The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) and Innovacorp selected five Nova Scotian startups to participate in an acceleration program focused on clean technology. Three of the five ventures selected are run by alumni, and one is led by a Dalhousie professor.

Each startup will receive $20,000 in funding and access to the CleanTech Accelerate Program to develop their business and prepare them to attract private investment. They were selected from a group of 17 applicants, nine of whom were invited to pitch their business to Innovacorp in January.

Clean tech startups

Midgard Insect Farm Inc.

Midgard Insect Farm Inc. was selected to develop its innovative product – protein powder made from crickets. The company’s president, Joy Hillier (DTech’08), studied veterinary technology at the Dalhousie Agricultural Campus. Midgard Insect Farm operates in Windsor, N.S.

“The protein in crickets is more bioavailable, so basically your body can use it more readily than nutrients in other meat products,” said Hillier in an interview with CBC News. It is also a more environmentally sustainable way of producing protein, as crickets require less water and space to produce protein than sources such as cows or pigs.

Minute88

The accelerator program and $20,000 investment will enable Kianoosh Yazdani’s (BEng’06) Minute88 Inc. to continue helping telecommunications carriers improve their energy management. Minute88 is based in Halifax.

CARE Food Engineering Inc.

CARE Food Engineering Inc. was selected for its process, which enables the production of dried natural foods with efficient use of energy. The company is based in Truro, N.S. and run by Dalhousie Agricultural Campus professor Dr. Alex Martynenko.

Jaza Energy Inc.

Sebastian Manchester’s (BEng’12, MASc’14) Jaza Energy Inc. was chosen for its focus on providing solar energy to those in remote areas.

“The support is accelerating our effort to bring solar energy to remote communities around the world,” said Manchester.

Read more

Read the full stories in “ACOA gives clean tech startups a $20,000 boost” on thechronicleherald.ca and “How a Nova Scotia farm turns 4 million crickets, ‘legs and all,’ into protein” on cbc.ca.

Image: Megan Mahon/Communications Nova Scotia (via CBC)