TownSquare Targets Democracy Gap

When Taylor Quinn chatted with Premier Stephen McNeil last November, he didn’t know the discussion would soon lead to the launch of a startup in Toronto to encourage greater participation in democracy.

Quinn is a Dalhousie University student and serial entrepreneur, and he’s co-founder of TownSquare, which aims to encourage a more meaningful discussion between politicians and government officials on one hand and the general public on the other.

“TownSquare sets out to democratize democracy by encouraging dialogue between government officials and citizens,” Quinn said in a phone

Continue Reading

Mycodev Raises $500K from NBIF

The interesting thing about the $500,000 financing of Mycodev Group announced on Wednesday is the company is working with other startups to develop a whole new niche market.

Mycodev’s development will depend to some extent on how quickly these clients can increase demand for the Fredericton company’s product – high-quality chitosan.

“We have some really great early adopters,” said CEO

Continue Reading

Philip LeBlanc: Artist-Turned-Maker

Designer Philip LeBlanc could probably make his living from his art, but the founder of the Fredericton Makerspace focuses on design because he believes improving it will transform our lives.

“Design is essentially making decisions and acting on them; I think design should play a larger role in innovation,” said LeBlanc, an interdisciplinary designer whose skills include graphic design and

Continue Reading

Alston Kicks Butt at Kiras

David Alston was crowned Industry Champion at the KIRA Awards in Fredericton last night, recognized for his contribution to the innovation community in the province.

The Chief Innovation Officer of Introhive and Radian6 alumnus has become an eloquent campaigner for the new economy in New Brunswick. He is one of the founders of Brilliant Labs, which is increasing technical education in public

Continue Reading

Clean Simple Plots Growth in Ottawa

When Michael Brown discussed the $300,000 in funding that cleaning company Clean Simple is closing, he wanted to highlight that part of the investment came from the parents of one of his cleaners.

“We thought it was fantastic,” the CEO said in an interview Tuesday. “Our slogan is that we focus on our cleaners so they can focus on you, and this speaks volumes for the relationship we have.”

The Halifax company started last year when Brown and co-founder Matt Cooper devised the theory that homeowners would book cleaners and pay for them online if the service was good enough. They’ve proven

Continue Reading

CyberPsyc Breaks Into US Market

With its list of clients growing, CyberPsyc Software Solutions has broken into the lucrative U.S. market.

The five-year-old Fredericton startup, whose software helps organizations improve the mental health of this members, has secured HCL America, an IT consulting and services company, as its first corporate client. And Founder and CEO Darren Piercey said CyberPsyc, which so far has been

Continue Reading

Press Release: TechImpact Launches

The New Brunswick Information Technology Council has issued the following press release:

New Brunswick Information Technology Council Re-launches and Re-brands as TechImpact

Fredericton—The New Brunswick Information Technology Council (NBITC) announced today it is re-launching and re-branding as TechImpact. The private-sector group is made up of the top leaders from Information Communications Technology companies from New Brunswick and increasingly throughout the Maritimes.

“The technology sector holds tremendous potential for Eastern Canada. By embracing technology in everything we

Continue Reading

BlueLight Partners with 3M Division

BlueLight Analytics has secured another major distribution partner for its main product, which helps dentists ensure they use optimal energy when curing the resin in fillings.

3M ESPE, a Canadian division of the American conglomerate The 3M Co., announced Tuesday it has partnered with BlueLight to distribute the Halifax company’s checkMARC product across Canada.

Developed from an idea generated at Dalhousie University, checkMARC addresses a sizable problem in modern dentistry. Dentists make more than half their income from resin-based fillings, but have never been able to ensure they

Continue Reading

GoFullSteam Is Free For NS Clients

Emily Richardson has taken Ray Ivany’s targets to heart.

Richardson is the Founder and CEO of Halifax-based GoFullSteam, a startup developing a series of tools that can help small businesses plan and execute the early stages of their development. The online product includes tools that help business people with their pitches, their business plans and their financial projections.

Richardson and her team – CTO Deepika Agarwal and Director of Community Ben Boudreau -- were struck by the Ivany Report, which called for private sector leadership in lifting Nova Scotia out of its economic

Continue Reading

Press Release: DNS, HCC Team Up

Digital Nova Scotia, the association representing ICT in the province, issued the following press release:

Digital Nova Scotia and Halifax Convention Centre Form New Partnership to Attract National and International ICT Events

HALIFAX, May 5, 2015 – Digital Nova Scotia (DNS), the industry association for the Province’s fastest growing sector, and the Halifax Convention Centre (HCC) announced a partnership this morning to attract national and international Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and ICT-related events to Halifax. The two organizations have been developing a

Continue Reading