Spark Winners Focus on Health, Cleantech

The annual Spark Nova Scotia startup competition has awarded five-figure cash prizes to 10 startups, with a strong focus this year on medtech and cleantech innovation.

The 10 companies received a combined $375,000, with the top two bagging $50,000 each and the smallest prize being $10,000. Four of the 10 winners sell health-related products and three are involved in cleantech.

Now in its

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Densitas Expands Into Guyana

Halifax’s Densitas has inked a deal with nonprofit RAD-AID International to deploy its intelliMammo AI mammography software at a hospital in Guyana, where the country’s government runs a publicly funded screening program aimed at combatting rising breast cancer rates.

The intelliMammo platform consolidates three previous software offerings from Densitas that measured patients’ breast density,

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Sonrai Security Raises US$50M

Sonrai Security has closed a US$50 million (C$61.9 million) Series C funding round, meaning the New York- and Fredericton-based cloud security company has now raised US$88 million in less than three years.

Sonrai issued a press release last week saying the round was led by the venture capital arm of London-based cybersecurity company Istari, which was set up last year by the Singapore

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Jobs: Future of Hockey Lab

The Future of Hockey Lab in Halifax is looking for a Chief Program Officer, which headlines our Job of the Week column today.

The Future of Hockey Lab says it is the first social innovation lab in the world working to solve access in the sport of hockey. It was established because, while hockey is loved by many, it's only truly accessible to a select few, and that number gets smaller every year

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Vertically Integrated Cannabis Coming to NSLC

Mount Uniacke, NS-based cannabis grower Jazz Cabbage will have its product listed in NSLC Cannabis stores starting in November, making it the first vertically integrated marijuana cultivator to sell its product legally in Nova Scotia.

The company said in a press release it relies on “natural ecosystem stabilization strategies” to grow its plants, such as using insects to prevent pest damage, as

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Harbr Launches Fintech, Raising $5M

Nearing the close of a $5 million equity raise, Halifax fintech and construction management startup Harbr is running about six pilot projects as co-founders Dave Kim and Jeff and Ashley Kielbratowski prepare to formally launch their new product at the Canada FinTech Forum Thursday.

Until Harbr pivoted earlier this year, the company’s main offering was a communications platform that allowed

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SnapAP Builds Out Marketing Team

Moncton-based fintech startup SnapAP has hired four new executives to help it scale up its marketing efforts as it looks to transition from growth via direct sales to a business model more focused on marketing.

Roshni Wijayasinha, who will become SnapAP’s chief marketing officer, has more than a decade of experience working for companies including Sony Mobile and Toronto-based financial data

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Martha Casey’s Volta: “In A Strong Place”

Martha Casey, CEO of Volta, said in an interview Monday that the Halifax startup hub’s finances and community engagement levels are in good shape despite COVID-19.

Volta, which originated in 2013, provides office space as well as incubator and accelerator programs for startups. Casey was elevated to CEO in the spring of 2020, after a two-year stint as COO. She has shepherded the organization

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Volta Cohort Finalists Announced

Halifax startup hub Volta has announced the 16 finalists for its Volta Cohort pitch competition, to be held virtually on Nov. 24 with a combined $125,000 in potential prizes for up to five winners.

Volta started holding its Cohort events nearly four years ago and the upcoming event will be the ninth Volta Cohort event. So far, there have been 39 winners. The prize money -- up to $25,000 per

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