Welcome to April at Venn
There’s a fresh energy this time of year. New ideas taking shape and momentum starting to build.
At Venn, we’re here for it. Creating space for founders to grow, connect, and keep building what’s next.
VENN INNOVATION PITCH 2026
On Saturday, March 28, we welcomed a full room to Venn Innovation for the VIP: Venn Innovation Pitch Competition — an exciting day of bold ideas, innovation, and community.
A total of 11 teams took the stage, pitching their ventures for a chance to win $7,000 in prize funding. From aspiring entrepreneurs to ecosystem partners, the room was filled with energy and support for the next generation of founders.
🏆 Meet This Year’s Winners
🥇 1st Place ($4,000) – Trek.iQ
Founded by Avery Cote, Trek.iQ is building accessibility intelligence for venues and events — helping reduce uncertainty, improve operations, and create more confident, inclusive experiences.
🥈 2nd Place ($2,000) – VELONIX
Founded by Eric Pardatscher, VELONIX is transforming airport ground operations through AI-driven insights. By analyzing real-time flight data, weather, and congestion, the company is working to reduce delays and improve coordination across Atlantic Canada’s airports.
🥉 3rd Place ($1,000) – Dual-Axis Solar Tracker
Developed by Eman Alhamd, this project focuses on improving solar energy efficiency by dynamically adjusting panel orientation to maximize energy capture — with long-term commercialization potential.
💬 Learning from Those Who’ve Been There
In addition to the competition, attendees heard from founders who took the VIP stage last year.
A panel featuring Bellavero Manufacturing (Benjamin Perreault, Nicholas Lavallé, Jonathan Belliveau) and Ashish Deshmukh of Clearance Central offered insights into their entrepreneurial journeys over the past year — sharing lessons on growth, challenges, and building momentum after the competition.
To close the panel, the Bellavero team presented this year’s trophies — designed and built by them — creating a meaningful full-circle moment from past winners to this year’s competitors.
🚀 Why It Matters
Events like the VIP Pitch Competition play an important role in strengthening New Brunswick’s innovation ecosystem.
By giving early-stage founders a platform to share ideas, gain exposure, and connect with their community, we’re helping accelerate both entrepreneurial growth and the commercialization of new technologies.
We’re proud to support emerging talent and even more excited to see what comes next.
New page, new stories
We’re excited to launch a new Tech Connect page under Venn Innovation on LinkedIn!
Here, you’ll find updates on past participants and see where their journeys have taken them in the job market.
Stay tuned, we’ll soon be announcing the next Tech Connect team joining the program!
Applications Open: Company Showcase at the 2026 Atlantic Venture Forum
We’re excited to be part of the 2026 Atlantic Venture Forum, taking place June 17–18 in Halifax, and to invite our network to get involved.
If you’re a high-growth Atlantic Canadian company, applications are now open for the Company Showcase — a curated opportunity to connect directly with venture capital investors, corporate partners, and leaders from across the innovation ecosystem.
Selected companies will gain:
Exposure to active venture capital investors
Visibility with corporate partners and ecosystem leaders
High-impact networking opportunities with founders and investors
The opportunity to showcase as part of Atlantic Canada’s premier venture event
Applications close on April 30, 2026.
Not quite ready to showcase — or prefer to attend this year?
The Forum has released a limited number of $499 startup-rate, sponsor-subsidized passes to help more early-stage and high-growth companies attend.
This is a great way to plug into the ecosystem, build relationships, and get a feel for the event ahead of applying in future years.
We hope to see you in Halifax this June.
Venn Friday Office Hours – Startup Mentorship
Hosted by:
Alicia Roisman Ismach & Andre Zanoti – passionate supporters of bold ideas with real potential.
Calling all startup founders and aspiring entrepreneurs! Looking for expert guidance to take your venture to the next level? Join us for weekly Office Hours every Friday from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM at Venn Innovation (770 St. George Blvd, Moncton).
What to Expect:
1-on-1, 30-minute mentorship sessions
Tailored advice for your startup or idea
Guidance on key milestones and scaling strategies
Actionable feedback from experienced mentors
Who It’s For:
Startup founders at any stage
Future entrepreneurs with validated ideas
Innovators with high-potential plans
Startup Legal foundation series with mcinnes cooper
Last month, we had the opportunity to host our Startup Legal Foundations Series in partnership with McInnes Cooper, and what a strong series it was.
From choosing the right business structure to navigating contracts, protecting intellectual property, and understanding data, AI, and privacy laws, founders walked away with practical tools to build with more confidence and clarity.
A big thank you to Gabrielle Michaud, Robb Baird, Patrick Kerr, and Olivia Feschuk for sharing their expertise and supporting our community throughout the series.
And to everyone who joined us, in person and virtually, thank you for showing up, asking thoughtful questions, and contributing to meaningful conversations.
We’re proud to support founders as they build on strong legal foundations, and we’re excited to keep that momentum going.
Ocean Idea Challenge
Ocean Startup Project’s Ocean Idea Challenge is open to aspiring entrepreneurs, researchers, students, and innovators with ideas that could support sustainable ocean industries. Selected teams can access up to $8,000 in funding and take part in a customer discovery journey designed to help validate their idea.
To help prospective applicants learn more and prepare to apply, Ocean Startup Project is also offering a series of info sessions and adjacent workshops during the application period.
Key Dates:
April 8, 2026 / 8 avril 2026 — Overcoming a Customer Discovery Cold Start / Overcoming a Customer Discovery Cold Start — https://luma.com/zg5nt9gc
April 9, 2026 / 9 avril 2026 — Info Session #3 (EN) / Séance d’information #3 (EN) — https://luma.com/ze171nmh
April 12, 2026 / 12 avril 2026 — Application Deadline / Date limite pour postuler — www.oceanstartupproject.ca/idea-challenge
Your next office might be at the junction
If working from home isn’t cutting it anymore, Junction offers a better option.
Our offices are designed to help you focus, grow, and actually enjoy your workday, without long-term lease pressure.
✨ Flexible office spaces
✨ Great light & energy
✨ Built-in community
Supporting NB Entrepreneurs: Your Local Impact
New Brunswick — and Canadian — entrepreneurs create incredible products, from food and beverages to innovative technology. Supporting local businesses strengthens our economy, our communities, and the people behind these brands. There’s no better time than now to #BuyLocal and #BuyCanadian! 🇨🇦
Some of the best products and expertise are right here in New Brunswick. For more ways to support local, check out Excellence NB—a non-profit that showcases businesses, artisans, boutiques, and more from across our picturesque province.
NBIF Startup Investment Fund
Are you an early-stage startup based out of New Brunswick looking for investment? NBIF provides up to $200,000 of pre-seed investment and a variety of other benefits and discounted services for eligible New Brunswick companies. To find out more, click the button.
SENB Connector Program
Did you know there is a program that helps newcomers, immigrants, and recent graduates in Southeastern New Brunswick connect with potential employers or influential leaders within your industry? The Connector Program matches job seekers to industry professionals who facilitate the growth of their Conectee’s professional network. Sounds interesting? To become a Connector like our CEO, Doug Robertson, and our Community Management Lead, André, or to become a Connectee, click the button below.
Civic Tech Moncton
Every Tuesday, 6:00 - 8:00 PM @ the Junction by Venn (770 St George Blvd)
Civic Tech Moncton joins Civic Tech Fredericton and Civic Tech Saint John to serve as the connective tissue between citizens, non-profit organizations, government innovators and the tech community. We facilitate knowledge sharing and work collaboratively to build digital tools or simply provide technical advice to our non-profit sector.
Founders Cafe with Maria and Stephen Weymen| Venn Innovation
April 8, 2026 | 5:00PM-7:00 PM |The Junction NB - 770 St George Blvd, Moncton NB
Webinar Invitation
Expanding into Indonesia: High‑Growth Sectors for Canadian ICT & Telecom Companies
Dear Canadian ICT and Telecom Companies,
The Trade Commissioner Service (TCS) at the Embassy of Canada in Indonesia is pleased to invite you to our upcoming ICT Market Insights Webinar, taking place on April 22, 2026. This virtual session will explore Indonesia’s rapidly expanding digital infrastructure and telecommunications ecosystem, and outline concrete opportunities for Canadian companies across connectivity, cloud services, cybersecurity, and next‑generation technologies.
Webinar Details
📅 Date: April 22, 2026 (Canada)
⏰ Time: 21:00–22:00 Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)
💻 Platform: Microsoft Teams
🗓 RSVP Deadline: April 10, 2026
🔗 Registration Link: https://forms.gle/azXqBFPmDHYpasNs8
Why Indonesia ?
Indonesia is one of the world’s fastest‑moving digital economies, driven by:
Massive market scale: over 230 million internet users, with mobile as the dominant access channel.
Strong government push toward Digital Indonesia Vision 2045, 5G readiness, and ICT infrastructure expansion.
High demand for upgraded fiber backbone, wireless backhaul, subsea connectivity, and rural deployment.
Accelerating adoption of AI, cloud computing, and data centers, with sustainability requirements growing.
Rising cybersecurity threats, requiring modernization of SOCs, identity management, routing security, and PDP Law–aligned solutions.
With Canada recognized globally for high‑quality telecom infrastructure, cybersecurity, and cloud‑ready technologies, there is significant potential for Canadian firms to engage in Indonesia’s digital expansion trajectory.
What This Webinar Will Cover
During this one‑hour session, Trade Commissioners will provide:
1. Market Intelligence
Fiberization and 5G readiness
Subsea cable and wireless backhaul opportunities
AI & cloud‑driven data center growth
Cybersecurity modernization under the PDP Law
2. CEPA‑Enabled Opportunities
Improved transparency and long‑term market access in the ICT and telecom sectors.
3. Market Entry Strategies
Identifying local partners (system integrators, SaaS distributors)
Navigating price‑sensitive procurement environments
Engaging telcos, ISPs, cloud operators, and government digitalization initiatives
4. TCS Support
Introductions to industry stakeholders
Tailored B2B matchmaking
Insight on regulatory trends and upcoming projects
Next Steps
If you are exploring opportunities in Indonesia’s fast‑growing ICT and telecom sectors, we encourage you to register for this webinar.
For more information, please contact:
Yandri Susanto – Trade Commissioner
yandri.susanto@international.gc.ca
Reinanda Manalu – Trade Commissioner Assistant
reinanda.manalu@international.gc.ca
Warm regards,
The Trade Commissioner Service (TCS)
Embassy of Canada in Jakarta
Free fridays In the junction!
We are pleased to offer free co-working Fridays in the Junction! On the first Friday of the month, we are pleased to offer free co-working spaces to anyone who is looking for a change of scenery from their usual workspace. To book your spot, visit the Junction website.
Business Pulse - Atomization and Productivity: Practical Solutions for SMEs| BDC | Chamber of Commerce for Greater Moncton
April 15, 2026 |11:00 AM-12:00 PM |The Chamber of Commerce for Greater Moncton, Moncton NB
Candidate Connect| Chamber of Commerce for Greater Moncton
April 16, 2026 | 4:00 PM-6:00 PM |Pavilion Léopold-Taillon, Université de Moncton, Richelieu Room, Moncton NB
Business After Hours| m5 Marketing Communications| Chamber of Commerce for Greater Moncton
April 23, 2026 | 4:30 PM-6:30 PM |m5 Marketing Communications, Moncton NB
Moncton Tech Hive
April 10, 2026 | 6:00PM-8:00 PM |The Junction NB - 770 St George Blvd, Moncton NB