We’re delighted to announce that Entrevestor Live, our hybrid event on Oct. 20, will feature a panel discussion with four of the region's leading seed-stage companies, to be hosted by Business Development Bank of Canada Director Paul Ryan.
While Entrevestor Live is designed to showcase some of Atlantic Canada's most successful startups, we also want to shine a spotlight on several companies that are on the ascent -- seed-stage companies that are headed toward their Series A funding rounds. It means the Entrevestor Live audience can learn about all phases of the investment journey from the companies on our stage.
BDC, the federal government's business bank, is sponsoring this session, and has asked Paul Ryan, its Director of Growth and Transition Capital in the BDC Halifax office to moderate the session.
Here are the members of the Scaling Companies panel:
Yan Simard
CEO
Fredericton
Yan Simard is a serial entrepreneur and product management specialist, who has built platforms and services for companies of all sizes, from his own startups to international IT firms. Since 2017, he has been CEO of Kognitiv Spark, which uses augmented reality and mixed reality to help remote workers use complicated equipment. Earlier this year, the company raised $4.7 million in venture capital.
Imad Boumahdi
Founder and CEO
Charlottetown
Imad Boumahdi immigrated to Charlottetown in 2018, having spent 15 years in the payments industry. He perceived that payment systems lacked dedicated program management solutions that could bring together all the components needed to ensure smooth and dependable payments. So he started Paytic to fill that gap, and this year raised $2.95 million.
Laura Simpson
Co-Founder and CEO
Halifax
Entrepreneurs Laura Simpson and Dan Mangan founded Side Door in 2017 with the mission of building a platform that would connect music acts with people willing to host performances in their homes or other small spaces. When the pandemic hit, Side Door pivoted to help performers stage virtual events, and its user base and ticket sales both increased dramatically. The company raised US$3 million last year.
Brett Vokey
Founder and CEO
St. John’s
Based in St. John's, BreatheSuite is a digital health company that uses both hardware and software to deliver a fully virtual Asthma and COPD management program, aimed at reducing hospital admissions and improving quality of life. Last year, the company became the first Newfoundland company ever to receive FDA approval for its product, and was accepted into the prestigious Lazaridis ScaleUp Program.
Paul Ryan, Moderator
Director of Growth and Transition Capital
BDC
Halifax
Paul Ryan has 25 years of experience working in commercial banking, specialized financing, technology startups, working in such disciplines as staffing, recruitment and social media. As well as a career in banking, he has worked for several IT companies and startups in the region, including senior positions at such companies as Radian6 and Wooshii.
We’ve almost completed the program for Entrevestor Live, and you can view the whole agenda here. The half-day event will feature some of the most successful startups in Atlantic Canada – 10 East Coast companies that collectively have raised about $200 million.
Chaired by Propel CEO Kathryn Lockhart and held in partnership with Volta, Entrevestor Live is designed to make the best use of your time and money – a three-hour time commitment, and a price of no more than $80. Whether you want to show up in person at Volta or attend virtually, please click the link below to purchase your ticket.
