Dalhousie University Announces Third Annual Ready2Launch Cohort
Tuesday, May 31st, 2022 (Halifax, NS) – Dalhousie University is pleased to announce the third annual Ready2Launch (R2L) summer accelerator cohort, which includes 11 teams from universities and colleges across Atlantic Canada. The 12-week R2L program is designed for teams who are committed to building and growing technology-based and research-driven ventures.
“In just in two years, Ready2Launch has fast become one of Atlantic Canada’s most important programs for transforming research-based ideas into tech-focused start-ups,” says Dr. Alice Aiken, vice president, research and innovation at Dalhousie University. “From genome editing for fruit, to electric bikes that leverage Dalhousie’s advanced battery science, this cohort includes ventures focused on bringing exciting innovations to the world. I’m looking forward to seeing where they all land at the end of the program.”
Led by Dalhousie University and the I-INC Network, Ready2Launch is part of a suite of programs offered through Dal Innovates that help deliver innovation and entrepreneurial skills and attitudes to students, faculty, and alumni. Since Ready2Launch launched in 2020, a total of 20 teams have participated and have gone on to raise more than $3 million in funding and grants. The teams have also advanced into next-stage accelerators such as Creative Destruction Lab and Innovacorp Accelerate.
Teams will take part in weekly workshops following the Disciplined Entrepreneurship framework developed by Bill Aulet at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In addition, participants will receive up to $15,000 in funding, along with guidance from industry in the form of a designated mentor and a mock Board of Directors. Resilience training and skills clinic sessions will round out the program, with sessions drawing on expertise from the Atlantic and national innovation ecosystems, and with instruction from industry experts in corporate law, marketing, and product development, to name a few. The program will culminate with a pitch day on 22nd September where participating ventures will compete for $10,000 in cash prizes.
Teams will use their academic backgrounds to commercialize products and services with the potential for global reach, with a focus on discovering the core user problem, refining their product value proposition, and validating their business model. Participants consist of students from undergraduate to post-doctoral level, researchers, and academicians with research in the areas of agriculture, chemistry, computer science, engineering, health, marine management, medicine, pharmacy, physics, and psychology.
Participating teams represent Acadia University, Dalhousie University - including the Dalhousie Agricultural Campus, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Mount Saint Vincent University, Nova Scotia Community College, and Saint Francis Xavier University. Four of the 11 selected ventures previously participated in the Lab2Market program, which is a precursor to Ready2Launch.
“We decided to participate in the Ready2Launch program to develop, unlearn and learn the skills required for our venture to be a successful one.” said Mmasinachi Atansi, Co-Founder of It Must Be Natural. “We are also aware that the path to commercialization is not easy, but we want to turn every uncertainty into a learning opportunity.”
PragmaClin Research Inc
PragmaClin Research Inc. neurological disease monitoring by using innovative digital tools to manage movement disorder assessments from home.
Atlantic Academic Institution: Memorial University of Newfoundland
Participating Founders: Bronwyn Bridges, Gord Genge
FoodImprover
FoodImprover Inc is building a genetics platform to enable the future of genome editing in fruits
Atlantic Academic Institution: Dalhousie University
Participating Founders: Tayab Soomro, Tommy Davies
It Must Be Natural
It Must Be Natural is an intentional all-vegan personal care brand providing women of color with tailor-made natural hair care products. This is because the hair growing out of the scalp of a woman of color is not just hair but her crown, beauty, and glory.
Atlantic Academic Institution: Dalhousie University
Nova Scotia Community College
Participating Founders: Mmasinachi Atansi, Maryam Tat Hesari
Edudate
Edudate is a gamified based learning platform that teaches teens about online dating safety.
Atlantic Academic Institution: Dalhousie University
Participating Founders: Nicole Doria, Jad Sinno
Ocean Signts Technologies
We maximize lobsters caught per fuel spent by lobster fishers. AI powered devices placed in the traps create an underwater network allowing for captains to know the number of lobsters in each trap location. This information is sent to an app where the optimal route is displayed for the captain.
Atlantic Academic Institution: Dalhousie University
Participating Founders: Artorix de la Cruz , Keenan Shirt
SmartBin
SmartBin is a software/hardware solution that improves efficiency in the waste management industry and reduce fuel consumption while being environmentally sustainable.
Atlantic Academic Institution: Memorial University of Newfoundland
Participating Founders: Aneesh Raghupathy, Niraj Shukla
Marine Way
Marine Way is an integrated ghost gear platform that leverages citizen science to help better manage, mitigate, and remove ghost gear from our waters.
Atlantic Academic Institution: Dalhousie University
Participating Founders: Lisa Chen, Leah Lourenço
Storybox Mentor Connector
Storybox Mentor Connect provides the easiest transition to university life for International Students via real time 1:1 mentorship.
Atlantic Academic Institution: St. Francis Xavier University
Participating Founders: Anamika Saxena, Amanjyot Singh
MotionBed
MotionBed helps you sleep better, dream better, with our patent-pending dream directing technology.
Atlantic Academic Institution: Acadia University
Participating Founders: Dr. Kenneth Rajan Leslie, Geoffrey Vanderkooy
ORCA
ORCA order is an e-commerce service that makes shopping locally easier. Customers who wish to shop online can find the inventory of every retail store in their city on one platform with ORCA free shipping.
Atlantic Academic Institution: Memorial University of Newfoundland
Participating Founders: HuSam Basemah, Abtehaj Al Khatab
Zen Electric Bikes Inc.
Zen Electric Bikes Inc. is a Nova Scotia based clean tech company focused on addressing urban mobility challenges by designing and manufacturing light electric vehicles with advanced battery technology.
Atlantic Academic Institution: Dalhousie University
Mount Saint Vincent University
Participating Founders: Ravindra Kempaiah, Kady Leard
Ready2Launch is offered through Dal Innovates which is supported by $594,895 in non-repayable assistance from the Government of Canada, through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA).
“We’re proud to support innovation and entrepreneurship at all levels,” says Andy Fillmore, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry and Member of Parliament for Halifax, on behalf of the Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Official Languages and Minister responsible for ACOA. “Programs like Ready2Launch provide the next generation of disruptors and innovators the support they need to turn innovation-driven solutions into high-growth businesses, creating great jobs here at home.”
Dalhousie University is part of the Incubate Innovate Network of Canada (I-INC), which acts as an umbrella organization providing support to high-performing university-connected incubators and accelerators. Led by Dalhousie University, the program is supported by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), Brigus Capital, Build Ventures, Christopher Huskilson, and Morrison Park Advisors.
About ACOA
The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) is working to make Atlantic Canada a hotbed for successful innovation-based startups. ACOA helps bring research to market by working to provide high-potential firms with access to capital, operational experience, technical knowledge, mentorship, and a network of professionals ready to support and guide them through each stage of growth. Learn more here.
About Dalhousie University:
Dalhousie University is Atlantic Canada’s leading research-intensive university. Located in the heart of Halifax, Nova Scotia, with an Agricultural Campus in Truro/Bible Hill, Dalhousie is a truly national and international university, with more than half of the university’s 20,000-plus students coming from outside the province. Dal’s 6,000 faculty and staff foster a diverse, purpose-driven community, one that spans 13 faculties and conducts more than $181 million in research annually. Part of a cluster identified as one of the world’s top international centres in ocean research, the university proudly celebrated its 200th anniversary in 2018.
About Ready2Launch
Ready2Launch supports start-up teams who have identified a customer opportunity from the Lab2Market program in building the capacity they need to identify a viable business model, launch their venture, and reach their next developmental milestone. I-INC will offer a Ready2Launch summer accelerator for students and researchers across Canada with the goal of launching sustainable and scalable companies within 6 months of completing the program. Learn more here.
About Lab2Market
Lab2Market supports researchers who foresee impact and potential commercial value in their deep tech research, by providing opportunities and exposure to help commercialize their intellectual property. The program is developed and led by Dalhousie University, Memorial University, and Ryerson University, and leverages the national I-INC network. Learn more at www.lab2market.ca.
About I-INC
The Innovation + Impact Network of Canada (I-INC) is a national research commercialization ecosystem, supporting Canada as a global leader in innovation and technology. It accelerates and drives research commercialization outcomes across Canada’s universities through entrepreneurship and innovation training and venture-focused experiential programs designed specifically for scientific researchers. Member institutions contribute to the development and delivery of services, networks and best practices, improving the effectiveness, scale and impact of research and innovation activities within their institutions. Leveraging existing incubator and accelerator ecosystem, I-INC addresses the specific needs of researchers and students developing research-based and deep-tech ventures. To learn more, visit: www.iincanada.ca
Interested future applicants can find more information at ready2launch.ca.
Media contact:
Joe Krawczyk
Coordinator, Dal Innovates
Dalhousie University
Joe.k@dal.ca
Andrew Riley
Communications Advisor, Office of the Vice President Research and Innovation
Dalhousie University
Andrew.Riley@dal.ca
11 ventures across Atlantic Canada will take part in the 12-week startup accelerator program
