Six diverse startups from around the region have been accepted into the PropelICT Build program this summer, headlining a record intake of 33 companies in the accelerator’s sixth cohort.

The PropelICT accelerator has grown into a two-tier system that operates in four cities. The flagship is the Build program in Moncton for more advanced companies, led by former Propel Executive Director Trevor MacAusland.

Younger companies are mentored in the Launch program in Halifax (led by Entrepreneur-in-Residence Ying Tam), Fredericton (Entrepreneur-in-Residence Al Sturgeon) and St. John’s (Propel

Ascenta Health Ltd., the Dartmouth maker of natural beauty products, has exited.

The company said Tuesday it was bought by Nature’s Way, an affiliate of Dr. Willmar Schwabe Pharmaceuticals of Germany for an undisclosed amount. The company in 2009 received a $4 million venture capital investment from Avrio Capital of Alberta. 

We were out of town when this story broke and will have more on the deal next week. For now, here is the press release:

Ascenta Health Announces Acquisition By Nature’s Way

Halifax, May 19, 2015 – Ascenta Health Limited announced today that it has entered into

Le Collège communautaire du Nouveau‐Brunswick, Springboard Atlantic and BioNB have issued the following press release:

Changing the World One Technology at a Time: The Atlantic Biorefinery Conference to Kick Off in Edmundston

May 21, 2015 (Fredericton, NB) ‐ The Atlantic Biorefinery Conference, Canada’s premier conference on biorefining and bioprocessing, will kick off May 27th – 29th in Edmundston, New Brunswick. What started out as an idea for a small Atlantic event around current issues in biorefining, has transformed into a conference that attracts international presenters and

BDC and the Canadian Venture Capital & Private Equity Association has issued the following press release:

BDC and CVCA award RtTech Software BDC Innovation Award for industrial app development

RtTech’s software deployed across 14 countries, 24 blue chip companies and 55 industrial sites

Toronto, ON – May 21, 2015 – RtTech Software, a New Brunswick based software company specializing in industrial app development, has been recognized by the Canadian Venture Capital & Private Equity Association (CVCA) as the BDC Innovation Award winner for 2015. The award recognizes an early-stage

An intriguing company in Miramichi, N.B., will soon let people not only analyze publicly listed stocks by themselves but help more qualified users sell their analysis reports to others.

Patchell Brook Equity Analytics Inc. has developed a tool that allows people who follow the market to analyze publicly traded companies based on fundamental valuations. The results can be shared with others, and soon the company will provide a virtual storefront so people can sell their reports.

“We’re into a marketplace where individuals can be located anywhere and do the analysis on any publicly traded

Green building materials maker CarbonCure Technologies has closed a $3 million round of funding, which it will use to launch its new ready-mix product. The Halifax company expects the funding will last until it reaches profitability, likely next year.

First-time investor Pangaea Ventures, a Vancouver venture capital firm specializing in advanced materials, led the round with a $1.75 million

An Entrevestor Luncheon sponsored by BDO will be held on June 5 in Sydney, giving startup community members a chance to discuss the next phase of ecosystem development in Cape Breton.

The Entrevestor Luncheon, sponsored by the accountancy and advisory services firm BDO, will be held at the Verschuren Centre at Cape Breton University beginning at 12 noon. The event organized by Startup Cape Breton Island will feature a discussion led by Innovacorp’s Bob Pelley on how to help the growth of seed-stage startups in Cape Breton. 

"The Sydney area is the fastest-growing startup hub in the

Al Sturgeon, product marketing manager at Radian6/Salesforce in Fredericton, has been named Propel ICT’s second Entrepreneur In Residence.

Propel ICT—which advertises on Entrevestor—is an Atlantic Canadian accelerator for startups. It hosts Build, a Moncton-based accelerator for mature companies, and Launch, which is for seed-stage startups and is in Halifax, Fredericton and St. John’s.

A blog post on the Propel ICT website announced that Sturgeon will work directly with Build and Launch participants. With his experience in marketing, he will advise them on market/product fit, product

As mariners launch their boats this season, Iaian Archibald and Craig Sheppard are launching a mobile app to help them enjoy their time on the oceans more.

The co-founders of Swell Advantage have set June 1 for the official launch date for their app that tells boaters about the environment, their surroundings and helps them connect with other boaters. Swell Advantage is expected to be

Innovacorp will be adding a boot-camp component to its I3 Technology Startup Competition when the event launches the autumn to help the contestants build their businesses.

I3 is a biennial startup competition that picks the best business ideas from around Nova Scotia. The competition is sponsored by the early stage venture capital firm, Innovacorp, which is a client of Entrevestor.

A panel of Nova Scotia lawyers, entrepreneurs and leaders choose the five best business ideas, one from each of the five zones across the province. Each zone winner receives $100,000. The five zone winners