With universities facing lower international student enrolments and drop-out rates sky-high, now is a good time to launch a business that focuses on student retention, said Newfoundland-based Founder Girish Verma.

Verma has started Lunisity Software to provide technical infrastructure to Student Life Teams in Canadian Universities. His Engage software facilitates the collection of data on

The province of Nova Scotia is providing new funding to Life Sciences Nova Scotia, the industry association that supports life sciences companies. The $1.4 million contribution through the province’s Community Economic Development Fund will support the association’s work in helping companies, and create opportunities for professionals to develop their skills, the group said in a press release.

Island Abbey Nutritionals, the maker of Honibe honey-based gummies and lozenges, has agreed to be acquired by TopGum Gummiceuticals for US$20 million (C$29.1 million) plus future considerations.

Charlottetown-based Island Abbey has been a cornerstone of the life sciences community on P.E.I. since its founding in 2004 by entrepreneur John Rowe. The company developed a way to transform honey, with

Leslie Magee has been appointed Board Chair of the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation.

Magee first joined NBIF’s Board of Directors in 2020, and her appointment as Chair builds on the governance and leadership NBIF has established over the past 20+ years in fostering innovation and support for New Brunswick tech companies, the group said in a statement.

As Chair, Magee will lead the Board’s

In only its second year of existence, Halifax-based medtech company Sound Blade Medical has closed a US$16.5 million (C$23.8 million) Series A funding round, which will help fund development and clinical trials of its product.

Sound Blade is developing an “advanced handheld histotripsy technology”, which uses sonic energy to cut tissue. The hand-held device will use highly focused ultrasound

Student founders are invited to pitch at the upcoming RBC pitching contest at University of New Brunswick in Fredericton. The one-day, in-person event invites students to pitch their ideas for new products and services to judges from the business world.

The competition is open to any full-time university student (undergraduate or graduate) with an interest in driving technological or social

Twenty-four teams from University of New Brunswick and other Canadian post-secondary institutions competed for up to $30,000 in cash awards earlier this month.

The BMO Apex Startup Challenge was held Jan. 23 and 24 at the University of New Brunswick and at startup hub Planet Hatch.  The contest allows competitors to engage in training workshops and networking opportunities with judges, potential

Six years and one pandemic after it launched, St. John’s-based Granville Biomedical has secured its first round of equity investment and is setting its sights on a second raise before too long.

While more than half a decade of bootstrapping will test the entrepreneurial mettle of any founder, the good news is that Granville is now selling its Venus pelvic health education model throughout 24

Many thanks to all the CEOs who have completed our survey, and a gentle reminder to other Atlantic Canadian startup leaders to please take a few minutes to answer our 10-question form.

We’ve had a great response to our campaign for more intelligence about our sector. We’re not even into February yet and already we’ve got enough responses to look into emerging trends for our coming report.

But

The MERGE Program at Fredericton startup hub Planet Hatch has received $294,250 in support from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA).

MERGE has been set up by the Fredericton area economic development agency IGNITE and Planet Hatch to connect startups with municipalities within the Capital Region of New Brunswick to identify opportunities for mutually beneficial collaboration. The aim