Innovacorp has awarded a total of $725,000 to 17 different companies under its Accelerate Program and Start-Up Yard Cohorts.
The Nova Scotia Crown corporation last week revealed the winners of the two programs, which provide non-dilutive funding, incubation space and mentoring to young MedTech, OceanTech and CleanTech companies. The members of the Startup Yard cohorts will also get space at the new Centre for Ocean Ventures and Entrepreneurship, or COVE, on the Dartmouth waterfront.
The federal government contributed $500,000 towards the programs through ACOA’s Business Development Program. The provincial government pitched in with the same amount through Innovacorp’s existing budget.
Innovacorp Accelerate Program
The following are the Accelerate Program winners, which receive $50,000 or more each, as well as business guidance and access to incubation space at Innovacorp’s facilities. An Innovacorp spokeswoman said the total given out through the program is $450,000.
MedTech Stream
Eadie Technologies – Brennan Eadie, Frank Eadie – Halifax
Wearable visual field testing device for eye clinics
ColourSmith Labs – Gabrielle Masone – Halifax
Direct-to-consumer contact lenses reducing red-green colour blindness and saturating colours
Reach Orthopaedics – David Johnston, Andrew Trenholm – Halifax
Orthopaedic shoulder implant to correct joint imbalance of a rotator cuff tear and lessen the risk of progressive osteoarthritis
Talem Health Analytics – Paul Travis – Sydney
Software for physiotherapists and orthopedic specialists to track, analyze and predict treatment regimens
ColourSmith and Talem Were Runners-Up at the Recent BioInnovation Challenge
Blue/Green Stream (OceanTech and CleanTech)
DeNova – Brianna Stratton, Talia Boates – Halifax
Sustainable source of protein for fish feed and animal food
FoodByte – Douglas Armour, Matthew Winchester – Windsor
Technology to guide food processors through development of food safety plans to meet regulatory requirements and reduce recalls
Sedna Technologies – Sheamus MacDonald, Aleksandr Stabenow – Halifax
Traceability system for the seafood industry to reduce waste and mortality
Acoubit Communications – Colin Ross, Tejinder Sandhu – Dartmouth
Acoustic data communications technology for ocean management and monitoring
Startup Yard
The following companies were accepted into one of the two Startup Yard cohorts in the current year, and will receive $25,000 each, as well as mentoring and incubation space. Acclerate winners Sedna and Acoubit have also been accepted into the first Startup Yard Cohort.
First Cohort
Ashored Innovations – Aaron Stevenson, Maxwell Poole, Ross Arsenault
Buoy systems to protect endangered marine life and collect data to increase fisher efficiency
BlueNode – Louis Beaubien, Grant Wells, Mike Smit – Halifax
Technology to improve supply chain efficiency in the ocean sector
Marecomms – Ulaş Güntürkün – Halifax
Underwater communications system to deliver information using data collected in the ocean
Maritime bioLoggers – Franziska Broell, Andre Bezanson – Halifax
Tagging device to track and monitor marine life movement
Second Cohort
Marimetrics Technologies – Chris L’Esperance – Halifax
Trace gas analyzer for measuring chemical compounds in the ocean
SeaVision – Hossein Salimian, Mathew Zimola, Thomas Trappenberg – Halifax
Technology that analyzes live video from aquaculture cages to help calculate fish biomass, health and behaviours in real-time
The Lobster Trap Company – Scott Dauphinee – Yarmouth
Lobster trap designed to survive the Atlantic Ocean’s harsh conditions
Prosaris Solutions – Colin Sewell – Halifax
Device that records airborne and contact ultrasonic signals into a mobile phone for real-time analysis
Wittaya Aqua International – Evan Hall – Halifax-Toronto
Production management platform that increases efficiency through aggregation and analysis of data from aquaculture operations
Disclosure: Innovacorp is a client of Entrevestor.