Two Atlantic Canadian entrepreneurs received Mitacs Entrepreneur Awards at a reception Tuesday for the winners of the national awards in Halifax.

Tanzina Huq, Co-Founder and CTO of Chinova Bioworks of Fredericton, received the Outstanding Entrepreneur award, and Hamed Hanafi, Founder and President of Halifax’s Novaresp Technologies, was named the Global Impact Entrepreneur.

Mitacs is a national organization that helps link researchers with corporations for R&D projects. Now in their fourth year, the Mitacs Entrepreneur Awards celebrate startup companies founded by outstanding former Mitacs interns and postdoctoral fellows.

“Canada has exceptional talent and Mitacs is extremely proud to support young entrepreneurs in spring-boarding to market the next generation of innovations,” said Mitacs CEO and Scientific Director Alejandro Adem in a statement. “Their contributions are strengthening the Canadian economy, spurring productivity, and creating jobs.”

Huq, 34, is a former Mitacs postdoctoral fellow at the University of New Brunswick. Her company is disrupting the food and beverage industry with the launch of a first-of-its-kind all natural, clean label preservative that ensures food safety and a longer shelf life without the health risks associated with artificial preservatives. The company raised US$2 million in VC funding last year. 

It’s the second time that Mitacs has recognized Huq. In December 2018, it named her one of the 150 leading researchers in Canada.

Hanafi, 33, a former Mitacs intern at Dalhousie University, is working on a new treatment for sleep apnea and other breathing conditions. He is launching a unique respiratory monitoring device that provides a safer, more comfortable, and more effective aid to help patients sleep.

The other four Mitacs Entrepreneur Award winners are:

Environmental Entrepreneur: Beatriz Molero, 32, a former Mitacs postdoctoral fellow at the University of Calgary, and chief technology officer and co-founder of Calgary-based SeeO2 Energy. Molero is recognized for her company’s solution that converts greenhouse gas emissions into high-value fuels and chemicals, helping to battle climate change.

Change Agent Entrepreneur: Ephraim Nowak, 26, a former Mitacs intern at the University of British Columbia, and founder and CEO of Kelowna-based startup Percept Systems. Nowak is filling a void in the aviation market with the launch of a lightweight cockpit video recorder and flight data monitoring solution.

Social Entrepreneur: Hachem Agili, 31, a former Mitacs participant from Université Laval, pursuing his doctorate at Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS); and co-founder, president, and CEO of Quebec City-based Geosapiens. Agili is improving flood risk management with the launch of an online tool that assesses and predicts the impact of flood waters.

A special Mitacs 20th Anniversary Award was presented to Montreal-based Element AI in recognition of the company’s commitment to innovation and its entrepreneurial spirit. Working closely with Mitacs, Element AI was able to speed up the development and commercialization of its technology. Just three years old, the company employs 500 people in five offices around the world.