Kevin Sullivan’s move to Nova Scotia is part of a healthy development in Atlantic Canada’s life sciences sector. Having lived in the province when he was younger, Sullivan spent 10 years in London, Ont., working for a biotech start-up called Viron Therapeutics Inc., which was developing a cardiovascular drug.

Last summer, Sullivan was visiting the family cottage near Windsor, N.S., when he heard about Don Weaver, a Halifax medical doctor who was involved in several start-ups. Sullivan ended up becoming the CEO at one of those companies, DeNovaMed, which is developing new compounds that

Deloitte has agreed to pay $250,000 in prize money in the next five years in Canada’s Business Model Competition, a program being organized by Norman Newman  Centre for Entrepreneurship at Dalhousie University’s Rowe School of Business.

The accountancy contributed $40,000 earlier this year for the first event, in which two teams of students from Dalhousie progressed on to the International Business Model Competition held at Harvard University. It has now provided the funding to expand the competition and make it a truly national event.  

In presenting the cheque to Dalhousie on Friday,

It’s difficult to say who transmitted the most valuable information at the first Atlantic Venture Forum — the tech experts and investors who flew into Halifax to deliver speeches, or the 22 Atlantic Canadian entrepreneurs who pitched their companies?

The two-day event wrapped up Thursday after presenting the 200-plus delegates with a wealth of wisdom and information from tech gurus like Paul Singh, venture partner at 500 Startups, and investors like Charley Lax, managing general partner of GrandBanks Capital in Boston.

But it has become standard fair that these conferences feature

The Atlantic Venture Forum wrapped up in Halifax yesterday. Here are a few quotes from the conference that are worth repeating:

 

Communicating with Investors

“If you can't communicate and inspire that poor investor on the other side of the table, he just won't be able to differentiate you from the other five pitches he's received today.” Paul Singh, 500 Startups.

 

Focus on Entrepreneurs

“What we're really looking at is the person, behind the technology.  We see about a deal a day and what we want to know is, who is the entrepreneur?” Henry Kay, Boston Harbor Angels.

 

Like many entrepreneurs, Robert Niven looks to the National Research Council’s Industrial Research Assistance Program, or IRAP, for more than just money. Niven is the CEO of Halifax-based CarbonCure Technologies, and since 2008 he has been an NRC–IRAP client. The funds he has received from the program have helped him develop the system of carbon-cured concrete blocks now being rolled out throughout North America.

But there’s an underappreciated side to IRAP: the advisory business. Its importance is highlighted by the fact that almost three times as many clients in Atlantic Canada sought

Atlantic Canadian entrepreneurs received some hard-won lessons in the world of venture capital and angel investment on Wednesday, hearing the investing world had evolved in recent years.

The Atlantic Venture Forum opened yesterday and featured a few well-chosen speakers that highlighted the latest trends in backing startups. The schedule is packed with 22 of the leading companies in the region pitching to the assembled investors, but the speakers highlighted what is going on outside the region. I’ll have more on the pitchers tomorrow, but let me describe quickly some of the speakers in

With a new CEO in place, DeNovaMed Inc. believes it is enticingly close to identifying the single molecule it needs to proceed down the path to commercialization.

The Halifax biotech company drew local attention last year when it won Innovacorp’s I-3 competition on the strength of its development of new compounds that could treat infections caused by drug-resistant bacteria, or superbugs. The team has since worked on developing its drug while looking for a CEO, which it recently found in London, Ont., biotech exec Kevin Sullivan.

 “We need to pick a lead molecule that we’re going to

Digital Nova Scotia is inviting practitioners in gaming and interactive media to a round table discussion on the Nova Scotia Digital Media Tax Credit.

DNS will host the discussion in early July at which industry members can express their views on the credit.  This discussion will be a prelude to a meeting with provincial government officials to discuss the credit.  People in the digital media space say the main point of discussion is the definition of interactivity used in approving the credit.

Anyone interested in attending the round table should contact Ulrike Bahr-Gedalia at

When the board of LightSail Energy of San Francisco raised $37.3 million in venture capital funding last year, the press release said the round “was led by Peter Thiel, with participation from Khosla Ventures, which incubated the company, Bill Gates, Innovacorp, and other investors.”

That’s right—Nova Scotia’s innovation agency appeared next to the founder of Microsoft in the list of investors.

Based in the Bay area, LightSail is dedicated to using thermal dynamics to solve a key problem with electrical grids— providing green power to the grid when it’s most needed rather than when it’s

When Sir Terence Matthews, the founder of Mitel and Newbridge Networks, came to McInnes Cooper’s Halifax office last year for a Manning Innovation Awards reception, I noticed he took the time to ask each startup he met one question.

“Do you have a board of directors?” he asked repeatedly throughout the evening.

This giant of Canadian entrepreneurship was driving home an important point to the founders in attendance. The wisdom and determination of good directors can to help drive the business forward and avoid the pitfalls that could sink your start-up. But there are a few key things to