The New Brunswick Innovation Foundation has issued the following press release:
BREAKTHRU FINALISTS ANNOUNCED!
After months of work for our five finalist teams, the idea of becoming entrepreneurs remains a dream. But three of them will become exactly that, receiving over $750,000 in investments and professional services from our partners to start their own company—and a new life.
Breakthru tickets are already selling fast. Get yours now before we sell out! Breakthru LIVE - March 19th at the Fredericton Convention Centre - is one of the most anticipated events of the season. In addition to a cocktail reception and dinner, the audience will get to see each finalist pitch onstage, enjoy a live band, and special musical performances by the Calithumpians Theatre Troupe.
The five finalists are:
Autopulse
Team leader: Samuel Jesso
Autopulse’s technology communicates vehicle problems and warnings to the dealership or service center of your choice, in real time. Service center staff will receive an alert about your vehicle’s issue along with all of the data from the onboard computer. Equipped with this information, the service center can reach out to the customer, give a general explanation of the problem, the time, effort and estimated cost of the repair, and book an appointment—increasing customer retention while reducing unsold service capacity.
Team leader: Keith Brunt
BioMatrix’s product, Naqua-Pure, is a magnetic compound that provides cost effective removal of heavy metals in waste water, and is simple to use. It is non-toxic, non-corrosive and safe to handle. An adsorbent, Naqua-Pure increases the density and facilitates the drying of post-treatment wastewater sludge to the extent that it can be used in bio, or plasma reactors for energy generation. Finally, the leftover heavy metals, now ultra dense (vitrified) can be forever removed from the environment.
Team leader: Josh Ogden
Castaway Golf has developed a new machine that will dredge and clean almost all the balls at the bottom of the bog. Additional technology sorts the balls into the 200 different models so they can be repackaged and resold by brand and kind. Castaway’s system will increase major ball makers’ revenues on resold balls while saving millions dollars per year in manual sorting costs. Finding lost golf balls, repackaging and selling them is a big business, a $400 million business.
Team leader: Keelen Gagnon
SimpTek Technologies provides customers with the ability to control and understand how energy is being consumed in their homes using innovative artificial intelligence technology. As many jurisdictions move towards “Smart Grids” and “Smart Homes”, SimpTek’s solution has the ability to understand consumers’ energy usage behaviours, while making predictions and providing actionable recommendations. At the same time, the system will allow utilities reduce their peak loads and base loads with in a more precise and predictable way.
Smart Castle Labs
Team leader: Elaheh Biglar
Today’s children are exposed to the Internet at a very early age. They play with tablets, smartphones and all sorts of digital devices, but the safety measures of most are far from adequate. Smart Castle Lab’s product, DrawBridge, is a hardware device that once plugged into a home network, will help protect children by filtering content they receive through their browser or apps, including inappropriate content, cyber bullying and child luring—including an alert to their caregivers.
