The Atlantic Canada Cleantech Scale-up and Investment Challenge is looking for would-be investors to participate in a 10-week training program and eventually back the winners of its 21-company healthtech and cleantech startup competitions.

Organized by Vancouver-based angel network Spring, Imaginal Ventures, Halo Health, Foresight Canada and the Nova Scotia Health Innovation Hub, the challenge is notable because it aims to develop not just innovative new businesses, but also Canada’s talent pool on the investor side, with participants receiving a crash course in the basics of angel investing. Accredited investors must be prepared to invest $10,000 in the company that wins the startup competition portion of Spring’s initiative, while non-accredited investors can start with as little as $2,500, and participation is open to anyone with the capital to join.

The program will run from January to March and offer both entrepreneurs and investors a series of five weekly training sessions about the process of fundraising and related skills, as well as individualized support. Topics covered will include skills like due diligence, negotiating and structuring deals, but also more specialized training about how to objectively evaluate the impact component of impact investing.

“The Atlantic Canada Impact Investment Challenge is the latest in a series of Impact Investor Challenge programs run by Spring and its partners,” says Spring, with the partners this time including entities like NRC-IRAP and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, among others.

“You'll receive the resources and support you need to start connecting your capital directly to entrepreneurial solutions you care about - regardless of your impact investing experience.”

The winning companies will be announced following a demo day in March. You can learn more and apply to participate as an investor here.

Let's start with a look at the cleantech companies participating:

Nditive3D
St. John’s
Nditive3D is developing a digital twin system for monitoring gas leaks in maritime settings.

KorrAI
Halifax
KorrAI is working on a data-as-a-service platform that consolidates geological data into digital maps for use by mining companies.

Rayleigh Solar Tech
Halifax
Rayleigh is developing perovskite solar panels -- a novel design of solar cell that uses a crystalline structure similar to the mineral perovskite.

Drinkable
Halifax
Drinkable has developed a device that is smaller than a smartphone and tests water for about a dozen common contaminants, such as lead, arsenic and uranium.

Anessa
Fredericton
Anessa is a software company whose products improve the efficiency of organizations converting waste to energy. Its software supports decisions on complex project design and operating conditions for anaerobic digestion facilities.

PLAEX Building Systems
Dieppe, NB
Plaex uses waste material to create bricks used in construction. The sustainable building materials involve an innovative interlocking system which was designed to address environmental challenges created by current building practices.

Collaskins, formally 3F Waste Recovery
St. John’s
3F Waste Recovery is a life sciences manufacturer focused on converting fisheries and natural resource waste into natural food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical ingredients. Its Collaskins product is a brand of pet treats made from cod skins.

And here’s a look at the healthtech companies:

DeCell Technologies
Halifax
DeCell is best known for DermGEN, a natural scaffolding made from donated human skin, which can be placed over an ulcer to encourage the regeneration of skin cells and keep the wound clean to avoid infection.

AIMA
Vancouver
AIMA has developed a vaginal suppository that uses non-psychoactive cannabinoids to control period pain.

Amp Health
St. John’s
Amp Health created software called Minimol for helping to reverse type II pre-diabetes.

Au Naturel Solutions
P.E.I.
Au Naturel is building a breast prosthesis made from natural and environmentally friendly materials. Unlike conventional prosthetics, it will not require a specialized bra.

CleanBands
Charlottetown
CleanBands is a system for tracking hand washing compliance for service workers and their employers.

Hollo Medical
Halifax
HOLLO is developing a spacer for use with asthma inhalers that is small enough to fit in a child’s pocket.

InkWell Health
Halifax
InkWell is developing a remote patient monitoring system for orthopaedic surgeons.

MeddAI
St. John’s
MeddAI has developed cancer-screening software efficient enough to be run on a Raspberry Pi — a tiny, single-board computer that costs less than $100.

MIMOSA Diagnostics
Halifax and Toronto
MIMOSA is developing a handheld device to identify wounds like bedsores via ultraviolet light before they become visible to the naked eye.

Mobia Health Innovations
St. John’s and Halifax
A sister company to software business Mobia Technology Innovations, MOBIA Health sells software for cardiologists, ER doctors and medical offices for triage and scheduling.

NeoCare
Halifax
NeoCare is building a device to non-invasively, painlessly and instantly detect diseases in newborns, including anemia, jaundice and hypoxia.

Parados
Fredericton
Parados is developing a hardware and software suite that will track athlete’s behaviour and body movement to help predict injuries or underperformance before they happen.

Dr. Gordon’s Bum Cream, formally Scotiaderm
Port Williams, N.S.
Gordon has developed a fast-acting, complex compounded skin cream to treat infectious or non-infectious Candidal Intertrigo, which is an inflammatory skin rash that can occur when skin contacts moisture.

PragmaClin Research
St. John’s
PragmaClin is building solutions to allow for remote medical assessments of people with movement disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease.