Energia Ventures, the accelerator affiliated with the University of New Brunswick, held its most recent demo day on Tuesday, with five founders presenting their businesses.
It was the ninth demo day for Energia, which is an accelerator for energy, cleantech, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence companies. The cohort featured three companies from Atlantic Canada, as well as one from Toronto and one with dual headquarters in Turkey and Atlanta, Ga.
“We pushed them pretty hard and they have excelled our expectations,” said Joe Allen, the Director of Accelerators for J. Herbert Smith Centre for Technology Management and Entrepreneurship, or TME.
Here are the companies that comprised the latest cohort of Energia:
Toronto
Terrence (Terry) Wang, CEO; Victor Peter, CTO
Cios (pronounced “keys”) partners with property management companies to provide tenants who need to move early with an alternative to paying lease termination fees. The company does this by drastically facilitating a sublease with a replacement tenant, so that property managers minimize vacancy and costs, while tenants save money in penalties. Wang said the company has just signed up four pilot projects with property management firms that oversee 3,500 units. Next year, it hopes to raise $1.3 million, which would provide it with the capital to launch in 20 states in the U.S.
Atlanta, GA
Mustafa Kemal Isen, CEO; Kayra Kurnaz, COO; Fatih Büyükserin, CSO; Emre Gültakti, CTO
This company has developed “superhydrophobic” coating technology that prevents ice buildup on power lines and wind turbine blades, which prevents power outages during winter storms or extreme cold. The coating can be applied to power lines for only 15 cents a meter – an attractive price given the hundreds of millions of dollars of damage that can be caused to power grids in ice storms. KFOBIX is now aiming to raise a $500,000 round and has commitments for half of it.
Fredericton
Regan Riordon, CEO
Motive Power is building a network of fast, reliable EV charging stations throughout the Maritimes. It is partnering with hosts to design, build, and operate distributed charging services that grow with the surge in e-mobility. Riordon explained that most EV charging stations in the Maritimes are on major routes, leaving a lot of the region under-serviced. The company is now doing a pilot installation, with 37 more installations planned in the future. Riordon is looking to raise a $300,000 funding round.
Halifax
Masoud Aali, CEO; Daniel MacDonald; Dr. Luke Hilchie
Scient Analytics empowers geoscientists by using technology to map rock features indistinguishable by the human eye. The company integrates deep-tech and AI for streamlined identification of minerals and geological features with submillimetre spatial resolution, reducing 60 percent of operational costs compared to traditional methods for mining development. With two paid pilot projects, the company has raised $600,000 in funding from founders and non-dilutive sources. It now hopes to raise a $1 million round in the near future.
TutorLabs
Halifax
Moriya Dechtiar, CEO; Danny Dechtiar, CTO
TutorLabs is an AI-driven private tutoring service designed for Canadian high-school students. The company aims to fill gaps in the education system’s current, one-size-fits-all approach, including a lack of personalization in teaching. Dechtiar said that studies have shown students excel when taught through personalized, one-on-one tutors and AI allows digitized solutions that offer the same benefits as a human tutor. The company is now raising a $650,000 funding round.
Energia is now recruiting for its 10th cohort, which will run from September to December of this year. The deadline is July 24. Anyone interested in applying can do so here.
