Sherbrooke, Que,-based Oneka Technologies, which in 2021 raised $5.5 million in a round of equity and non-dilutive funding, has opened an office at the Dartmouth-Based Centre for Ocean Ventures and Entrepreneurship, or COVE.

Founded in 2015 by mechanical engineer Dragan Tutic, Oneka manufactures wave-powered seawater desalination systems housed inside autonomous buoys. The company started as a student project and is now aiming to sell its technology to resorts, coastal communities and the owners of private islands.

Oneka previously tested a prototype off Eastern Passage, near Dartmouth, with the help of a roster of local contractors, including industrial diving company RMI Marine and data analytics firm LeeWay Marine, in a project that CEO Tutic described as highly successful. The company's 2021 funding round was led by Innovacorp, which last year became part of Invest Nova Scotia. 

“Joining COVE’s global high-tech innovation hub builds a strong business development presence in Atlantic Canada for Oneka Technologies to advance its sustainable ocean technology,” said COVE Chief Executive Melanie Nadeau in a statement.

“We look forward to Oneka Technologies collaborating with COVE resident companies to grow Canada’s marine sector and find opportunities with international markets."

Oneka said in the same statement that it chose to establish a base in Nova Scotia because of the province’s high quality seaport infrastructure and easy access to the Atlantic Ocean, as well as its robust innovation economy.

“We are excited to establish a presence at COVE and expand our network of collaborators,” said Tutic. “This strategic move is one of many steps that Oneka is taking to leverage what Nova Scotia can offer to accelerate our growth.”

So far, Oneka has more than 25 employees and projects in Canada, the United States and Chile, with offices in all three countries.