A year after its first major equity funding raise, Halifax-based QuickFacts has closed a $2 million oversubscribed round led by Sandpiper Ventures on the back of strong user growth.

Also among the round’s investors are Mark Dobbins’ Killick Capital; Paul Hill, the former chair of cybersecurity unicorn Verafin; VC shop InsurTech NY; and several other longtime investors and executives in the IT

Three of the four Atlantic provinces continued a trend of weak fundraising performance in the second quarter, new data from the Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association shows, but Newfoundland and Labrador helped salvage a comparatively robust $77 million total for the three months ended June 30.

Newfoundland raised more than the other three provinces combined at $56 million from

Bedford, N.S.-based payment processing startup SONA has been acquired by Nashville's Celero Commerce for an undisclosed sum.

Founded in 2016 and previously called SonaPay, SONA makes payment processing systems, including hardware and software, for businesses. Its product offerings include mobile payment processing, point of sale systems and cash advance services for merchants.

After the merger,

Less than three months after Dartmouth-based Meta Materials said it was laying off 80 per cent of its workforce, the one-time unicorn has filed for bankruptcy.

Though the announcement did not appear on the company website, Meta on Friday filed for liquidity bankruptcy, according to the official Nasdaq news site. The company is seeking a Chapter 7 trustee to liquidate assets and settle debts, and

Lunenburg, N.S.-based Veer Group has chosen a shipbuilder to construct the first two of its 100-metre hydrogen- and sail-powered container vessels: Fosen Shipyard of Stralsund, Germany.

The companies announced they had signed a letter of intent last week. Veer plans to finance the construction with the help of a previously announced €50 million, or about C$73.2 million letter of intent with

The Ocean Startup Project is seeking applicants to its Ocean Startup Challenge, a competition that offers young bluetech companies up to $25,000, as well as mentorship and business development support.

Hosted by national industry group the Ocean Startup Project, the challenge is backed by the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation, the P.E.I. BioAlliance and Invest Nova Scotia, among other

Invest Nova Scotia made $3.2 million of venture capital deals during the fiscal year that ended March 31, funding disclosures from the provincial economic development agency show.

The money was spread across seven deals, all but two of which involved companies based in Halifax, while the remainder are Cape Breton companies. These latest totals represent a marked decline from last year’s figure

Dalhousie University will receive $10.15 million to establish a national research hub for battery technologies.

Dubbed the Canadian Battery Innovation Centre, or CBIC, the project is receiving about $8 million from Natural Resources Canada’s Energy Innovation Program and $2 million from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. The funds will complement the $1.98 million already committed by

Virtual startup accelerator Propel has announced the seven companies graduating from the latest cohort of its Traction and Growth program for scaling companies.

Traction and Growth is meant for startups with more developed operations than those in Propel’s earlier-stage Vision and Validation program. To be eligible, entrepreneurs must have monthly revenue and be working on their business

We’re delighted to announce that Dr. Ellen Farrell, professor of venture capital and entrepreneurship at Saint Mary’s University, has agreed to be the Chair and Host of Entrevestor Live at Volta on the afternoon of Sept. 17.

Entrevestor Live is our annual event showcasing the best and the brightest in the Atlantic Canadian innovation community. This half-day event highlights the startups that