The closing of Unique Solutions has ignited calls for the Nova Scotia government to get out of the venture capital business. After four companies in the Nova Scotia Business Inc. VC portfolio have failed in 18 months, people on social and traditional media are demanding the government exit VC investment.  Progressive Conservative Leader Jamie Baillie has said the government should instead lower

Gillian McCrae smiled as she looked back at the makeshift stage where six Prince Edward Island digital technology companies had just pitched.

McCrae, the Propel ICT Vice-President, had just overseen her organization’s first Local Demo Day in Charlottetown. It had taken place before a packed house at the Upstreet Craft Brewery, the crowd full of mentors, entrepreneurs and politicians. And, she

Halifax-based 4Deep Inwater Imaging, which makes cutting-edge microscopes that can operate in the water, is seeking a product verification/quality control lead.

The company makes advanced microscopes that can examine micro-organisms and other small material in the water in real time. They can check the size, shape, and movement of anything from embryonic invasive species to beads of oil in an

A method for streamlining access to entrepreneurial services is being developed in New Brunswick. The idea is to prevent service duplication, said Lisa Kinney, Entrepreneurial Services Coordinator at Fredericton’s Planet Hatch.

Chicago-born Kinney, who has been in her post at the New Brunswick incubator and co-working space for the past six months, said she is impressed by the collaboration in

Silicon Valley venture capital firm Data Collective is leading a US$3 million (C$3.9 million) seed round of funding in St. John’s-based Sequence Bio, calling the company’s work in health data “a globally significant opportunity.”

The parties issued a press release Wednesday saying the other investors in the round were: Killick Capital, the St. John’s investment fund headed by Mark Dobbin;

Dartmouth-based body scan company Unique Solutions has closed down after burning through tens of millions of dollars in capital, including $5.6 million it raised from the Nova Scotian government.

A spokesman on Wednesday said that the company had ceased operations and that the secured creditors would appoint a receiver or agent to auction off the company’s assets.

[Full disclosure:  Entrevestor founder Peter Moreira invested in Unique Solutions and did some freelance work for the company, all in 2010.]

The termination is the final chapter in a corporate story that began in 1997 when

We’re entering event season in the Atlantic Canadian startup community, and the focus this year will be on New Brunswick.

There are at least five big events planned for the region this autumn, and three that were held in Halifax last year will be in New Brunswick this year.

The regional finals for the Startup Canada Awards will be held Sept. 13 in Fredericton.  Invest Atlantic arrives in

There are a few things that investors don’t like to hear from entrepreneurs who are pitching them for money, and one is that the startup plans to sell mainly to government.

Selling to government is difficult. The sales cycle is long – so long the startup can run out of money waiting for an answer. Bureaucracies often resist change, which interferes with the adoption of new technology. If the

Peer-to-Peer Commerce Startup Curbza Raises $83,000

Curbza, a new Dartmouth company that is developing a peer-to-peer mobile commerce platform, has raised $83,000 in seed capital from angel investors.

Curbza has developed a mobile application that lets individuals buy, sell and barter their household goods. It can also act as a personal inventory for their possessions.

“Curbza has been in

MentorCamp, the event that brings together entrepreneurs and mentors for intense training sessions, will take place in the Sydney area this month — the first time it’s been held in Cape Breton.

Founder Permjot Valia launched MentorCamp in Halifax in 2011 and has since held the event in such locations as Arkansas, South Africa, and Manitoba. He recently became the Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the