Revising our Jobs Data Upward

I’ve been diving into the data we’ve collected on Atlantic Canadian startups, and one thing that’s become clear is that we underestimated job creation by startups in 2014.

Earlier this year, we reported that the results of our most recent survey showed that employment at Atlantic Canadian startups rose 9.4 per cent, while revenues rose 36.5 per cent. It’s becoming clear we underestimated things on the jobs front. So we’re restating our data to say that the number of people working for Atlantic Canadian startups rose 14.3 per cent in 2014.

Here’s what happened, from the beginning. At

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Happy Canada Day from Entrevestor

In recognition of Canada Day, we’re pausing today  to reflect on how lucky we are to live in Canada.

Every day on social media, I read friends complaining that Stephen Harper has ripped the heart out of the country. I hear conservatives complain of the overbearing government and high taxes.

But I really don’t think there’s a better place in the world to live. As proof, here’s some data

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Transit 360 Downloads Spike with 5.0

Transit 360, a mobile app that gives information on public transportation, has experienced a five- to six-fold increase in downloads since its 5.0 version launched and it expanded into more cities this month.

MindSea Development Inc. of Halifax first launched the iPhone app, then called Transit To Go, in 2010 so commuters in its home city could see when buses were coming. Since then, it has

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Dobbin Looks Ahead After Strong Year

More than a decade after encountering skeptics at a conference, Mark Dobbin feels vindicated for his faith in Atlantic Canadian entrepreneurs.

The Founder and President of St. John’s-based Killick Capital Inc. was reminiscing lately about how he felt when attending an event for venture capital investors in Halifax in 2004 – about the time he launched his investment firm.

“They were

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Build Ventures Invests in InteraXon

In its first investment outside of Atlantic Canada, Build Ventures of Halifax has invested in InteraXon, a Toronto company developing a consumer product that operates off brainwaves.

The Atlantic Canadian regional venture fund has announced it’s joined an investment syndicate led by OMERS Ventures that invested $10 million in the Toronto company. Build accounted for $2 million of the Series B

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Press Release: Venture for Canada

Venture for Canada,  a not-for-profit organization that places graduates with startups, has issued the following press release:

Venture for Canada Announces Partnership with RBC

TORONTO, June 25, 2015 /CNW/ - Most recent university and college graduates seek employment with well-established companies, but those interested in entrepreneurship should take a closer look at opportunities with top Canadian startups. 

Venture for Canada, a not-for-profit organization that recruits top graduates to work at leading Canadian startups, announced today a three-year partnership with RBC's Social

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Co-Winners of Cleantech Competition

Two Nova Scotian startups, Unified Software Technologies and NeoThermal Energy Storage, are the co-winners of the $100,000 Smart Energy Demo Challenge, which will help them move their product closer to a market launch.

Innovacorp, which organized the competition for startups that promote energy efficiency, said Thursday night its panel of judges had chosen co-winners and each will get about $50,000 in non-dilutive funding to work on a demonstration project with their product.

The contest was aimed at companies that have a working product but have not yet launched it in the marketplace.

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Duff Brings Hard Lessons to CEO Role

Innovacorp President and CEO Stephen Duff knows what the entrepreneurs he supports go through. When Duff was first involved with Precision BioLogic, the biotech startup got so behind on the rent the sheriff turned up to change the locks on the door.

Duff held business development and product innovation roles at Precision BioLogic for over 25 years. The Dartmouth-based company develops,

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BioNova, MEDEC Form Partnership

BioNova, the association of life sciences companies in Nova Scotia, has signed a partnership agreement with a national medical technology association that it hopes will accelerate the growth of Atlantic Canadian medtech companies.

The Halifax-based group said Thursday it signed a memorandum of understanding with MEDEC, the national association representing Canada’s Medical Technology companies.

“This is a big opportunity to support local growth as this gives us access to a very well qualified and experienced group of contacts and resources, as well as programs,” Scott Moffitt, Managing

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Halifax Index Highlights Startups

I’d like to thank the Halifax Partnership for including my work in the Halifax Index, its annual examination of social and economic progress in the city.

I contributed a column on the startup hub in Halifax, which examined the growth and impact of startups in the city in the past few years. You can find its on page 44 of the report, and we’ve reprinted it below here.

I was lucky to appear on a panel at the Index launch yesterday to discuss the economic outlook for the city, province and region. We had a great discussion with my co-panelists, the Partnership’s Chief Economist Fred Morley

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