Halifax startup hub Volta has announced the 10 finalists in its latest Volta Cohort pitch competition, slated for May 25 with up to $25,000 of prize money for winners.
Volta started holding its Cohort events four years ago and the upcoming event will be the tenth of its kind. So far, there have been 44 winners. The prize money -- up to $25,000 per company -- also comes with mentorship services and office space in Volta or another innovation hub in the region. The new roster of finalists is heavy on software and artificial intelligence startups.
The program has also been expanded to offer winning companies up to another $25,000 each on top of the prize money, if they stay in the Cohort accelerator program for six months and meet a set of prescribed growth milestones.
“The Volta Cohort program ... is often the first stepping stone for these companies in raising significant VC financing rounds, participating in global accelerators such as Techstars, and continuing to grow and create jobs both on a regional and international level,” said Volta CEO Martha Casey in a press release.
You can register here to attend the in-person event, which begins at 5:30 p.m. on May 25. Here’s a look at the finalists:
CEO, Brad DiPaolo
Moncton, NB
CandidateHub sells marketing automation software to help recruiters monitor who is engaging with their content online.
CEO, Dave Iwankow
Charlottetown
CleanBands is a system for tracking hand washing compliance for service workers and their employers.
Co-Founders, Conor O’Brien and Tom Cooper
Halifax
Dependbuild sells cloud software to help manucipalities and infrastructure developers identify, assess and track risks to their construction projects.
Founder, Mandhir Singh
Halifax
Easy Platter is an online platform to match users with personal chefs who will prepare meals in their homes once a week.
iFormit Solutions
Co-Founders, Abdulganiyu Onabanjo and Paul Adeola
Bedford, NS
iFormit is developing technology to simplify smart metering infrastructure in the power system.
CEO, Janice Villanueva
Halifax, NS
Mommy Mundo is an e-learning platform for mothers that aims to offer pregnancy and parenting advice from a roster of “global experts and advocates.”
CEO, Ken Raj Leslie
Kentville
MotionBed is developing technology to detect when users are in REM sleep, meaning deep sleep, and use recorded stimuli to modify their dreams.
Co-Founders, Bronwyn Bridges and Gord Genge
St. John’s
PragmaClin is building a suite of digital technology to allow for remote medical assessments of people with movement disorders.
Spokesfan
CEO, Yasir Gafar
Halifax
Spokesfan is developing a tool for marketers to track word-of-mouth recommendations on social media.
Co-Founders, Jeremy Meade and Fouad Matar
St. John’s
Zipp Cart is a grocery delivery service that promises to contactlessly drop products at customers’ doors.
