We’re into the home stretch with the Entrevestor Survey, and we’re really heartened by the response from the startup community.

Almost half the startups in the region have completed the survey, and I can’t thank enough the people who have taken the time to submit the form.

But we still need to receive more surveys. The more founders that complete this form, the better our data is for the entrepreneurial community. We want to be able to leave this exercise with a clear picture of what is happening in the startup world, now that startups are becoming a substantial slice of the regional

One of the benefits of schlepping across the Cobequid Pass on a regular basis is that it gives me time to decompress from the chaotic nature of running one of Canada’s best accelerator programs. Typically that means tuning into CBC’s Vinyl Café. The show is an hour-long variety format featuring short stories. On a recent trip one of their stories got me thinking about our value proposition as a

After refining its educational databases that track the progress of First Nations students, Dadavan Systems is demonstrating its commitment to social good by acquiring B-Corp (Benefit Corp.) certification.

A growing U.S.-based initiative, B-Corp certification requires companies to prove that they meet high standards in terms of social and environmental practices, accountability and

We’re into the final week of the Entrevestor Survey, and are thrilled with the response we’ve received from the startup community.

So far about 100 founders have taken the three minutes to complete the survey and help out both Entrevestor and the startup community.

Just how much this survey helps the community became apparent to me on Wednesday when I presented our data to the Island Advance luncheon in Charlottetown, sponsored by the Greater Charlottetown Chamber of Commerce and the PEI BioAlliance.

I was able to give a solid overview – backed by data – of the growth and economic

The New Brunswick Innovation Foundation has issued the following press release:

NBIF'S TOP RANKING SHOWS NEW BRUNSWICK AS HOTBED FOR INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

FREDERICTON, NB, February 5, 2015 – After a record year of investing in startups, the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation (NBIF) was ranked the third most active venture capital fund in its category by the Canadian Venture Capital & Private Equity Association (CVCA) in their 2014 report on investment in Canada.

"One of the major challenges of venture capital investing is having enough viable startups to invest in, or what

Brightspark Ventures, a Toronto-based organization that funds startups, is expanding its network into Atlantic Canada and will launch its collaboration in the region with an investment in Halifax-based social media martketing company InNetwork.

The Toronto investment organization said Wednesday it is working with East Valley Ventures, the Saint John-based network of startup investors and mentors, to help it expand into the region.  It’s a reunion of sorts as Brightspark and the founders of East Valley were all investors in Radian6, the Fredericton social media analysis company that sold

Dan Martell, one of the most accomplished tech entrepreneurs in Atlantic Canada, has sold his latest company Clarity to equity crowdfunding company Fundable to become one of the platforms in its new startup launch platform, startups.co.

Moncton-based Clarity, which connects entrepreneurs and others with a network of mentors around the world, did not reveal the terms of the deal.

Clarity and Columbus, Ohio-based Fundable announced the deal in a joint press release, which also unveiled the creation of startups.com as a new launch platform for startups. The other components of startups.co

Dan Martell has sold Moncton-based entrepreneurial advice platform Clarity to the business-funding site Fundable of Columbus, OH., for an undisclosed price.

Clarity, which connects entrepreneurs and others with a network of mentors around the world, will now become part of Fundable’s new startups.co launch platform for startups. The other components of startups.co are Launchrock.com , Bizplan.com , and KillerStartups.com.

We’re now getting information on the deal, but here is the press release from Clarity:

Clarity.fm Acquired By Fundable, Joins Global Launch Platform Startups.co

Celtx Inc. of St. John’s, has raised $3.3 million in a funding round led by Build Ventures, and plans to use the capital to accelerate the already-stellar growth of its pre-production software for the film and video industries.

Led by CEO Mark Kennedy, Celtx has been a pioneer in producing a range of software for film writers, designers, producers and others involved in “scripted media,” like

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