Smart lifejacket startup LifeTrack Safety Systems has won first place in the University of New Brunswick’s MTME: NEXT virtual demo day, in which Master of Technology Management and Entrepreneurship students competed for a $1,500 prize.

LifeTrack is designing a lifejacket and radio communication system that does not inflate until it is submerged in water, making it less awkward to wear. It also

St. John’s-based Mysa Smart Thermostats has closed a $6.2 million funding round, comprising $3.2 million in equity funding from existing investors and a $3 million convertible loan from BDC Capital.

The raise is Mysa’s third seven-figure funding round in about two years, following a $1.5 million round in 2018 and a $2.3 million round in 2019.

BDC Capital, which is part of the federal

The New Brunswick Innovation Foundation has announced a total of more than $1.2 million in funding for 27 New Brunswick research products that aim to detect and treat COVID-19.

NBIF issued a statement Thursday saying it has partnered with the New Brunswick Health Research Foundation and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency to contribute a total of $846,707 to the projects.

In addition,

The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency will administer $5.2 million of federal spending to foster youth entrepreneurship in Atlantic Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The money will take the form of grants for 15 community organizations, which will use it to pay for 21 initiatives aimed at supporting young business owners.

The funds will be delivered partly through ACOA’s Regional Economic

Halifax social enterprise website vLife, which helps users locate and support small local businesses, is rolling out the paid version of its service after offering it free since January.

Co-Founders Melanie Little and Riaz Khan started vLife’s parent company, Quantum Link, in 2017 and launched the platform in December 2019. Users can sign up free and search for local ventures, with vLife either

The PEI Business Women’s Association has opened applications for its annual Micro Grant Program, which offers women-led businesses the chance to win $500 of non-dilutive, non-repayable funding.

The competition is open to PEI residents who are members of the Business Women’s Association. In addition to the cash, the winners will receive “business skills support,” although a written statement from

The University of New Brunswick’s TME group has accepted nine Canadian companies into its Summer Institute, and this seventh annual cohort is its biggest yet.

The TME group – whose formal name is the J Herbert Smith Centre for Technology Management and Entrepreneurship – holds its Summer Institute each year, placing less emphasis on innovation than other similar programs.

Though modern

The Ontario government and Ryerson University have launched an online platform to help companies develop export markets, and they’re looking for users in Atlantic Canada.

The Magnet Export Business Portal is now live and helping Canadian businesses find the resources they need to sell products and services in foreign markets. The Export Business Portal is open to companies across the country,

When Innovacorp investment manager for life sciences Lidija Marusic was nominated to the board of the Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association, she saw it as an opportunity to become a national voice for the Atlantic Canadian innovation economy.

The CVCA represents institutional startup investors across the country. Marusic’s new board seat is not her first – she also serves on

Nova Scotia life sciences industry association BioNova is inviting early-stage health and life sciences companies in the region to apply for its BIC2020 contest.

The BioInnovation Challenge, known as BIC, will give early-stage ventures a chance to compete for a $55,000 prize package during a digital BioPort 2020 event on Nov. 3 and 4.

BIC semi-finalists will receive pitch training from