As the startups formed in the past few years begin to mature, it’s reassuring to know there are still events, competitions and other institutions that are bringing new companies into existence.

The Launch36 DemoDay in Saint John last week demonstrated clearly that the bar is rising for Atlantic Canadian startups. What was impressive two years ago is now commonplace, and that means it’s sometimes difficult for newer or weaker participants to get notice.

Fortunately, events like Pitch101 and Startup Weekend are encouraging new entrepreneurs to step forward, pitch an idea and receive invaluable feedback.

Pitch101 is planning two events in the next two weeks: Friday at the K.C. Irving Environmental Centre at Acadia University in Wolfville; and on Dec. 6 at the Bruneau Centre at Memorial University in St. John’s. The organizers are looking for pitchers for both events.

Operated by Invest Atlantic, Pitch101 allows anyone with a business idea to get up and deliver a one-minute pitch, then receive feedback from a panel of experienced judges. The idea is to give people experience in pitching and possibly turn it into a business. At the first Pitch 101 in January in Charlottetown, one of the participants was Get Gifted, which just graduated with great acclaim from the Launch36 accelerator.

Similarly, Startup Weekend gives people a chance to propose an idea, some of which are then work-shopped over a whole weekend.

From Nov. 15 to 17, Startup Weekends were held simultaneously in Moncton and Halifax, attracting a total of about 150 people, many of whom had never worked on a startup before. The timing was not a coincidence. During early November, Startup Weekend events were held around the world, and the winners of each event will compete for a global prize.

The winner of the New Brunswick event was MooBook, which developed customized eBooks to help teach children the alphabet.

The Halifax event, at Dalhousie University, was won by nudgeIt, an app that helps people to develop good habits by “nudging” them when they need a reminder to do something.

These two events follow on Startup Weekend St. John’s, a week earlier. I’ve heard that three of the teams that competed in that event are now assessing whether to proceed with developing their projects into bona fide businesses.

There are other events along the same vein, such as Apps4Halifax, which is a contest to see who can develop the best app for improving the delivery of services in Halifax.