Halifax-based innovation hub Volta has revealed the nominees for this year’s Ecosystem Impact Awards, which celebrates a group of organizations and individuals who have made significant contributions in Atlantic Canada’s tech ecosystem.
Representing the fifth installment of the Ecosystem Impact Awards, this year’s roster includes notable startups from Atlantic Canada, such as smart-thermostat company Mysa, and ReelData, which uses AI for land-based aquaculture.
The winners will be announced on Sept. 20.
The Ecosystem Impact Awards were launched in 2019 to recognize notable people and groups that are “rapidly transforming the startup ecosystem in Atlantic Canada.” It started as a partnership between the Royal Bank of Canada and Volta, later adding deeptech incubator Dalhousie University-based Emera ideaHUB as another partner.
The awards are separated into five categories: catalyst, community leader, disruptor, positive impact for a company, and positive impact for an individual.
Halifax-based ReelData was nominated for the disruptor award, which honours Atlantic Canadian tech startups that have achieved “remarkable success” in the past year.
Volta defines success for the disruptor category in a number of ways, including innovative technology, solving pressing needs, market capture, market disruption, international market penetration, and traction.
ReelData raised $10.6 million CAD in Series A funding in December 2022 to further develop its suite of land-based aquaculture solutions. The company claims its ReelAppetite product, for example, can identify real-time fish population appetite and adjust feed levels accordingly.
CapIntel, which closed a $14.2-million Series A round in June, as well as cleantech startup Aurea Technologies, were also nominated for the disruptor category this year.
Meanwhile, Mysa was nominated for the positive impact company award, which recognizes companies that have developed and implemented solutions that address social, cultural, or environmental issues.
RELATED: Volta reveals winners of 2022 Ecosystem Impact Awards
Mysa offers smart thermostats, which play a small part in helping to reduce energy consumption in order to meet net-zero emissions targets. In May, Mysa acquired the intellectual property of American company Zen Ecosystems in a move that expanded Mysa’s market beyond illuminating people’s homes and into the commercial market.
Other nominated companies for the positive impact company award include Common Good Solutions CIC, which offers a range of social-enterprise consulting, as well as Square Roots, which offers bundles of imperfect produce at a discount that would otherwise be thrown away.
All of the nominees for Volta’s Ecosystem Impact Awards this year can be found here. The winners will be announced on Sept. 20.
Featured image courtesy Mysa.