Ecosystem Wish List for 2021

Ideally, my wish list for the Atlantic Canadian startup ecosystem for 2021 would begin with an East Coast angel network.

But I’m growing more pessimistic about an angel network coming to fruition in the near future, so what’s needed this year is to lay the groundwork for an angel network. That means we need to move closer to a regional investment tax credit by improving the lobbying effort for

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Four NL Startups Receive $800K

The governments of Newfoundland and Labrador and Canada last week announced almost $800,000 in financial support for four startups based in St. John’s.

The provincial Department of Industry, Energy and Technology said it would provide more than $535,000 in grants, while the National Research Council’s Industrial Research Assistance Program, or IRAP, is contributing $246,075.

“This support is

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Happy Holidays to our Readers

We're signing off on 2020 with a wish for happy holidays for all our readers. 

We're really looking forward to 2021, and not just because it has to be better than 2020. We're looking at some interesting projects, and will be fascinated to learn how East Coast startups perform during the recovery. 

We'll be taking the next week off and will return with fresh news and insights on Jan. 4. In the

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Interactive Novel Wins School Covid Care Contest

Schools have a new tool to help them handle the pandemic now that Eyeread has named interactive novel Ready R Naught the winner of a contest to create School Covid Care Packages.  

In a collaboration with NSCAD University, Eyeread, a digital literacy company, asked teams of NSCAD students to develop digital care packages that would help children aged 11 to 13 understand and feel part of limiting

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Collaborating To Build a Smart City

Saint John Energy, the municipal utility that sells electricity to residents of greater Saint John, is partnering with several innovation-driven companies in the region with the goal of improving service and profitability.

In November, the company announced it is working with the Liveable Cities division of Halifax-based LED Roadway Lighting on a project that would install sensors in LED

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SeaChange Eyes Production by June

SeaChange Biochemistry, which extracts specialty chemicals from seaweed, is planning to begin production at its new facility in Clark’s Harbour, NS, by June.

Having won or placed prominently in a range of pitching competitions in the last two years, SeaChange got a further financial boost last week when it received a $250,000 loan from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency.

The loan, issued

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Clean Leadership Applicants Sought

Dartmouth-based Clean Foundation is seeking host and student applicants for its Clean Leadership Summer Internship Program, a sustainability-focused youth employment program in Nova Scotia.

The group has partnered with provincial employers to provide nine- and 15-week summer internships in the clean economy. They are interested in projects that improve energy efficiency, define the future

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Job of the Week: Dash Hudson

Our Job of the Week column this week features an opening for a Customer Success Associate at Dash Hudson in Halifax.

Dash Hudson is a visual marketing Software-as-a-Service company that helps its clients increase engagement on their social media. Its software, called Vision, is a one-stop spot for clients to manage, source and engage with the traffic of their photos and videos.

The Job of the

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After Sandpiper, Graham Joins Imaginal

Eight months after being named Investment Principal of Sandpiper Ventures, Danielle Graham has taken two new jobs, becoming a partner of both the Halifax-based business advisory group Imaginal Ventures and the U.S. venture capital group Aligne Capital.

Graham and the Atlantic Canadian female-led investment group parted ways recently, and Sandpiper has brought in Stefanie Corbett, Director of

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