BIBLE HILL, N.S.
Two Bible Hill companies are each receiving $50,000 in funding and business guidance through Innovacorp's Spark Innovation Challenge.
Oceland Biologicals, a new agri-food company, and BioPolyOil, an agri-based technology company, are two of four winners selected in the Spark North region of the province to receive the funding.
Oceland Biologicals is developing microbial-based plant biostimulants that improve the growth, yield and resilience of crops in a sustainable manner, founder Balakrishnan Prithiviraj said in a news release.
"Participating in the Spark Innovation Challenge will help our business," Prithiviraj said, in the release. "We will get closer to commercializing our microbial product because of the coaching we received through Spark and the funding that's being awarded."
BioPolyOil was founded by Mostafa Aghaei, Alma Zangeneh and Arian Shahnazari.
The other two companies in the Spark North region are iCrowdX, a natural fruit-based drink company founded by Sean Sears of Antigonish (which also is receiving $50,000) and BidSquid Online Marketplace, a company founded by David Hachey of Scotsburn, Pictou Co., which is receiving $25,000.
Winners must use the prize money to build prototypes or take new products and services to market.
Innovacorp and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency each contributed $400,000 towards this year's Spark Challenge, which also awards prizes in three other sectors of the province.
