By November 18, 2019

Volta announces 15 Atlantic Canadian startups in fall cohort pitch event

Volta cohort

Halifax-based innovation hub Volta has announced the 15 Atlantic Canadian early-stage tech startups that will compete in its fall cohort pitch event on November 20. Up to five companies will receive $25,000 in investment, mentorship, and resources.

Launched in 2017, the cohort program aims to address the lack of early-stage investment and resources available to Atlantic Canadian tech startups. The program has awarded $475,000 in investments to date, according to Volta.

The program has awarded $475,000 in investments to date, according to Volta.

“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 Volta CEO Jesse Rodgers.

The Nova Scotian innovation hub houses over 40 tech-based ventures, three innovation
outposts, and six service and community partners, collectively employing more than 400 people in Volta’s space.

“The program has exceeded expectations, with cohort companies collectively raising a total of more than $6-million in received and pending investments,” said Rodgers. “We continue to see a wide range of innovative applicants across sectors.”

RELATED: Volta announces 14 Atlantic Canada finalists to pitch for $25,000

Participants of Volta’s cohort were selected through an application process that runs twice a year. A pitch event is then hosted every six months to determine who will be accepted into the program.

Those selected to receive investment are given space at Volta, as well as access to mentors comprised of CEOs and founders from Volta’s past and current companies. Companies outside Halifax are given support through partner organizations from cities across Atlantic Canada.

The collaboration between Volta, the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), BDC Capital, and Innovacorp hopes to ensure that startup founders across the region have support from provincial, regional, and national organizations.

The finalists include Roadblock, a Halifax startup that uses computer vision and machine learning to give cities a complete view of their road infrastructure’s condition; Clever Fruit, a manufacturer of a fermented nutraceutical ingredient to manage cholesterol naturally; and Bloxo, a mobile and web-based platform that aims to simplify the process of organizing and participating in sports, by connecting organizers, players and facilities.

The full cohort finalists list includes:

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