Several startups this year have had trouble with the Scientific Research and Experimental Development program, walking away empty-handed from reviews with the Canada Revenue Agency.

So should startup founders even try to tap the program?

Yes,

The Pond-Deshpande Centre at the University of New Brunswick has received $500,000 in funding from the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation, which will help to finance UNB’s new diploma in social entrepreneurship.

The Pond-Deshpande Centre is one of

Nova Sun Power, a renewable energy company based in Pictou, N.S., has become the first Canadian solar company to secure BCorp certification and will soon complete the largest photovoltaic solar installation ever in Nova Scotia.

The company said

Laurie and Layton Perrin are twin brothers originally from Parrsboro, N.S., who are developing a solution that could dramatically improve the speed and energy efficiency of most software on the market.

Their startup, Unified Software

GrowthWorks Atlantic Venture Fund, a labour-sponsored VC fund based in Halifax, issued the following press release:

GrowthWorks Atlantic Venture Fund Provides Update on Sales and Redemptions

November 20, 2014, Halifax, Nova Scotia –

ViTRAK Systems Inc., a Charlottetown startup commercializing a pressure-sensitive floor tile system, has raised as much as $2 million in funding from P.E.I. investors.

The company said in a press release yesterday the investors included the

Cracking the global marketplace is tough. Jean-Paul Deveau, president of Nova Scotia-based Acadian Seaplants has done it. He advises investing in research and development to create value-added products that clients will want to buy.

Founded in

Island Water Technologies is tackling environmental and financial problems that are troubling homeowners today and looming large for small Canadian towns in 2020.

Based in Montague, P.E.I., the company uses patented technology to treat water in

A Nova Scotian panel reviewing tax policy has recommended the province double the ceiling for investments eligible for the equity tax credit to $100,000, and pays faint homage to the idea of a regional investment tax credit.

The Tax and

First Angel Network, the Halifax-based organization for angel investors, has formally announced a partnership with the Wilmington Investor Network of North Carolina, under which the members of each group will be invited to invest in the other’s

Timbre Cases, the Fredericton startup making upmarket guitar cases, is launching its product with a Kickstarter campaign aimed at raising $30,000.

Though the minimum pledge in the crowdfunding drive is one dollar, the goal of the campaign is to

Southwest Nova Scotia -- November 19, 2014 – It’s Global Entrepreneurship Week, a worldwide series of events celebrating innovators, job creators, and business startups. What better way to participate than by registering for Mashup Weekend,