NBIF’s Breakthru Returns

The New Brunswick innovation Foundation is bringing back Breakthru, its legacy startup competition.

Organizers are offering $200,000 in equity investment and in-kind support to help entrepreneurs turn ideas into ventures.  The Grand Prize will provide $100,000 in equity investment and two runners-up will receive $50,000 in equity investment.

The three companies will enter due diligence with

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LeBrun Named to InnovateNB Hall of Fame

Entrepreneur and social innovator Marcel LeBrun has been named the 2025 inductee to the InnovateNB Hall of Fame in recognition of his decades-long impact on New Brunswick’s technology and innovation sectors.

The honour will be presented during the InnovateNB Awards ceremony on Nov. 27 at the Saint John Trade and Convention Centre, where innovators from the province’s private, public, and

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Laberge’s New Company Closes US$10.5M Round

Fifteen months after exiting his first Halifax-based company, Zach Laberge has closed a US$10.5 million (C$14.7 million) seed funding round for his new startup Omen, which uses AI in the maintenance of heavy machinery.

The surprising thing about this raise is not just that Laberge, the founder and CEO of Omen, just turned 20 this month. It’s that he closed the round in only four days.

Now based

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EDC Backs Growth of Maritime Launch

Maritime Launch Services has secured a $10 million senior credit facility from Export Development Canada to support the continued development of Spaceport Nova Scotia in Canso and advance toward its first orbital launch.

The financing agreement includes an initial $5 million advance, with the remainder available through drawdowns tied to ongoing construction and development milestones. The funds

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Five Startups Compete at The Genesis Pitch

Five Newfoundland and Labrador startups will compete for more than $45,000 in prizes at The Genesis Pitch, taking place Oct. 29 at the St. John’s Convention Centre.

Organized by Genesis, the province’s technology incubator, the event marks the largest prize pool in its history, including a $30,000 top prize and the Pitcher Plant trophy. The competition is part of techNL’s annual Innovation Week,

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NACO Calls for National Investment Strategy

NACO Canada has released a new report urging a coordinated national approach to mobilize up to $15 billion in private investment and strengthen Canada’s innovation economy.

Titled A Unified Capital Strategy for a Sovereign Innovation Economy, the report outlines a four-part policy framework aimed at improving access to early-stage financing and reducing barriers faced by entrepreneurs. NACO –

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Ashored Wins $200K in TELUS Competition

Ocean technology company Ashored Innovation has been named one of five grand prize winners in the national TELUS #StandWithOwners competition, receiving a $200,000 prize package in cash and in-kind services.

The Debert, NS-based company was recognized for its development of a “rope-on-demand” fishing system designed to reduce the risk of marine animal entanglement in traditional trap gear. The

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Further Acclaim for Infusd Nutrition

Halifax-based supplement startup Infusd Nutrition has capped off a busy stretch with a series of national and international recognitions highlighting its role in the food technology sector.

Over the past 10 days, the company has participated in the MISTA Growth Hack in San Francisco, where it showcased products co-developed with multinational partners Givaudan and Danone. The collaboration

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