The University of New Brunswick’s TME group has accepted nine Canadian companies into its Summer Institute, and this seventh annual cohort is its biggest yet.

The TME group – whose formal name is the J Herbert Smith Centre for Technology Management and Entrepreneurship – holds its Summer Institute each year, placing less emphasis on innovation than other similar programs.

Though modern accelerators usually court companies founded on new technology, the Summer Institute has made a name for itself helping small businesses with a range of business models. It has had strong success in helping companies with a consumer product or service, emphasizing the design and human components of bringing products to market.

“The number of applicant companies has grown every year since inception, and this year, we received well over 100 applications, and the quality of applicant grows every year,” said Joe Allen, Managing Director of Accelerator Programs for TME. “We are attracting top notch companies from around the globe. Given the situation with COVID, however, we decided to stick to Canadian companies this year, and we are blown away by the talent.”

The ventures accepted into the 2020 program are:

Odd Ball Snacks, Fredericton

Hannah Watson and Alex Mollegard

Healthy food options from affordable and sustainable sources.

Cocktail Hero, Bouctouche, NB

Jossilyn Flewelling and Melanie Doucet

A one-step elixir mixer for a health-conscious refreshing beverage.

Foodona Inc., Halifax

Purushothaman Cannane

Paper bags and bin liners made from recycled paper waste.

Radicle Root Herbs, Knowlesville, NB

Munna Cleland

Herbal subscription boxes to help young families and individuals solve their independent wellness needs.

Blooming Wild Organics, Bellelville, NB

Charlotte Walker

Healthy, natural, sustainable skincare using unique Canadian ingredients.

Castofly, Vancouver

Iman Moaz

A software platform to help teachers quickly create and collaborate on educational videos using automation and a streamlined solution.

ML Football Academy, Fredericton

Marcus Lees

A student-athlete preparatory soccer institution for Grades 6 to 12.

Satified Fox Estates, Fredericton

Lucinda Hughey

Novel non-alcoholic beverages with the flavour of alcohol, such as gin and vermouth.

Sourfeed Tech, Fredericton

Pratibha Chaudhry

Smart machine to help produce sourdough bread.

The Summer Institute program this year will be led by TME’s new accelerator team consisting of Allen, Program Manager Inball Lev and Operations Coordinator Tanvir Kohli. Dhirendra Shukla will continue in his guiding role as Chair of the TME Centre.

The cohort began on July 7 and is set to conclude on Sept. 18 with the Summer Institute’s annual demo day.