STEM event at the junction
encouraging young women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (stem) is a win-win for us all
On Monday, February 12th, Venn Innovation was proud to host the Girls in Science and Innovation Day organized by the Anglophone East School District for grade 10 and grade 11 girls, at The Junction. The day helped mark the International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2024.
The purpose of the day was to spark interest and introduce the students to several opportunities to learn more about the technology, innovation, and science, to support their growth in these areas.
Over 30 young women spent the day absorbing the expertise and experience of such keynote speakers as Alicia Savelli, astro physicist graduate student from the University of Toronto, who spoke about the upcoming total solar eclipse occuring on April 8th, a once-in-a-lifetime event that won’t happen again until 2079! Heather Fraser, Founder, Explore Nature's Bounty, led a discussion on women in non-traditional jobs, and RajyaLakshmi Kotamraju, CTO of SnapB2B, a financial technology company, spoke about her journey in the tech world and how important it is to stay relevant in your tech career through lifelong learning. Natacha Vautour and Caroline Mallet from Brilliant Labs / Labos Créatifs led the girls though a number of tech/science experiments and the group also were able to tour the Fibre Centre facility, the data centre located here at The Junction that houses the network connecting Europe to the whole of North America’s Eastern seaboard via a fibre optic cable that crosses the Atlantic (it travels right through Moncton!). They were able to see the physical infrastructure that makes the internet work for all of us!
Congratulations to Cathi Poplar of Anglophone East School District and her colleagues who organized the day - it was a great success!
Building a better tomorrow together
Black business and professional Network of nb
working to help black youth shape their future
It was a great community gathering spanning the generations, with encouragement and hope for the future!
Venn Innovation was pleased to host the Black Business and Professional Network Inc. New Brunswick's 'Empower Black Youth NB Summit' at The Junction on Friday, February 23rd, and their Annual Youth Anti-Racism Workshop on Saturday, February 24th.
The events were sponsored by Canadian Race Relations Foundation.
Community leaders joined with young people to talk about ways of empowering youth to lead the charge for equity, diversity, and inclusion within the black community and beyond. Panelists and organizers included Ebenezer O. Ajibade, Olaitan Onyebuoha, Isabelle HÉBIÉ, Faith Faith Ashogbon, Esther Ibang, Ivan Okello and Anicet Buranga.
“Thank you everyone for coming. It was an amazing night,” posted organizer Olaitan Onyebuoha following Friday’s event. “Many thanks to our host The Junction NB for your support and warm hospitality. The Youth have lot to say, we are listening and shall keep listening.”
It was a weekend of collaboration, conversations and inspiration!
Venn garage participant PROFILED AS
diversity atlantic award WINNER
CONSTRUCTION START-UP PLAEX Building systems OF diEPPE, nb FEATURED IN SALTSCAPES MAGAZINE
The February/March 2024 issue of Saltscapes, Canada’s East Coast Magazine, features a profile of Plaex Building Systems of Dieppe, NB. The reason? The company, which participates in Venn Innovation’s Garage Program, has won the Diversity Atlantic Award in the non-consumptive category!
Founder Dustin Bowers was deeply inspired to help make the world a better place after becoming a parent in 2017. With more than twenty years of building experience, he collaborated with industry leaders to develop a sustainable building material and innovative interlocking system designed to address the numerous challenges in the building industry and our planet. The building blocks he and his team have developed are made primarily of waste plastic and waste aggregate (sand, gravel, crushed stone, concrete). In the next decade, Plaex hopes to help reduce at least three percent of the billions of kilograms of waste plastic that is produced in the world each year. Dustin says that while three percent may seem like a low number, it signals a major shift in the construction industry and can be leveraged for even more innovation in waste reduction.
The company is also working on expanding internationally soon, which makes its collaborations with the Mi’gmag United Investment Network and the YMCA’s NB Newcomer Employment Program key components in the future of Plaex.
Congratulations to Dustin and the Plaex Building Systems team! To read more on the company, visit its website here.
March 5 - 6, 2024
NBBIA: understanding the immigrant entrepreneurship experience
The New Brunswick Business Immigrants Association (NBBIA) is conducting focus groups and surveys to study and understand the attitudes and experiences of our province’s immigrant entrepreneurs. Studies show that a large percentage of immigrant business owners leave NB for other Canadian regions and the NBBIA wants to know why, what the support gaps are and what can be done to address this issue.
If you are an immigrant entrepreneur and would like to help enhance the immigrant entrepreneur experience and grow immigrant entrepreneurship in your region, you can register for free! There are three focus groups coming up:
Saint John - March 5 10 am - 11:30 am
Moncton - March 6 10 am - 11:30 am or 6pm - 7:30 pm
Register here. The expected completion date of the final NBBIA report is April 30th 2024.
March 31, 2024
2024 New brunswick export awards
Applications are now open for the 2024 New Brunswick (NB) Export awards*!
What It Is: This is Opportunity New Brunswick's big yearly event celebrating top NB exporters for their global market achievements. It's all about honoring local businesses that stand out for their innovation, entrepreneurial spirit, and strong export performance.
Why It Matters: This event is a shout-out to NB's exporting stars, boosting their profile and showing off the perks of taking local products and services global. It's a prime spot for networking, sharing stories, and getting inspired.
When & Where: The 2024 NB Export Awards will be presented Thursday, May 30, 2024 at the Delta Hotels Beausejour in Moncton. The evening kicks off at 5:30 pm with a reception, dinner, and awards ceremony. Plus, there's an export training session in the afternoon (noon to 4 pm - more details to come).
Deadline to apply: Applications must be in by March 31, 2024. Click here to submit an application.
*Any NB-based company exporting over $30,000 value in goods or services outside the Maritimes can apply.
MEMBER NEWS
Dr. Ian Sutherland has been appointed as Mount Allison University’s 16th President and Vice-Chancellor. He begins his term July 15, 2024. For over ten years, Dr. Sutherland has worked in academic leadership in Atlantic Canada and internationally. He is currently Memorial University’s Vice President Grenfell Campus in Corner Brook, NL, and has held a variety of leadership and academic appointments in Canada, the U.K., Poland, Germany, and Slovenia. Congratulations, Dr. Sutherland! To read more on this appointment, click here.
International Game Technology (IGT) has been recognized with top honors in two industry-leading award programs. At the International Gaming Awards, IGT won "Lottery Product of the Year" and during the European Casino Awards, it was named "Best Diversity and Inclusion Employer" for the third consecutive year. Well done IGT! For more, click here.
IGT also earned a gold medal sustainability rating from EcoVadis, a leading provider of business sustainability ratings. This places IGT in the top five percent of global companies assessed by EcoVadis. IGT scored particularly well in the areas of environment, ethics and sustainable procurement. Click here to read more.
DPL, the Moncton, NB-based leading provider of managed connectivity in the IoT industry, has won the esteemed ATM Industry Association’s Peter Kulik Innovation Award at the ATMIA 2024 US conference.
This award recognizes DPL's groundbreaking Hercules AI innovation, which helps ATM operators streamline operations, improving efficiency and profitability.
Congratulations DPL! For more on this story, click here.
The Université de Moncton has been gifted $1 million from Technology Venture Corporation and the Excellence NB Association to establish a Research Chair in Artificial Intelligence in Health as well as the Excellence NB Research Fund. This funding boosts the university’s research capabilities and strengthens its expertise in the burgeoning field of AI. The public and the healthcare industry will eagerly watch to see what potential new initiatives arise from this advancement! To read more, click here.
Moncton-based Assumption Life had an “exceptional year” in 20203 with record sales of insurance and financial products, the company stated at its annual general meeting in February.
The company reported an “A-Excellent” rating for the 24th consecutive year, individual sales growth of 42 per cent over 2022, and record cumulative sales with growth of 74 per cent over 2022. Assumption LIfe also received a Culture of Excellence Award from Human Synergistics this past year, supported more than 120 organizations and initiatives and its employees have contributed more than 1,200 hours of community volunteer work in 2023. The company also donated $250,000 to the CHU Dumont Foundation, awarded 18 scholarships, including a new First Nations Scholarship, and is supporting paratriathlete Kamylle Frenette of Dieppe in her preparation for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. A great year for Assumption Life! Read more here.
Lori Weir, CEO of Four Eyes Financial in Saint John, NB, recently co-wrote an opinion piece for Canada’s Globe and Mail newspaper on how the country’s leadership can fix its research-and-development tax credit.
Her co-writers on the article were JP Chauvet, CEO of Lightspeed Commerce, Benjamin Alarie, CEO of Blue J Legal, and Nicole Janssen, co-CEO of AltaML.
They are all members of the Council of Canadian Innovators.
Interesting reading! Click here for the article.
After seven years of continuous growth, BBM Testlabs is looking to expand and continue to evolve. Cybersecurity has become a major part of the services of BMM so the company has just completed a deal with Maxxsure, a cyber risk management company. To read more, click here.
in case you missed our social media
Thursday, February 29th (Leap Day!) began with bad weather, but that didn’t stop people from coming for free workspace, a bagel breakfast and great collaboration at The Junction NB's second open house.
Veteran startup founder and entrepreneur David Jonah and our colleagues from Opportunities NB were in the house to share their expertise, experience and and knowledge.
Another successful Open House at The Junction NB - and mark your calendars, we’ll do it again at the end of March!
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