NS Injects $40M into Innovacorp Fund

The Nova Scotia First Fund, Innovacorp’s fund for early stage investments in Nova Scotia, is receiving $40 million in capital to ensure it can continue funding companies for the next few years.

The Nova Scotia government announced Thursday it would contribute $29 million in fresh capital to the fund, which was known to be running out of money. It also said it would transfer $11 million from an

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Planting Seed$ for Young Founders

A group of 100 businesspeople and entrepreneurs will soon come together in the 100 Entrepreneurs: Planting Seed$ event that aims to nurture Nova Scotia’s youth and provide one lucky young entrepreneur with $10,000 in investment.

It’s the second year for the Planting Seed$ event, which was created to give young entrepreneurs a chance to start and/or grow a viable business in Nova Scotia, said

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MacKenzie Wins BioInnovation Event

MacKenzie Healthcare Technologies of Musquodoboit Harbour, N.S., won the BioInnovation Challenge on Wednesday for ParaGlide, a device that can help wheelchair users reposition themselves.

In winning the region’s main life sciences pitching competition, MHT will take home $15,000 in seed funding and an advisory services package worth more than $30,000, including legal, PR, accounting, sales and

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Dadavan Beta-Tests Cultural Codex

Dadavan Systems, the Nova Scotian company that has developed educational software for First Nations schools, is now beta-testing its latest product, which helps communities share and preserve their heritage.

Waverley-based Davavan works with First Nations education by providing databases that track students’ attendance and marks, as well as curriculum requirements and lesson plans. Now the

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A Digital Society Starts with Mindset

Taavi Kotka can describe a digital society in which 98 percent of government business is paperless, everyone is identified and connected on line, and people can contribute to the country even if they don’t live in it.

He can describe it because he lives in such a place.

Kotka is the Chief Information Officer of Estonia, a former Soviet republic that has been a pioneer in digitizing government

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Verisk Buys Halifax’s Analyze Re

Analyze Re, a Halifax company whose software-as-a-service product helps reinsurers assess risk, has exited by selling out to Jersey City, N.J.-based data analytics company Verisk Analytics, Inc. for an undisclosed price.

People familiar with the deal said the price was in the $15 million to $20 million range. It meant that the investors in the company’s lone round of funding, in November 2012,

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Marcato Launches Latest Product

After its business grew by about two-thirds in the last year, Marcato Digital Solutions this month released its most recent new feature, which it calls Maracto Live.

Based in Sydney, Marcato provides organizational software to music festival organizers around the world. The Software-as-a-Service platform was used in 240 music festivals this past summer, up from 143 a year earlier.

Now Marcato

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Job of the Week: Smart Energy Event

Our Job of the Week column this week is showcasing an opportunity for a marketing coordinator with the Smart Energy conference.

Smart Energy is a greater Atlantic region conference for the smart, renewable and conventional energy sectors. Held each spring, it allows delegates to collaborate and discuss trends in smart energy options for today's energy consumer.

Smart Energy, formerly known as

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Eigen Unveils Product at Dell Event

Eigen innovations Inc., a Fredericton company specializing in the Industrial Internet of Things, or IIot, has unveiled its Eigen Quality Workbench, a software product that optimizes quality control in industrial manufacturing. 

The company, which has been working with large partners in and outside Atlantic Canada, issued a statement Thursday saying the Quality Workbench is designed to help

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