Seven Entrepreneurs Join UNB Summer Institute
FREDERICTON – From beauty to education technology industries, seven companies from across New Brunswick are participating in the 12-week Summer Institute accelerator out of UNB’s J. Herbert Smith Centre for Technology and Entrepreneurship.
The program will help boost the entrepreneurs’ sales, marketing, and customer validation skills to take their ideas to the next level.
“It’s been a tough year for entrepreneurs across the region,” says Joe Allen, Managing Director of Accelerators for the JHSC in a release. “Even so, we had impressive applications from across Canada showing that entrepreneurs are still hustling and keeping the economy moving. It just happened that the best talent came from right here, and we are so excited to get started with this group using our mixed delivery method.”
In the Summer Institute’s eighth year, the cohort will be joined by Entrepreneurs in Residence Abby Pond, CEO and Founder of Queen of Cups Lingerie, along with Kevin Laboeuf and Alicia Phillips, co-founders of Educated Beards.
“Entrepreneurship is a journey,” says Dr. Dhirendra Shukla, Chair of the J. Herbert Smith Centre. “This year has been difficult for entrepreneurs, and this cohort has proven that they can succeed. We’re so excited to be able to help them and invest in the individuals so they can lead in our economic recovery.”
The participants of this year’s Summer Institute are as follows. Descriptions are provided by the Summer Institute.
- Mariam Ismail: A newcomer to the region, Mariam is using her background as a pharmacist to craft natural skincare products that are unique and uncommon to the local community.
- Lifetrack Safety Systems: Led by Amy Andrews, Bridget McCloskey, and David Itoafa; Lifetrack started to help save the lives of people within the fishing industry. It has since grown to provide safety for people no matter where they find themselves.
- Tutor on Time: Students, Irtiza Khan, Minh Nguyen, Moneeb Kassimi, and Roy McIntosh started Tutor on Time as an online platform to help students prepare for tests, exams, and assignments. Their application enables students to connect with experienced upper-years from the same educational background and get the help they need to be better
- Village Sage Herbals: Emilie Patterson uses her experience as a clinical herbalist to create herbal kits that encourage people to use herbal medicine to help themselves and their families to lead a more conscious, intentional life and to take charge of their health.
- Posh Nosh Spice Blends: As a Registered Nutritional Consultant, Joanne Rolfe understands that eating well does not need to mean eating bland. With exotic recipes designed by a chef, Posh Nosh aims to WOW the tastes buds while saving you time!
- Super Deodorant: Praveen Pillai and Aruna Jairam have always been innovative individuals, that are able to identify problems in an industry. In the personal hygiene sector, they saw that current deodorants use too many chemicals and do not handle odours well. They started Super Deodorant to be the all-natural product that stops body odour for 24-hours and won’t cause rashes or stains.
- Soul Star Aromatics: Emily Durling blends organic, wildcrafted, essential oils in unique mixes which empowers customers and maintain their wellbeing.
The program began on April 27th and will conclude with an online Demo Day on July 16th.