Colin Deacon, who has led startups Bluelight Analytics and SpellRead, has been appointed to the Senate by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The Prime Minister announced Friday that the Governor General appointed Deacon as an independent Senator to fill a vacancy in Nova Scotia.

Deacon was a Co-Founder and CEO of Halifax-based Bluelight Analytics, whose technology helps dentists ensure they are using the right amount of energy to cure the resin in fillings. He stepped down in September 2015 (succeeded by the current CEO J.P. Furey), and in April 2017 was named the Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Startup Zone in Charlottetown.

Previously, Deacon had been the CEO of  Charlottetown-based SpellRead, a provider of evidence-based reading instruction that became one of Atlantic Canada’s fastest-growing companies. SpellRead was bought by American education company Kaplan in 2006.

"It is my pleasure to welcome Colin Deacon as Parliament's newest independent Senator,” said Trudeau in a statement Friday. “His experience as an entrepreneur and his commitment to serving those in need make him a great choice to represent the people of Nova Scotia."

The statement said that Deacon’s leadership in promoting technology start-ups and businesses has helped create new jobs and opportunities for people across Nova Scotia and Atlantic Canada. He is a board member and Vice Chair of the Kids Brain Health Network and serves on the board of the Halifax Assistance Fund, which helps those in need in the community.

Deacon was recommended by the Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments and chosen using the merit-based process open to all Canadians, said the statement. This process is intended to ensure Senators are independent, reflect Canada's diversity, and are able to tackle the broad range of challenges and opportunities facing the country.

Deacon lives in Nova Scotia and through his career has worked as a broker and commercialized technology that led to the creation of new job opportunities for Atlantic Canadians.