On behalf of the Investment Opportunities Program (IOP) partners we are pleased to confirm the 12 companies selected to join our 1st cohort. A total of 16 preselected companies competed in a pitching session after an invite only weekend of workshops that focused on investment readiness, pitching and investor relations. The event was held Nov 17-19th at St Mary’s University. Workshops were facilitated by representatives from the First Angel Network, Springboard Atlantic and Invest Atlantic. The 1st cohort welcomes the following company representatives:

1. Sizwe Dhlamini, POWERHV, NL
2. James Stewart, EhEye Inc, NB
3. Trevor Forward, DuXion Motors, NL
4. Issmat Al-Akhali, Black Sheep Project Management Inc, NS
5. Dr Bill Smith, NeckTronics, NS
6. Aris Economopoulos, Boombers Plus, NS
7. Randy Campbell, Shoplaw, PE
8. Joel Muise, Tranquility Online, NS
9. Josh Ogden, AVSS- Aerial Vehicle Safety Solutions, NB
10. Amir Akbari, WENTech Solutions, NB
11. Eric Fisher, MyMem Technologies Inc, NS
12. Mark Gauci, ABA Access, NL

The cohort including up to 4 mentors will be in Toronto from December 13-15th, 2017 to pitch their ideas to angel investors with the goal of raising capital. Angel Investors Ontario will be hosting the first pitch session for its members on Dec 14th and the National Angel Capital Organization is hosting a 2nd pitch session which is open to all investors on Dec 15th. The IOP strives to identify the top startup companies from Atlantic Canada available today, and pairs them with identified investors in key target markets. The program was launched by Springboard Atlantic CEO Chris Mathis and Nova Scotia-based Jameson Group (organizers of Invest Atlantic) CEO Bob Williamson with support from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA). For further details please visit Springboard Atlantic’s website or email Bob Williamson at Bob@jamesongroup.ca.