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

Reducing emissions from industrial processes sounds like a great idea, but does anyone know for sure that industry is actually producing fewer emissions?

Dan Brake does.

What’s more, he’s also working on a system that can soon accurately predict in the future where, how and why contaminants might seep into the environment from industrial projects.

Brake is CEO of EMSAT Corp., a St. John’s startup that has developed software to analyze in real time environmental data picked up by sensors placed near industrial sites, pipelines, and the like. By placing sensors in and around a site just

The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency has awarded a total of $11.3 million from the Atlantic Innovation Fund to five companies or organizations in Nova Scotia to finance the development and commercialization of new technology.

The loans are part of a total AIF award this year of $39.9 million, which is being channeled into projects that – including funding from other sources – are worth a total of $71.1 million.

“Our Government is committed to helping Atlantic Canada’s businesses to move innovative ideas from the lab to the marketplace,” said Defence Minister Peter MacKay in a

The first Atlantic Venture Forum takes place Wednesday and Thursday this week at the Westin Nova Scotian in Halifax, offering a rare opportunity for meetings between local founders and come-from-away funders.

Critical Path Group, which organizes other conferences such as the Banff Venture Forum and the Canadian Financing Forum in Vancouver, has selected 22 Atlantic Canadian startups to present at the event. I’ve spoken to a few impressive companies that didn’t make the cut, and several plan to attend the conference regardless.

Launched with the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency as a

I usually cite 10 recommendations to improve the start-up ecosystem in Atlantic Canada, but there are four that I feel passionately about. My comments refer largely to the technology sector, but I think they apply to the entire start-up community.

Mentorship. The key ingredient in developing start-ups is having enough good mentors. Yes, capital is important, but the do-or-die element in the