dr. Dodick Gasser, Innov - CCNB
Kara LeBlanc, MedReddie
The InnovateNB Celebration and Awards was founded by a group of organizations. As well as TechImpact, these include the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation (NBIF), the McKenna Institute at the University of New Brunswick, Propel, as well as local economic development partners in Saint John, Moncton and Fredericton. This year’s partner is the Southeast Regional Service Commission.
