Talking to a few of the teams entered in the Breakthru competition in New Brunswick, it was easy to understand the effect these contests have on the early development of companies.

There are now two big startup competitions in the region that take place on alternating years – Breakthru, organized by the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation, and the I-3 Technology Startup Competition, organized by Innovacorp in Nova Scotia.

Breakthru will climax March 19 with announcement of three winners that will divide $750,000 in prizes. I-3 wrapped up ab out a year ago when seven companies shared a

It started with a brief email enquiry to Startup Canada in which John Hamblin asked about the process of creating a Startup Halifax.

Hamblin had been startled to learn that Halifax’s thriving startup community didn’t have its own chapter of the influential national organization.

Now, just a few months later, the retiree is surprised to find himself leading one from his home.

Hamblin

Venture for Canada, the non-profit that connects top Canadian university grads with Canadian startups requiring talent, has announced that it has now forged partnerships with 70 startups.

The group also calls on grads to apply before its final Fellow application deadline of March 1 this year. Selected Fellows will become members of a cohort that includes Next 36 alumni, a former Apple engineer, and a Top 20 Under 20 recipient.

Based on the highly successful Venture for America, which has been matching American grads with U.S. startups since 2011, Venture for Canada is establishing a

Members of the P.E.I. startup and business community will gather on Wednesday, Feb. 4, to discuss ways to encourage more investment in the province’s startups.

The Island Advance: Capital Formation Luncheon will take place at Dunes Room of the Holman Grand Hotel starting at 11 a.m. The tickets are $20 and available here.

The luncheon, presented by the Greater Charlottetown Chamber of Commerce, follows the format of the Entrevestor-Entrepreneurs’ Forum Luncheons and Dinners already held in Fredericton, Halifax and St. John’s.

Following the Entrevestor presentation on the metrics of the

Killick Aerospace Group, a Texas company controlled by Killick Capital of St. John’s, closed the sale Wednesday of four aviation repair businesses that could gross the company about US$229 million (C$286 million).

Killick said on New Year’s Eve that Alexandria, Va.-based transport support company VSE Corp. would buy four companies help by Carrollton, Texas-based Killick Aerospace: Prime Turbines, CT Aerospace, Kansas Aviation and Air Parts & Supply. Killick Aerospace in recent years had undergone a range of bolt-on acquisitions, and greatly increased the revenues of the acquired

In about two years, a Halifax startup that grew out of Dalhousie University plans to open a production facility for cutting-edge ultrasound devices that allow sharper images of such organs as eyes and skin.

Daxsonics Ultrasound is designing and prototyping array-based, high-frequency ultrasound devices and plans to begin production in 2017.

 “We provide higher resolution and a sharper, deeper image than what’s on the market now,” said CEO and co-founder Rob Adamson during an interview in the company’s laboratory.

The company is a classic case of transforming university research into a

Chinese investor Victor Chu is heading a new $50 million venture capital fund to be established in Nova Scotia, which will invest in growth-stage companies.

Premier Stephen McNeil announced the fund in a press release on Tuesday, saying it would be backed entirely by private investors led by Chu, the head of First Eastern Investment Group.

Little is known about the new fund, such as what segments it will target and whether there will be a manager based in the province. A spokesperson in Hong Kong was unable to provide more details.

"I am delighted to launch this investment and

The following is my submission to the Nova Scotia Finance Minister on the province's tax review, which I sent yesterday:

Dear Ms. Whalen,

I’m writing you during your budget consultation process to encourage you to liberalize the Equity Tax Credits, which is essential for sustaining the fastest growing segment of the Nova Scotia economy.

I join Jevon MacDonald in his call for a minimum investment ceiling of $250,000 and that the credits be extended to trusts and businesses as well as individuals. I’d like to go beyond his call for a pan-Atlantic ETC by saying the credit should be

A campaign is afoot to persuade the Nova Scotia government to increase its incentives for private investment in the fastest-growing segment of the economy.

The digital and startup communities in Nova Scotia want the Finance Department to liberalize Equity Tax Credits for high-growth companies, including startups.

Any column discussing both taxation and technology is bound to lose readers pronto, but this is why you should read on.

The biggest single problem facing the Nova Scotia economy is slow growth — our gross domestic product rarely grows by more than one per cent, which limits

East Coast Startup Week will be held once again this year in Fredericton spanning the week of the Breakthru Dinner.

Breakthru, the biennial competition organized by the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation, will hold its awards dinner March 19 at Fredericton Convention Centre. The highlight of the dinner – of the week, in fact –  will be the announcement of the three Breakthru winners, who will share $750,000 in development capital and in-kind services.

But the dinner is only one of eight major events, featuring more than 25 speakers, taking place in Fredericton between March 16 and 21.