Business leaders share insight to select 2019 Mitacs Entrepreneur Awards winners

Halifax, NS – Five outstanding, up-and-coming entrepreneurs will soon be announced as the 2019 Mitacs Entrepreneur Awards winners thanks to industry leaders from across Canada sharing their entrepreneurial insights. The judges bring a wealth of experience in start-ups, investment, research and development, and business innovation to the selection process.

The awards, to be held May 28 at Pier 21 in Halifax, NS, will celebrate entrepreneurs who have leveraged their research knowledge and skills acquired through Mitacs internships to create a business. The winners will be selected based upon their ability to demonstrate extraordinary leadership and innovation. Twenty-five thousand dollars in cash prizes will be awarded to help the start-ups grow.

The judges of the 2019 Mitacs Entrepreneur Awards include:

• Marco Blouin, Executive Vice President, New Age Marketing & Brand Management Inc.
• Pierre Boucher, General Manager, Innovation ENCQOR 
• Jean-Paul Boudreau, President and Vice-Chancellor, Mount Allison University
• Laurel Broten, President and CEO, Nova Scotia Business Inc. (NSBI)
• Andrew Csinger, Entrepreneur
• Raghwa Gopal, President and CEO, Innovate BC
• Diane Gray, President and CEO, CentrePort, Mitacs Board of Directors Chair
• Bruce Hardy, President, Function Four
• Victoria Lennox, Co-Founder and CEO, Startup Canada
• Gerry Pond, Chairman and Co-founder, Mariner Partners
• Anita Punamiya, Founder & CEO, Art4Life Inc.; and Part-time Professor, University of New Brunswick
• Eirene Seiradaki, Director, Research Partnerships, Borealis AI
• Katrin Sommerfeld, Programs Manager, Springboard Atlantic Inc.
• Carolyn Watters, Chief Digital Research Officer, Digital Technologies, National Research Council Canada, Government of Canada

Quote:

Alejandro Adem, CEO and Scientific Director, Mitacs

“We are pleased to recognize our prestigious panel of judges who generously share their time and expertise in selecting the 2019 Mitacs Entrepreneur Awards. The Mitacs work-integrated learning programs — and these awards — build on Canada’s commitment to innovation and economic development by supporting up-and-coming entrepreneurs.”

About Mitacs:

• Mitacs is a not-for-profit organization that fosters growth and innovation in Canada by solving business challenges with research solutions from the best academic institutions at home and around the world.
• Working with 60+ universities, thousands of companies, and both federal and provincial governments, Mitacs builds partnerships that support industrial and social innovation in Canada.
• Mitacs is funded by the Government of Canada, along with the Government of Alberta, the Government of British Columbia, the Government of Manitoba, the Government of New Brunswick, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Government of Nova Scotia, the Government of Ontario, the Government of Prince Edward Island, the Government of Quebec, and the Government of Saskatchewan.

Learn more:

For information about the awards and categories, visit mitacs.ca/en/mitacs-entrepreneur-awards.
For sponsorship opportunities, contact Lindsay Ringuette at lringuette@mitacs.ca.
For information about Mitacs and our programs, see mitacs.ca/newsroom.