A New Brunswick committee that includes both candidates for premier in the coming provincial election is calling for a regional equity tax credit to help fund startups and improve innovation in the region.

The New Brunswick Research and Innovation Council on Wednesday released its 2013-2014 annual report, which called for the development of a more entrepreneurial and tech-savvy society. Among its many recommendations, the council calls for a regional tax incentive that would allow investors in one province to invest in companies in another.

“The Government of New Brunswick should help

Startup Empire, a new conference aimed at educating founders and employees of startups, will take place Sept. 23 in Halifax.

Milan Vrekic, the Executive Director of the Volta Labs and the organizer of the conference, said Startup Empire will feature a range of top-flight speakers from the tech and startup world who can advise young companies on the path to success.

“This conference will not be a typical cheer-leading conference,” said Vrekic, who recently announced he will soon leave Volta. “The focus will be on learning. We want all the startups to understand where they are right now

Code Kids, a documentary on the movement to teach computer coding to Atlantic Canadian school children, will air on CBC television Saturday at 8 pm, hopefully building greater support for tech education.

Though Code Kids was directed by Greg Hemmings, , the founder of Hemmings House film studio in Saint John, it is really a collaboration between Hemmings and a range of tech evangelists in the region, especially in New Brunswick. It shows how these evangelists started a movement to teach coding to school kids, and the team traveled to Estonia and Finland to discover how those countries

Fundmetric, the Halifax startup that provides SaaS fundraising solutions for charities and non-profits, has released the following press release:

SCoReS Founder Joins Fundmetric to Build and Implement Charitable Predictive Analytics

HALIFAX, NS- Today, Fundmetric is excited to announce the addition of Sports Commentary Recommendation System (SCoReS) founder and creator, Dr. Gregory Lee, as the newest member of the Fundmetric team as Lead Data Scientist.

SCoReS is an innovative system, developed in Alberta that uses Artificial Intelligence to automatically match sports situations to

More than a year after capturing the $192,000 first prize in New Brunswick’s Breakthru competition, brothers Drew and Coady Cameron are deep into the development of their TotalPave product and preparing for a launch in the autumn.

It’s a smartphone app that helps municipalities and their contractors test road surfaces at a fraction of the current cost. It has drawn the attention of a few local governments and at least one private company, all of whom are impressed by its simplicity and cost-effectiveness.

The concept won the 2012 national Nicol Entrepreneurial Award for a new technology

Modest Tree, the Halifax startup whose software-as-a-service product reduces the cost and time involved in making three-dimensional training programs by as much as 85 percent, has put out the following press release:

Modest Tree and CGTrader.com announce partnership to streamline access to 3D models and creation of 3D interactive scenarios

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, July 21 2014 – Modest Tree Media Inc. ("Modest Tree"), an innovator in 3D authoring software, and CGTrader, a leading 3D model marketplace are pleased to announce that they have formed a partnership to streamline coordination

Startup Weekend New Brunswick has announced a 54-hour event for teenagers next month in Fredericton. Following is a press release for the event:

Startup Weekend NB (Youth Edition) is coming to Atlantic Canada for the first time!

On August 22-24, 2014, Startup Weekend New Brunswick will be putting on a youth event for 14-18 year olds. The event will be happening at Planet Hatch in Fredericton, New Brunswick. The event will begin at 5pm on Friday, August 22.

Startup Weekend is a global grassroots movement of active and empowered community leaders, and entrepreneurs who are learning the

The Nova Scotia government unveiled a new policy on business development on Thursday, which will result in a three-pronged approach to venture capital investment in the province.

The most immediate change will be Innovacorp, the provincial innovation agency, becoming the sole Crown corporation responsible for VC investment and adopting a simplified procedure for seed investments. Nova Scotia Business Inc., which has a portfolio of 12 companies, will no longer make venture capital investment. Its primary roles will be business attraction and the development of businesses and trade.

There’s a common misconception that you have to be naive or idealistic to create a socially responsible business.

In fact, establishing social credentials makes sound business sense, believes Kristy O’Leary, co-founder and lead impact strategist at Halifax communications agency Scout & Burrow.

“Lots of people think that because you want to create social change you’re some kind of flake,”

CarShareHFX, the Halifax-based car-sharing outfit, has issued the following press release:

CarShareHFX cofounder retires

CarShareHFX announced today that its cofounder and co-owner, Peter Zimmer, is retiring from his position of general manager. Peter has grown CarShareHFX into a Halifax institution with almost 1000 members and 25 cars.

“Peter is a true pioneer for starting CarShareHFX. It was his passion and dedication that enrolled me into the partnership and made it happen operationally. He’s created a real legacy for Halifax”, says President Pam Cooley.

For ten years, Zimmer