Fifteen Atlantic Canadian early stage technology startups will pitch at the fall 2019 edition of the Volta Cohort Pitch Event on Wednesday, November 20 in Halifax. Up to five companies will receive $25,000 in investment, mentorship, and resources.This event marks the fifth intake to the Volta Cohort program.

Volta Cohort launched in 2017 to address the lack of early stage investment and resources available to Atlantic Canadian technology startups. The program has awarded $475,000 in investments to date.  

“Volta Cohort launched two years ago as an experiment to see if funding high calibre, early stage startups would lead to more venture path companies in Atlantic Canada,” said Jesse Rodgers, Chief Executive Officer of Volta. “The program has exceeded expectations, with Cohort companies collectively raising a total of more than $6-million in received and pending investments, and we continue to see a wide range of innovative applicants across sectors.”

The finalists are: 

Bloxo Inc. (Halifax, NS) – Bloxo is a mobile and web-based platform that simplifies the process of organizing and participating in sports, by connecting organizers, players and facilities.

Bookt (Halifax, NS) – bookt.ca is a consolidated, just-in-time appointment booking platform that connects on-the-go customers with in-demand beauty professionals.

Bursity Inc. (Halifax, NS) – Bursity.cais developing a web platform that helps post-secondary students pay their tuition by finding and applying for financial awards in a few easy steps. Their platform uses one, universal form to connect students to more than two-million funding opportunities.

Clever Fruit (Bridgewater, NS) – Clever Fruit manufactures a fermented nutraceutical ingredient to manage cholesterol naturally.

Electric Owl Solutions Ltd. (Halifax, NS) – Electric Owl is developing subscription based software solutions for community gardens, urban gardeners and small scale farmers.

Hyke Technologies Inc. (St. John’s, NL) – Hyke Technologies is developing a customer acquisition, retention, and expansion platform to revamp B2C’s engagement with millennials.

JellyGood (Cole Harbour, NS) – Jellygood makes a collagen protein bar that delivers better nutrition to the world, everyday.

Legal Innovation Lab (Charlottetown, PEI) – Legal Innovation Lab collaborates with specialist lawyers to create premium, do-it-yourself legal solutions for families and entrepreneurs, to offer solutions that cost 60-80 per cent less than a lawyer’s typical rate. 

Let’s Glo (Halifax, NS) – Let’s Glo is a personalized employee engagement software for millennials and the companies that they work. They aim to bring career fulfillment, full circle.

Macro Movements (Sydney, NS) – Macro Movements uses artificial intelligence to track, analyze and perfect human movement patterns. 

Placebuilder (Halifax, NS) – Placebuilder is connecting the dots for different outcomes.

RIDDL (Fredericton, NB) – RIDDL provides proprietary data to impact investors to guide better investment decisions.

Roadblock (Halifax, NS) – Roadblock uses computer vision and machine learning to give cities a complete view of their road infrastructure’s condition.

Safa (St. John’s, NL) – Safa is creating an AI-powered employee retention solution for companies.

Sparrow Acoustics (Halifax, NS) – Sparrow Acoustics is making it possible for health care professionals to triage a cardiac patient in less than 10 minutes using only their software and an electronic stethoscope. The company combines a decade of auscultation research, with novel computer visualization, proprietary acoustic algorithms, and artificial intelligence.

Volta Cohort participants are selected through an application process that runs twice a year. Volta hosts a pitch event every six months to determine who is accepted into the program. Companies receiving investment are given space at Volta and access to a board of mentors comprised of CEOs and Founders of Volta’s Resident and Alumni companies. For companies outside of Halifax, support is arranged with partner organizations in other cities across Atlantic Canada. The collaboration between Volta, the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), BDC Capital, and Innovacorp ensures startup founders across the region have provincial, regional and national organizations committed to their success.

Related articles categorized under Blog