Critical Path Group has named the 22 companies that will present at the Atlantic Venture Forum and tell their stories to investors assembled from across the U.S. and Canada.

The third annual AVF, organized by Critical Path Group, will take place at the Westin Nova Scotian in Halifax on June 10 and 11. The event brings together investors and entrepreneurs in Atlantic Canada’s clean-tech, information technology and life science sectors.

At every AVF, both early- and growth-stage companies present their ideas to investors. These investors can in turn provide growing entrepreneurs with advice, connect them to their networks and sometimes even invest in their companies.

“We bring in the outside investors, and we have guys that have barely even heard of Halifax or where it is in Canada,” Critical Path Project Manager Zach Silbernagel said in an interview. “They go from that to being, like, ‘Wow, I can’t believe I haven’t heard of this because you guys have some really interesting things going on here.’”

The presenting companies were selected by an investor advisory board based on their ideas, business models and revenue streams.

AVF only could fit 22 companies on the presenting bill, but there were many other companies vying for those spots. Silbernagel said that he strongly encourages the rejected companies to come to AVF. Critical Path Group offered those companies a large discount to attend AVF so that they could still benefit from the Forum’s lectures, networks and resources.

Over the two days of the AVF, there will be lectures on topics such as commercializing and financing healthcare technology, perseverance and venture capital.

As well as a range of panel discussions, the event includes several keynote speakers, including: Leonard Brody, and the President of Highline, the investment firm formed last year by the merger of Extreme Startups and GrowLab Ventures; whurley (William Hurley) a co-founder of Chaotic Moon Studios, a mobile and interactive development house; and motivational speaker, Warren Macdonald, the first double above-the-knee amputee to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. 

Critical Path presents awards to the best company in both the early and growth-stage categories. Last year, Charlottetown drug discovery company Neurodyn captured the best growth stage company award, while another biotech company, DeCell Technologies of Halifax, won the award for the best early-stage company.

The companies presenting this year in the early-stage category are: ABK Biomedical, Halifax; Conceptualiz, Dartmouth; CyberPsyc Software Solutions, Fredericton; DynamicMonitors.com, Stratford, P.E.I. ; Eyeread, Halifax; Fiddlehead Technology, Moncton; Health QR Inc., Halifax; Itavio, Moncton; Pacta, Halifax; Selectbidder, Moncton; SkySquirrel Technologies, Halifax; and SONA Nanotech, Sydney.

The presenting companies in the growth-stage category are: Agora Mobile, Moncton; Bungalo, Reykjavik and Halifax;  CSIpix, St. John’s;  Forerunner Research Inc., Dartmouth; HotSpot Parking, Fredericton; LeadSift, Halifax; Metamaterials Technologies Inc., Dartmouth;  Neurodyn Cognition, Charlottetown;  QRA, Halifax; and Smartpods, Moncton.