Regional virtual accelerator Propel has appointed longtime tech entrepreneur James Geneau as its new Chief Executive Officer, the organization announced Monday.

Geneau, who was born and raised in New Brunswick, succeeds Kathryn Lockhart, who left the role in late 2025 to lead the McKenna Institute at the University of New Brunswick. Lockhart had served as Propel’s CEO for more than five years,

Now we’re into the new year, we’re ramping up our efforts to get startup CEOs to fill in our short, confidential survey.

We understand how busy everyone is so we hate to keep asking. But we also hear from a lot of founders that they appreciate our data report and promise to fill in the survey  . . . soon.

So we’re sure there are lots of founders who mean to get to it, but haven’t quite found

University of New Brunswick in Fredericton is preparing to host 24 teams of student entrepreneurs on Jan. 22 and 23 for the BMO Apex Startup Challenge.

The Challenge invites student entrepreneurs from across North America to compete for the chance to win $30,000 in prizes, organizers said in a statement.

The experience offers:

• Pre-competition mentorship on pitching and networking;
• Live

Applications are now open for the first 2026 cohort of Invest Nova Scotia’s Accelerate program, which aims to help support the growth of Nova Scotia startups.

The program has been restructured for 2026 to include two distinct streams aligned with different stages of company development. The Growth Stream is intended for startups that are already in market and focused on scaling revenue,

Atlantic Canada's virtual accelerator Propel has announced the 10 companies graduating from its most recent Traction & Growth cohort, its program designed for later-stage companies with demonstrated traction.

Traction & Growth is designed to help founders accelerate revenue, refine strategy, and prepare for their next phase of growth, the group said in a statement.

“Propel helped bring real

We'd like to wish all our readers a happy holidays, and to say we hope you thrive in the new year. 

We’re putting down the phones and shutting down the laptops for a few days, as we do every year at this time. We will begin reporting news again on Jan. 6.

It's been a busy year so we hope you're able to put your feet up and relax for a few days, and enjoy some time with friends and family. 

See

Dartmouth-based SimplyCast has partnered with the University of Regina to develop a smart waste management system aimed at reducing waste overflow and improving the efficiency of municipal waste collection.

The automation company said the project was developed in collaboration with the university through Mitacs, a national nonprofit that supports research and innovation partnerships between

Fredericton-based Potential Motors, which developed next-generation controls for electric off-road vehicles, has sold its core technology and intellectual property to “a leading global manufacturer”.

Founder and CEO Sam Poirier posted on LinkedIn over the weekend that the deal has taken place, though no other details were immediately available.

“Our journey began with converting vehicles to

Fredericton-based fintech company SnapTrade has partnered with online investment platform Webull to allow investors to view their portfolios all-at-once on one app.

SnapTrade said it has integrated with Webull’s application programming interface, or API, enabling users of SnapTrade-connected apps to view their investment portfolios and execute trades in real time. Previously, many of these apps

Digital Nova Scotia and Life Sciences Nova Scotia have signed an MOU to further integrate their sectors in the province.

The new partnership will connect innovators, entrepreneurs, researchers and industry leaders across sectors to drive opportunities for commercialization, talent development and economic growth, Life Sciences NS said in a statement.

The MOU formalizes a shared commitment