Each year in our Atlantic Canada Startup Data report, we present a roster of Rookie All-Stars, highlighting the more promising first-year startups in the region.
We admit it’s always the most subjective part of the report. We never have the metrics for idea-stage or pre-seed companies that we’d need in order to flag the true rising stars. We identify companies through competitions and our reporting but we find it hard to judge the new ventures.
For example, Halifax-based Sound Blade was founded in 2023, but wasn’t mentioned among the Rookie All-Stars in our last report. But in January 2025, the company closed a US$16.5 million (C$23.8 million) Series A funding round. Obviously, this company should have been named in our report last year.
Here is our all-star roster for 2024 (and apologies if a few of these founders were working on the companies before Jan. 1, 2024):
St. John’s
Nurul Bin Ibrahim
Atlantiq AI sells AI “employees” for small businesses that need to fill staffing gaps, but prefer not to hire a full-time employee. As of April 2024, the company had signed eight clients to its Jarbiz software, with letters of interest from about another 30. Atlantiq has gone through Propel’s Traction and Growth accelerator for scaling companies.
St. John’s
Ed Clarke
Ed Clarke’s first company Global Ad Source exited in 2018 for an undisclosed sum. He’s now back with a new company, joining a wave of repeat entrepreneurs in the region. Just as some startups monitor their clients’ social media performance, Cometrics can track all of a company’s public-facing communications. These include annual reports, sustainability documentation, paid advertising, social communications, etc.
Halifax
Shivam Mahajan and Zak Ahmed
Floqer makes sales software that emphasizes automation and data analysis, such as via web scraping. The technology connects with a CRM, web data sources, and AI sales tools to build AI-powered sales funnels and do strategic account research. The company has been accepted into the Invest NS Accelerate program and Propel.
Prince Edward Island
Sandy Darrach-Leblanc and Aidan McGuire
HappyBean (whose corporate name is Innovate Accounting) is an AI-driven platform streamlining CRA business tax filing and payment. The company has joined Propel’s Validation program.
St. John’s
Brent Pretty and Andrea King
Founded by veterans of Verafin, Retellio uses AI agents to monitor companies’ sales calls and cull the most relevant statements made by clients. It packages these statements into customized podcasts that company employees can listen to to gain a deeper understanding of what clients are saying. In its first year, the company closed a $1.3 million equity funding round.
West Hants, NS
Daniel Hebert
Hebert aims to help founders generate sales by building their own repeatable sales systems. It is intended specifically for founders, not sales reps. The company lists more than half a dozen startups on its website that it is already working with.
Saint John
Ian Wilms
SeafarerAI’s technology uses sophisticated sensor networks, AI and data analytics to help small ports adapt to climate change and develop sustainable practices. In September, it was chosen to lead a $964,000 Ocean Supercluster project to use AI in port dredging.
Lunenburg
Alastair Jarvis
Headed by another serial entrepreneur, Statolith is developing a platform on which advanced carbon removal technologies and sustainable forestry practices are seamlessly integrated, ensuring a thriving, resilient ecosystem. Jarvis was previously a co-founder of WoodsCamp Technologies, which helped woodlot owners manage their lands responsibly. It was acquired by Washington, DC-based American Forest Foundation for an undisclosed sum in 2018.
