A new survey of Atlantic Canadian startups shows that CEOs remain optimistic about their prospects for 2020, but also reveals that most have less than nine months of runway.

Halifax-based venture capital firm Concrete Ventures conducted the survey between April 20 and 27. Like other surveys, including one by Entrevestor, it found that the COVID-19 crisis is having a negative effect on some

The federal government has expanded eligibility for its small-business loan program, allowing more SMEs to borrow money to help them through the COVID-19 emergency.

At his daily briefing on Tuesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said more businesses can now access the the Canada Emergency Business Account, or CEBA, program. It provides up to $40,000 in interest-free loans to small and

Dartmouth-based drug discovery company IMV Inc. has enough cash to finance its operations until mid-2021 now that it has closed a $25.1 million private placement of shares and warrants.

The company, whose shares are listed on the TSX in Toronto and the Nasdaq exchange in New York, earlier this month announced the placement co-led by existing investor Fonds de Solidarité FTQ of Montreal and

Two Cape Breton University nursing students have placed first in the Canadian division of the Techstars Startup Weekend.

Held via video-conference on April 24 and dubbed “Unite to Fight COVID-19,” the competition saw aspiring entrepreneurs divide into teams to cultivate their business ideas over 52 hours.

Michaela Moore and Kelsey Muller worked with five other participants on their plans for

The Cape Breton office of Innovacorp is offering a series of virtual meetings featuring leaders in communications and strategy free of charge in order to help entrepreneurs understand the importance of story-telling.  

The series, which is open to anyone, is designed to help entrepreneurs with their marketing skills, and features an array of international experts who are leaders in their fields.

Five startups each won $25,000 worth of investment in a remote version of the Volta Cohort pitching competition on Wednesday night.

The winners were chosen from a field of about 30 initial applicants, 15 of whom were selected to give three-minute presentations to a panel of judges from the public and private sectors. In addition to the money, the final five will receive access to mentorship and

The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, or ACOA, will be distributing $110 million of federal funding to small and medium-sized companies that do not qualify for other forms of emergency bailouts.

ACOA said in a press release Wednesday that the Regional Recovery and Relief Fund, or RRRF, is aimed at the manufacturing, technology and tourism sectors, among others.

The Atlantic funding is part

Dartmouth-based SimplyCast, a multi-channel marketing company, has been awarded the Canie Award for Global Entrepreneurship for the Atlantic Region by the Innovators & Entrepreneurs Foundation. a national charity dedicated to supporting entrepreneurship among business owners in marginalized communities.

The award recognizes organizations that have succeeded in selling into international

Despite COVID-19 necessitating logistical changes, 2020 is shaping up to be a landmark year for the Atlantic division of science and technology accelerator Creative Destruction Lab.

The cohort that finished the program on May 5 was the first to offer specialized training for ocean technology startups, which comprised about half of the 25 companies that were accepted to participate.

CDL-Atlantic

The Atlantic Women’s Venture Fund and its Alberta counterpart are forming a new organization that they hope will become a nationwide vehicle for supporting female-led businesses.

The new group Canada51 is now a partnership between the AWVF and the Calgary-based female investment group The51.  

In its initial stages, Canada51 will probably involve the two founding organizations and their members