Though the Build Program companies pitching at the Propel ICT Demo Day all noted they were raising capital, they placed a greater emphasis on the revenue they’re gaining from bona fide customers.

The Build Program is the mentoring course for the most advanced companies in the regional accelerator, and all six of these startups were on the stage in Moncton. They are also all eligible for $250,000 to $400,000 in funding as graduates of the program.

The six Build pitches capped off a night at which Propel celebrated its most recent cohort in which 33 companies from three provinces were mentored. The accelerator has now graduated 59 companies in the past year.

“We actually had 33 companies go through the program in one cohort – phenomenal,” said Propel Chair Dave Grebenc, Co‐Owner of Saint John-based Innovatia. “In one cohort we’ve grown 67 percent in 10 months.”

Related: Read our Report on the Launch Pitches

The Build Program pitchers were:

Ongozah, Moncton – Nurtured in the Vennture Garage in Moncton, Ongozah is developing a platform that serves as a link between charities and the corporations whose staff volunteer for these charities. CEO Topher Kingsley-Williams said many companies now like to contribute to charities by letting their staff volunteer on company time. But there are challenges in getting the staff to find the right volunteering opportunities, and in the charities managing the volunteers. Ongozah helps solve that problem and now has 25 paying clients including the United Way and National Bank of Canada, and its revenues are rising 25 percent month-on-month. 

SiteFlo, Saint John – This company, previously called Xiplinx, helps packaging manufacturers improve the processes on their product lines. The company, which has signed some major distribution agreements recently, collects intelligence from the production line and shares it with workers and managers on the plant floor. CEO Brent MacDonald said SiteFlo has logged 95 percent month-over-month revenue growth since coming into the most recent Propel cohort. In one week, it helped one customer save $1.5 million.

SimpTek Technologies, Fredericton – The runner-up at the recent Breakthru competition is developing an automated system that helps people control the use of their household appliances with the goal of saving them money.  It has produced a plug-and-play device that tells consumers how much energy they use and how to reduce it. And it provides data to utilities, which pay the startup. SimpTek recently signed a three-month pilot with NB Power and the utility has committed to using the service for a year. The company has received Interest from four Canadian utilities and two in the US. SimpTek is raising $600,000 and has a commitment of $300,000

PACTA, Halifax – PACTA helps medium-sized businesses manage contracts with customers, suppliers and others. As CEO Charlotte Rydlund said PACTA helps companies boost productivity by tracking their contracts, automating a process that is now carried out on spreadsheets. She said customers have seen 50 percent time savings, and some early adopters have become not only paying customers but also investors and evangelists. The company has created considerable buzz in the past few months, winning the seed-stage pitching prize at the Atlantic Venture Forum in Halifax and being selected to pitch at the International Startup Festival in Montreal. PACTA hopes to have 400 customers in a year. 

Clean Simple, Halifax – The company went through a massive pivot during the cohort and CEO Mike Brown credits Propel with making the move a success. Clean Simple had been a residential cleaning service that used online booking to attract clients. It also developed a system that let cleaners report problems during their shift and communicate them to clients. Competitors wanted to use the system, so Clean Simple began to lease its software out to commercial cleaners. They have been selling it for four weeks and already have nine clients. The company is raising $1 million and some committed investors are its customers.

HeyOrca! St. John’s – HeyOrca! helps marketers, their clients and freelancers collaborate on social media projects, and has been growing strongly since entering the Build program. CEO Joseph Teo said the product, which costs $99 per month, lets the parties streamline their social media content using tools they’re already familiar with. It also allows for a simple review process. In the past three months, HeyOrca! has gained 17 paying customers in Canada and the U.S. and is on track to bring in $176,000 in monthly recurring revenue by the first quarter of 2017. Teo said the company will close a$650,000 raise on Oct. 1.

These six companies will learn in the next few weeks whether they will receive investments from Propel’s funding partners. All Build grads will be considered for a $150,000 convertible note from BDC Capital. Those from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia can land $100,000 in funding from the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation and Innovacorp, respectively. HeyOrca!, the lone Build company from Newfoundland and Labrador, is eligible for $250,000 in funding from Venture Newfoundland and Labrador.