Nova Scotia start-ups have a chance to compete for up to $225,000 through Innovacorp’s provincial I-3 Technology Start-Up Competition.
The I-3 competition, finds and supports high potential, early stage knowledge-based companies, and encourages entrepreneurial activity across the province.
“More and more people now see how empowering it is to be an entrepreneur,” said Stephen Duff, president and CEO of Innovacorp. “The province’s start-up community has grown and improved significantly in the last decade and we expect the submissions will be top-shelf.”
The competition will take place in five geographic zones across the province. Each zone winner is awarded $100,000 in cash and in-kind business building services. Second-place zone winners take home $40,000 in cash and services.
In addition, awards will be given for the best overall submission in each of the following sectors: information technology, life sciences, clean technology, ocean technology, agricultural technology and waste diversion technology. Each sector winner will receive an award package valued at $25,000.
The provincial winner, selected from among the five first-place zone winners and six sector winners, will be awarded a $100,000 seed investment from Innovacorp.
Innovacorp ran a pilot I-3 competition in Cape Breton in 2006, and has since held four provincial competitions. Over the years, the competition has received 642 company submissions.
Zone 1 includes Cumberland, Colchester, Pictou, Antigonish and Guysborough counties; Zone 2 includes Lunenburg, Queens, Shelburne and Yarmouth counties; Zone 3 includes Digby, Annapolis, Kings and Hants counties; Zone 4 includes Halifax Regional Municipality; and Zone 5 includes Victoria, Cape Breton, Inverness and Richmond counties.
Entrepreneurs have until 5 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 15, to submit entries.