The Atlantic Venture Forum is coming back to Halifax this June and has announced 14 keynote speakers so far.

The seventh annual forum features networking opportunities, an Atlantic Canadian technology showcase, and information sessions.

The AVF speakers this year include:

• Adam Nanjee -- Nanjee is the Canadian Managing Director for Microsoft for Startups, on the board of The Canadian

Nextleaf Solutions, co-founded by Saint Mary’s University alum Paul Pedersen in 2015, will raise $4 million through the sale of new shares on the Canadian Securities Exchange this week. This brings the total funds raised by the Vancouver-based company up to $15 million.

Of the $4 million, about $800,000 is coming from employees and other insiders. The source of the remaining $3.2 million hasn’t

The Creative Destruction Lab has opened applications for its 2019-20 cohort, at its Atlantic Canadian pod and other locations across Canada and in New York and Oxford, England.

The applications can be found here and are open until Aug. 12.

Started at the University of Toronto, the Creative Destruction Lab is a seed-stage program for scalable startups whose technology is based on science.

The

Dartmouth-based LeeWay Marine has borrowed $290,600 from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency to speed up the refit of its newest research ship, the LeeWay Striker.

ACOA issued a statement Friday saying the company, which specializes in assisting with hydrographic and geophysical surveys, borrowed the money through the  Regional Economic Growth through Innovation program. LeeWay will use the

Propel, the Atlantic Canadian ITC accelerator, has named veteran entrepreneurs Derek Latham and Gordon McArthur to its stable of entrepreneurs-in-residence.

The company released a press release last week saying Latham and McArthur have joined Charlotte Murray and Richard Jones as EIRs. The EIRs help develop and deliver programming for Propel’s Incite accelerator, as well as working directly with

The University of New Brunswick’s TME group has revealed the seven companies in its Summer Institute, an accelerator that emphasizes the human aspects of entrepreneurship, such as marketing and design.

Officially called the J. Herbert Smith Centre for Technology Management & Entrepreneurship, TME oversees entrepreneurship programs at the Fredericton university. It also operates two accelerators:

One constant factor in the Atlantic Canadian startup story in the past decade has been a strong underlying economy in key export markets – but that could change soon.

Robust economic growth, especially in the U.S., has provided primed markets for these innovation companies. But recessions inevitably come – it’s a matter of when, not if. Here are a few thoughts on what the looming downturn will

Applications for Innovacorp’s Sprint competition for Nova Scotia technology startups opened Wednesday and will remain open until May 15.

Winners will receive up to $25,000 each in non-dilutive, non-repayable funding and business guidance from experienced industry professionals. A total of $100,000 is up for grabs, and funding is based on meeting short-term milestones, laid out by Innovacorp for

The Halifax Partnership has announced the appointment of Wendy Luther as President and CEO, effective June 3. Luther has 17 years of experience in representing Nova Scotia nationally and internationally.

The Halifax Partnership works to grow Halifax’s economy.  The group is focused on The Halifax Economic Growth Plan, which aims to grow the population to 550,000 and GDP to $30 billion by 2031.

Fourteen Atlantic Canadian early-stage startups will vie for a total of as much as $125,000 at the spring edition of the Volta Cohort pitching event on May 22 in Halifax.

Volta, the Halifax-based startup hub, began the Volta Cohort in 2017 to provide some early development capital for Atlantic Canadian startups. Up to five companies at each pitching session receive $25,000 each in investment,