Propel, the Atlantic Canadian tech accelerator, held its annual Demo Day on Friday, during which nine founders from the latest Incite II cohort presented their companies.

As may be expected during the pandemic, it was an online event, with the founders delivering their pitches in a pre-recorded format, then answering live questions from their homes or offices.

Phase 2 of Incite runs for seven months and aims to help founders build a scalable and repeatable sales process using the GrowthX methodology for market development.  Silicon Valley-based GrowthX helps entrepreneurs commercialize innovation through an online platform that allows companies to access content as they need it.

Some 32 companies started the program in October, and five graduates recently received  $50,000 each in pre-seed funding from Innovacorp and the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation.

The highlight of Demo Day was Oliver POS winning the annual Gerry Pond Award for sales. Here is a glance at the other eight presenters:

CareCrew, Antigonish, NS

Abdel Moslih - CEO

CareCrew has created a software suite to help with communication and task-management in long-term care environments. It offers tools for staff to log their activities, report problems and monitor medication dispensing, among other uses. The senior-care software market is crowded, but other types of long-term care are underserved, so the team is starting by focusing on disability care.

FoodByte, Wolfville, NS

Sean Pindar – CEO

FoodByte has developed an online platform that allows food processors to quickly generate and manage food safety plans. The company’s mission is to provide accessible, reliable, and scalable food safety. It works with food processors and food safety experts across Canada on such issues as traceability, recall management, and regulation compliance. Pindar said the software can cut the cost of implementing food safety plans by as much as 75 percent. The company is working on a $500,000 funding round.

Invisible Agents, Halifax

Stuart Boyd - Founder

Invisible Agents has created an artificial intelligence system that helps non-profits analyze internal data, such as volunteerism stats and petition signings, and external data, such as economic activity and wealth-screening for potential donors. The software then uses machine learning to make recommendations about how to most effectively pursue donations. The company is in the process of raising a $500,000 round of equity financing, which it plans to use to finish Version 1 of its software and list it on the Salesforce AppExchange.

Milk Moovement, St. John’s

Robert Forsythe - CEO

Milk Moovement makes supply-chain management software that lets dairy producers, transporters and processers track their activities and communicate over a single platform. Its goal is to reduce supply chain waste by removing the transaction barriers that work against efficient markets. As of the week of May 4, monthly recurring revenue had reached about $40,000, and the supply problems caused by COVID-19 have prompted an increase in the number of potential customers reaching out to the company.

SepticSitter, Stratford, PEI

Kelly Galloway - Founder and CEO

SepticSitter is an early-warning solution for septic systems, allowing property owners to address problems before a messy, costly disaster occurs. Its patented, non-contact sensors easily install in septic tanks and drain fields, preventing hazardous system backups and overloads. The company sells hardware and service plan subscriptions to businesses, through full-service septic professionals, and is initially focusing on new commercial installations, which offer up to 12 times higher order value than retrofits.

Simbi, Vancouver

Aaron Friedland – CEO

This educational technology company records students as they read stories aloud, then allows other students to read along as they listen to the recording. By doing this, children can improve their reading skills, and the process motivates children to read, addressing a huge problem in modern education. The system also allows educators to assess the students’ progress. The technology is used by more than 45,000 children in 54 countries. The company, which has recently added French language features, is now raising a $500,000 round.

TotalIQ, St. John’s

Andrew Sinclair - Founder and CEO

TotalIQ has developed a platform that helps engineering companies understand the expertise of all employees and share that knowledge among the staff. The backend of the system contains a repository in which employees can stash different forms of information. These include documents and project lessons, even stories, which Sinclair considers a key part of the corporate knowledge base. The front end includes a recommendation algorithm function and a Q&A format so employees can find information easily. The company is now raising capital with a target of $700,000.