The winners of our 2018 Spark Innovation Challenge are described below.
Spark Cape Breton
Commlet – Patsy Leadbeater – Sydney – commlet.ca ($25,000)
Technology to monitor students exploring outdoor learning environments
MINDSENTINEL – Dave Johnson – North Sydney ($50,000)
Mobile app for alerting users of potential increased risk of mental illness
TrAIner – Shea Munro, Krysta MacIntosh – Sydney ($50,000)
Mobile app to help optimize user’s movements when exercising or recovering from injury
VMOpro – Matthew T. Gillis – River Ryan ($50,000)
Exercise and monitoring tool for knee rehabilitation, at home and in physiotherapy settings
Spark Halifax
ColourSmith Labs – Gabrielle Masone – Halifax – coloursmithlabs.ca ($50,000)
Direct-to-consumer contact lenses reducing red-green colour blindness and saturating colours
Eadie Technologies – Brennan Eadie, Frank R. Eadie – Halifax ($50,000)
Wearable visual field testing device for eye clinics
GretLit – Cora Cole – Halifax – greylit.net ($25,000)
Online publishing company allowing front-line research and information to be searched, shared and reviewed
Panag Pharma – Dr. Mary Lynch, Dr. Melanie Kelly, Dr. Christian Lehmann and Dr. Orlando Hung – Halifax – panagrx.com ($50,000)
Cannabinoid-based formulations for treating pain and inflammation
Spark North
Ashored Innovations – Aaron Stevenson, Ross Arsenault, Maxwell Poole – Debert – ashored.ca ($50,000)
Buoy systems to protect endangered marine life and collect data to increase fisher efficiency
Eggcitables – Hannah Chisholm – Heatherton ($15,000)
Plant-based egg alternative
Spark West
Deep Cryogenics International – Jack Cahn, Linda Williams – Blandford – deepcryogenics.com ($45,000)
Technology to reduce wear and corrosion on industrial, oil and gas, aerospace and marine items using a cold thermal process
Sedna Technologies – Sheamus MacDonald, Aleksandr Stabenow – West Dublin ($50,000)
Solutions to reduce waste, mortality and product-integrity issues in the global seafood supply chain
Oakleaf Crane & Inspection Services – Gary LeBlanc, Vince Stuart – Church Point ($50,000)
Assisted lifting device for lobster trap handling aboard fishing vessels
Real Estate Dot Love – Catharine MacIntosh – Wolfville ($15,000)
Social platform connecting consumers in the real estate market with friends, agents and properties
Tactical Acuity – Shawn Adams – Digby ($15,000)
Technology to track, position and map soldiers on the battlefield