I get to Fredericton every few weeks or months, so my image of company development in the New Brunswick Capital is a bit like time-lapse photography. I get a shot every four to eight weeks, and it looks like everything is unfolding quickly and effortlessly.

So in a flying visit to the city last week for the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation's R3 Gala, I was able to catch up with several founders and organizers and was struck by their steady progress.

Barely half a year old, Planet Hatch is now wrapping up the selection process for the second cohort of its Accelr8 program. Executive Director Sally Ng was demur when I asked her about who might be on the list, and Planet Hatch does not plan to reveal the five or six names once the cohort is formed.

The first cohort graduated several strong companies, three of whom have now been accepted into the Launch36 accelerator. They are HotSpot Parking, Resson Aerospace and Hyton Industries.

These and other Accelr8 companies told me of tangible progress they’ve made in the past few months. For example, Eigen Innovations, the Industrial Internet venture that went through both Launch36 and Accelr8 last year, has attracted new customers. (Yes, that’s customers, plural.)

Following the Launch36 DemoDay late last year, Eigen held its own presentation event in Fredericton together with its development partner, Portland, Ore.-based Flir Systems, the largest global provider of thermal cameras. The presentation drew the interest from a few potential customers, which then attended the Big Data Congress in Saint John. There they learned more about the power of the Industrial Internet and two ended up signing on with Eigen.

"The Big Data Congress confirmed everyone’s interest in the Industrial Internet as a significant opportunity that companies need to explore aggressively," said Eigen CTO Scott Everett.

One thing that Ng emphasized when we spoke is that the Accelr8 program is only part of what Planet Hatch has done for the startup community. It has hosted dozens of events that have drawn hundreds of startup enthusiasts, and is providing office space to both young and established companies.