July 6, 2023
Last year, startups in Halifax broke records for growth, raised impressive amounts of capital, and continued to create jobs in the city. The number of startups in Halifax grew by 36% and the Halifax Innovation District was launched to connect more of them to innovation assets and opportunities.
Halifax is becoming one of best places in Canada to launch and grow a startup. The startup community is highly collaborative and well-connected to established businesses, research organizations, and post-secondary institutes. Plus, the city offers entrepreneurs an excellent quality of life and lower cost-of-living when compared to larger cities like Toronto and Vancouver.
Local Halifax startups are innovating in different verticals and disrupting a broad range of industries - software, ocean technology, biotech, and cleantech to name a few. Here are five Halifax startups that made news this year.
IMV Developing COVID-19 Vaccine
Since the onset of the pandemic, IMV, a biopharmaceutical startup, has been rapidly progressing its COVID-19 vaccine candidate. The company is accelerating its clinical trials and has partnered with a global manufacturer to expand production capacity. Recently, IMV raised $10 million in funding to support these efforts and the company shows no signs of slowing down.
CarbonCure Gets Amazon Investment
Named 2020 North American Cleantech Company of the Year, CarbonCure Technologies is working to lower the carbon footprint in concrete manufacturing. The startup recently raised a round led by Amazon and Breakthrough Energy Ventures, which is backed by Microsoft and BDC Capital. CarbonCure’s goal is to remove 500 megatonnes of CO2 annually from the concrete industry in the next decade.
OUTCAST Foods Tackling Food Wastage
OUTCAST Foods is tackling the $49.5 billion food waste problem in Canada by processing surplus fruits & vegetables into nutritional powders. At the beginning of the year, the startup closed a $3 million financing round and has been investing in building a manufacturing facility and developing their brand and marketing. The Halifax startup has been working with Sobeys and is already selling its products to companies in several countries.
Adaptiiv Medical Technologies
Adaptiiv Medical Technologies’ software is used to develop custom 3D-printed medical accessories for cancer patients. Their technology improves treatment accuracy and saves time for health care workers. Over the last couple of years, Adaptiiv has rapidly scaled its customer base in Canada and the U.S. The startup raised $1.8 million back in March and recently won the first Health Challenge Pitch Event.
Sedna Technologies
Dartmouth-based, Sedna Technologies is optimizing the seafood supply chain with their sensor technology, Sedna Ecosystem. Monitoring real-time data like storage temperature and water quality, their system helps companies across the supply chain reduce waste. This year, co-founder Sheamus MacDonald won the Mitacs Entrepreneur Award.
Diverse local startups are one of the key driving forces to evolving Halifax’s tech sector. Despite the challenges of this year, Halifax startups continue to make their mark both nationally and internationally.
Halifax's Innovation District
Our District provides a platform to connect more startups, scaleups and established companies to our innovation assets and opportunities. It also allows us to leverage and build upon Halifax’s unique strengths to drive innovation and accelerate growth.