Another group of promising Newfoundland and Labrador startups has graduated from the Genesis Enterprise program.
Enterprise is Genesis’ flagship three-year program that helps early-stage technology companies develop their businesses and reach their first $1 million in annual recurring revenues.
Ventures are given access to valuable resources, including office space, funding, mentorship and training to help maximize their chances of success.
Class of 2021
Mentic, Polyamyna, Rally, SkillsHawk, StrobelTek and Total IQ are the latest cohort to graduate from the program, and will continue working on their businesses as alumni of the Genesis community. Company biographies follow below.
Ashley Sullivan, co-founder and chief operating officer, SkillsHawk, says her company was born from Memorial’s Entrepreneurship Training Program, nurtured by the Genesis Evolution program and then launched in the Genesis Enterprise program to become what it is today.
“We have learned invaluable knowledge from the Genesis experience, co-working space and resources that we will take with us on our entrepreneurial journey,” she said.
“We have made lifelong connections with the Genesis network that we cherish and look forward to the challenges ahead of us propelling our business to the next level.”
‘World’s best’
Many of the companies have deep roots in the Memorial University community, having graduated from academic programs, commercialized their research or participated in many of the entrepreneurial support programs offered along with their time at Genesis.
Dr. Vianne Timmons, president and vice-chancellor, Memorial University, says she is delighted to see companies benefitting from Memorial’s dedication to fostering entrepreneurship.
“We’ve been fortunate to help produce some of the world’s best entrepreneurial talent right here in Newfoundland and Labrador, and we’re pleased to see these six companies embody that success. From everyone at Memorial, we wish them sincerest congratulations on this achievement.”
Potential to flourish
Multiple levels of government also supported the graduating ventures, including the province’s Department of Industry, Energy and Technology.
Newfoundland and Labrador is a place where innovators and entrepreneurs with high growth potential can flourish, says Minister Andrew Parsons.
“These six companies will play an important role in our growing innovation economy. Today is just the next step of an incredible entrepreneurial journey for this year’s Enterprise graduates. I commend their hard work, dedication and ingenuity, and wish them the very best as they continue to develop and grow.”
Excitement for the future
The latest slate of graduates is further proof that the local tech sector is becoming a central pillar of the business community.
The six graduates have pioneered groundbreaking technologies in their respective industries, created dozens of local jobs and drastically improved the quality of life for individuals and organizations with their offerings.
“We can’t wait to see how far these six companies go.”
The startup sector in Newfoundland and Labrador is thriving and this year’s graduates embody an encouraging path forward, says Michelle Simms, president and CEO, Genesis.
“Companies like our Enterprise clients graduating today represent an exciting future for this province,” she says.
“The technology business community is realizing explosive growth, and being a part of their journey from the early days is such a rewarding experience for our team at Genesis. We can’t wait to see how far these six companies go.”
About the graduates
Mentic developed ABA Access, an innovative online platform designed to bridge existing gaps between the availability of mental disability services for families and governments. Applied behavioural analysis (ABA) is a cognitive therapy program that has been used for autism spectrum disorder and other mental disabilities. ABA Access seeks to increase accessibility for parents and therapists by employing an online model to ensure no therapy session is missed while also ensuring that mastery of the therapy occurs at a rate that matches the child’s pace.
Polyamyna Nanotech Inc. was established with the intent of preventing infectious diseases by creating a germ-free environment. Polyamyna is currently developing permanent and non-toxic antimicrobial coatings for health care and food-packaging industries to prevent hospital-acquired infections, mould/fungus formation and food wastage.
Rally is an all-in-one intake, automation, collaboration and company management tool that connects law firms to clients and increases retention in more ways than ever before.
SkillsHawk offers an automated skill-tracking software that helps organizations gain valuable insights into their employees’ skill sets and talents to make well-informed personnel decisions, such as task delegation, strategic hiring and staff training. This AI-based platform is helping companies minimize the time it takes to form skilled and diverse teams, resulting in reduced cost overruns and less project delays.
StrobelTek is an award-winning company that designs and builds patented, fully autonomous aerial systems with mobile, vehicle-mountable and charging docking stations for individual or swarms of its unmanned aerial vehicles.
Total IQ is an intelligent knowledge sharing platform that converts individuals’ knowledge into an asset that is leveraged across organizations.
