Finalists of START[2020], a bioresource innovation competition, announced

Ignite, The Nova Scotia Innovation Hub, and BioNB are announcing the five finalists of START[2020], a bioresource innovation pitch competition for entrepreneurs, start-ups, and existing businesses across Atlantic Canada. START[2020] is a partnership between Ignite, The Innovation Hub, and BioNB to support sustainable innovation in Atlantic Canada and to highlight current innovators in the ecosystem.

START[2020] gives entrepreneurs a chance to win $25,000 in prizes and gain access to commercialization opportunities through partner organizations, prospective investors, and industry experts. Hosted as part of the virtual Atlantic BIOCON series, the virtual pitch competition will be held on July 14, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. AST. The team received many applications and after much deliberation, we are pleased to announce that the following companies will be pitching:

North Taste Flavourings Inc.
North Taste Flavourings Inc. has developed innovative technologies and processes to transform large volumes of by-product biomass from marine resources into various value-added products. They are expanding their production processes and are expediting their growth.

Cultivated EcoSystems Ltd.
Cultivated EcoSystems Ltd. is a zero-waste model system that diverts green waste from local restaurants, agricultural, horticultural, and fishing industries to create a biologically dense, and established, in-soil ecosystem that is self-sustaining.

UnBound Chemicals
UnBound Chemicals has created technology to collect, sort, extract and remarket ingredients from the billions of unused pills that are discarded annually. UnBound has created an Artificial Intelligence-driven pill process and are now in phase two of expanding their research and partnering with commercial businesses.

Green Oil Solutions Ltd.
Green Oil Solutions Ltd (Green Oil) is an eco filtration company that purifies hydraulic fluid and diesel fuel on marine vessels. Using biomass materials Green Oil is creating innovative filtration systems for the fishing and marine industry.

Clever Fruit Products
Clever Fruit Products is a functional food ingredients manufacturer targeting improved health outcomes. They are focused on providing health-invoking products to improve cholesterol profiles and help people avoid the potential risk of heart attack and stroke.

“New Brunswick has a long history of bioresource innovation and traditional industry innovation. These five finalists represent the best innovators in the bio resource economy in Atlantic Canada and BioNB is excited to work with them and support their further growth even after the START[2020] competition,” said Jennifer O’Donnell, executive director of BioNB.

The $25,000 grand prize will be awarded to the winner of the pitch competition but the goal of START[2020] is to find several innovative ideas from across Atlantic Canada. The five finalists will be presenting their pitches on July 14 at 2:00 p.m. AST. To sign up and watch visit start2020.ca.