When the board of LightSail Energy of San Francisco raised $37.3 million in venture capital funding last year, the press release said the round “was led by Peter Thiel, with participation from Khosla Ventures, which incubated the company, Bill Gates, Innovacorp, and other investors.”
That’s right—Nova Scotia’s innovation agency appeared next to the founder of Microsoft in the list of…
Continue ReadingWhen Sir Terence Matthews, the founder of Mitel and Newbridge Networks, came to McInnes Cooper’s Halifax office last year for a Manning Innovation Awards reception, I noticed he took the time to ask each startup he met one question.
“Do you have a board of directors?” he asked repeatedly throughout the evening.
This giant of Canadian entrepreneurship was driving…
Continue ReadingReducing emissions from industrial processes sounds like a great idea, but does anyone know for sure that industry is actually producing fewer emissions?
Dan Brake does.
What’s more, he’s also working on a system that can soon accurately predict in the future where, how and why contaminants might seep into the environment from industrial projects.
Brake is CEO of EMSAT Corp., a St. John’s startup that has developed…
Continue ReadingThe Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency has awarded a total of $11.3 million from the Atlantic Innovation Fund to five companies or organizations in Nova Scotia to finance the development and commercialization of new technology.
The loans are part of a total AIF award this year of $39.9 million, which is being channeled…
Continue ReadingGood things can happen when entrepreneurs have a problem. Cory Allen proved that point with SmartPhone Switchboard.
Allen is the founder and CEO of Fredericton-based CloudLinx, a profitable start-up that handles the server functions for small businesses with a cloud-based solution. His four employees use cellphones rather than land lines to communicate.
They use an answering service to channel…
Continue ReadingThe first Atlantic Venture Forum takes place Wednesday and Thursday this week at the Westin Nova Scotian in Halifax, offering a rare opportunity for meetings between local founders and come-from-away funders.
Critical Path Group, which organizes other conferences such as the Banff Venture Forum and the Canadian Financing Forum in Vancouver, has selected 22 Atlantic Canadian startups to present at the event. I’ve spoken to a few impressive…
Continue ReadingI usually cite 10 recommendations to improve the start-up ecosystem in Atlantic Canada, but there are four that I feel passionately about. My comments refer largely to the technology sector, but I think they apply to the entire start-up community.
Mentorship. The key ingredient in developing start-ups is having enough good mentors. Yes, capital is important, but the do-or-die element in the ecosystem is mentorship. And the most important—and hard to find—component…
Continue ReadingAfter three years of work, SimplyCast has launched its 360 Automation Manager, the flagship product of the Dartmouth multi-channel marketing company.
President and CEO Saeed El-Darahali unveiled the product last night at a reception in the company’s new office off Main Street in Dartmouth. In the interests of transparency, I must declare that I have been…
Continue Reading