Mariner Partners Inc. is pleased to announce Chris Keevill has joined us as a partner, shareholder, and Chief Operating Officer across our businesses, effective January 4, 2022.

“Chris has been a long-time friend and colleague of the team at Mariner, and we are thrilled to have him join our growing technology company,” says Curtis Howe, CEO Mariner. Keevill joins Howe and other founding partners Gerry Pond and Bob Justason as a major shareholder.

Mariner, founded in 2002, provides technology products and high-value services to a range of clients in telecom, public sector, energy, and other medium-to-large enterprises. Their growth is fueled by a long-held passion for innovation, developed inside Mariner and through their investments in over 30 Atlantic Canada start-ups. Gerry Pond, Mariner’s Chairman, has been the visionary leader who has always been committed to developing talented people and to the region’s prosperity.

“These people care about people, and I’m thrilled to be a part of this incredibly talented team, focused on customer-driven innovation,” says Keevill, an entrepreneur based in Halifax, who has been part of numerous marketing and technology companies over the past 25 years. “I started my career at NBTel when Mariner’s founders were there building the most innovative small telco in the world; so, for me, this feels like coming home.”

Mariner has experienced unprecedented growth, adding significant team members before and during the pandemic. The hiring is expected to further accelerate; Keevill’s focus will be on the next stage of growth for Mariner, helping more companies thrive through their digital transformation.

Mariner clients include major communications companies around the world, large public sector organizations, utility services providers, financial institutions, and Atlantic Canadian-based enterprise customers.

Mariner has a large local presence with offices in Saint John, Fredericton, and Halifax, with staff located across Canada and the United States. Chris is based in Halifax with his family.

Mariner helps to make working lives smarter, easier, and more secure. Founded on building enterprise capabilities to help organizations innovate and grow, Mariner brings together strategy, people, and technology for far-reaching and sustainable impact. We are driven by curiosity and doing what is right for our customers – always.

With Mariner, it is more than just the services we offer, we work side-by-side with your team, at the speed of your business, to bring transformation to life.

Media Contact:
David Baxter
VP, Marketing
T/ 506-343-0986
E/ [email protected]

The post Mariner Partners Inc. adds new partner first appeared on Mariner Partners.

RIDDL CEO Jenelle Sobey

Software startup RIDDL has closed a $1.3 million funding round with investors that include Gerry Pond’s East Valley Ventures, the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation, and at least one angel.

The Nova Scotia and New Brunswick company is aiming to cash in on the burgeoning environmental, social and corporate governance movement with a software platform that automates impact assessments usually performed by consultants or accounting firms. The company said the $1.3 million raise includes both equity investment and non-dilutive funding.

RIDDL is the brainchild of Jenelle Sobey, a former managing partner at software engineering firm Code + Mortar. Her technology models a business’s environmental and social effects and assigns those effects monetary values based on internationally recognized standards.

“At RIDDL, we measure impact,” said Sobey in an interview. “And then we take it a step further, and we help (clients) quantify it into dollars. That’s called the ‘social return on investment calculation.’”

See Also:

Fredericton’s Smart Skin Closes $10.7M Round

Concrete, GreenSky Lead VC Round by Anessa

Environmental, social and corporate governance, or ESG, states that companies should behave in ways that protect, not just the interests of their shareholders, but also their communities and the natural world. The approach rose to prominence in 2018 when multi-trillion-dollar asset management company BlackRock urged companies to become more socially responsible.

Calculating dollar values for a company’s environmental and social impact is an increasingly popular strategy among large businesses facing pressure from their shareholders and the general public to disclose the effects of their activities. RIDDL focuses on clients with 500 employees or more.

Normally, those calculations are performed by accountants or consulting firms. But the process is expensive and offers only a snapshot of a company’s performance, since the calculations cannot affordably be re-run at will.

RIDDL’s solution is to let customers perform the same arithmetic automatically using its SaaS software, so that companies can repeat the process regularly for more up-to-date results.

The process of assigning monetary values to social impact is complex, but RIDDL uses a basket of internationally recognized standards from Harvard’s Impact-Weighted Accounts project, the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board, the Global Reporting Initiative and other organizations.

Sobey said RIDDL also recently began offering consulting services for companies that want to improve their ESG performance, but aren’t yet ready to begin reporting their results.

The company was incorporated in January, 2019, with development work beginning in July. It now has four staff, with Sobey based in Halifax and the rest of the team in New Brunswick. She plans to soon hire two more staff — a marketing specialist and a salesperson.

Most of RIDDL’s customer base, Sobey said, is in the United States. One client, for example, is a company building pre-fabricated homes in California using less carbon-intensive materials than are conventionally used in the construction industry.

She also has designs on Europe, which she describes as “a decade ahead of us on ESG,” and Australia.

The world of ESG reporting is becoming crowded, with financial data companies like Bloomberg and Refinitiv incorporating it into the data services. But Sobey said RIDDL is differentiated by its focus on quantifying social and environmental impacts in monetary terms.

“I often liken the ESG space to cybersecurity, in that it felt like, almost overnight, there were all these consulting and accounting firms delivering new products from cybersecurity,” said Sobey. “And the ESG space is very similar right now. Things are moving quite quickly.”

Re-post courtesy of  Entrevestor

The post RIDDL Unveils $1.3M Raise – East Valley Ventures, NBIF back the cleantech software company first appeared on Mariner Partners.

###

Re-post courtesy of Smart Skin Technologies

The post Smart Skin Technologies Raises $10.7 Million CAD to Accelerate Global Growth first appeared on Mariner Partners.

The National Capital Angel Organization has presented its Angel of the Year award to Mark Dobbin, the Founder and President of St. John’s-based Killick Capital, and given Gerry Pond a Lifetime Achievement Award.

The awards were announced Thursday during NACO’s Atlantic Summit, a virtual national event that focused on angel funding and the development of early-stage companies in Atlantic Canada.

Based in Toronto, NACO is dedicated to developing and supporting angel networks across Canada. Its members include more than 4,200 angel investors, more than 40 angel networks, and more than 45 incubators or accelerators. It has been pushing in recent years to establish a pan-regional angel network in Atlantic Canada.

“I am honoured and humbled to receive this recognition from NACO,” said Dobbin during the virtual summit. “I accept this award in the spirit in which it was given, in that it is meant to recognize the contributions to our country’s economy by those who provide capital and mentorship to early-stage companies.”

Dobbin and Killick Capital have been a driving force in the development of the startup community in St. John’s, and more recently have made more investments in other parts of the region.

The group was an early investor in Verafin, the fintech company that recently exited for US$2.75 billion. Killick exited its Verafin investment in 2015, about the same time the investment group sold off four of the six divisions of Killick Aerospace for about US$229 million.

Since then, Killick has backed several winners in the St. John’s startup communities. Its portfolio companies CoLab Software and Sequence Bio both attended the Y Combinator accelerator in Silicon Valley in 2019. Mysa Smart Thermostat, which Killick also backed, was accepted into the Lazaridis Institute’s Scaleup Program and this year raised $8 million in follow-on funding.

Living in the Saint John area, Pond has been a leader in the IT field for almost half a century, having served as the CEO of NB Tel and backing some of the region’s most successful companies, like Radian6 and Q1 Labs. His leadership in those two companies was recently celebrated in the book Unicorn in the Woods by Gordon Pitts.

As well as serving as the Chairman of Mariner, one of the largest IT companies in the region, Pond is an active investor in early-stage companies through East Valley Ventures. The East Valley portfolio has had a few exits in the region in recent years, such as Brovada and Cirrus9, and includes such promising companies as Kognitiv Spark and Squiggle Park.

Pond is also a Co-Founder of the regional IT accelerator Propel and the Pond-Deshpande Centre at the University of New Brunswick.

Re-post from: Entrevestor

The post Gerry Pond recognized with Lifetime Achievement Award at 2020 NACO Atlantic Summit first appeared on Mariner Partners.

New Brunswick, Canada —  Mariner recently earned the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Select Consulting Partner designation. As a member of the AWS Partner Network, a global partner program for businesses delivering products and services using AWS, Mariner has invested in AWS certifications for its staff, and proven customer success.

“As one of the only organizations in Atlantic Canada to meet the requirements to be a Select AWS Consulting Partner, we are uniquely positioned to advise on regional regulatory compliance and public sector considerations while accelerating an organizations’ cloud migration,” says Mariner president Paul Eisner. “In addition to ensuring your infrastructure and cloud journey is secure, successful, and cost-effective we also have the team to help you manage the ‘people side’ of change.”

Mariner combines experienced cloud practitioners with mature security and change management teams to ensure wherever you are in your cloud journey, they can help make it a success.

“I can’t say enough about our positive experience working with Mariner. [They] made it possible to modernize and complete our cloud-based architecture. They also provided our staff with valuable training to handle the new architecture, and insight into other cloud-based tools available that would further increase our system’s performance. As a company that knows the importance of IT security, the Mariner team was quick to respond and deliver on time-sensitive issues,” says Cody Pendleton, VP Technology and Development,  HotSpot Inc.

Any type of digital transformation can be a daunting consideration; however, Mariner’s proven methodology will assist organizations regionally, and globally, in achieving desired business outcomes. AWS offers support programs to assist in making the move to the cloud. And New Brunswick based companies should note Mariner is a Qualified Technology Service Provider under the recently announced TechImpact Digital Boost – a program designed to financially support businesses in becoming more productive and resilient through the adoption of new technologies by working with New Brunswick IT services firms.

About Mariner

As one of the largest independent technology companies in Atlantic Canada, Mariner has a team of over 200 IT and software professionals working with clients both regionally and across the globe. Driving innovation through a practical, proven approach to services – technology advisory, solution delivery, data & analytics, IT professional services, change management, infrastructure & cloud, as well as cybersecurity since 2003. Mariner is the preferred solutions partner for clients in a diverse range of industries, from enterprise to start-up and private to public sector. Mariner has offices located in Saint John, Fredericton, and Halifax, supporting both regional and global organizations.

Media Contact

Jennifer DiPaolo
Marketing Manager, Mariner
T/ +1-506-874-3877
E/ [email protected] 

The post Mariner achieves AWS Select Partner tier first appeared on Mariner Partners.

I know your business is reacting around the clock to an unprecedented situation. As leaders, we are all making complex decisions to safeguard our employees while continuing to serve our clients and protect our future. It isn’t an easy balance to navigate and our reaction time is crucial.

Like you, we’re moving quickly to adapt our technical and service response. While our solutions and teams are fully enabled for secure and remote support, we are also bolstering our capacity to react to our customers’ evolving business continuity challenges.

I speak for the entire Mariner team when I say that we take our role supporting you and your business very seriously, and especially at this time.

Above all else, I wish you and yours good health as we navigate this together.

Curtis Howe
CEO, Mariner Partners Inc.

Contact Us

The post COVID-19 – How Mariner is Helping Clients first appeared on Mariner Partners.

Joe Catalfamo, Mariner Partners Inc. newest board member

Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada — The Board of Directors of Mariner Partners Inc. is pleased to announce the appointment of board member Joe Catalfamo, who officially joined the organization on December 17, 2019. Catalfamo will act as an Independent Director with founding partners and board members Bob Justason, Curtis Howe and Gerry Pond.

Catalfamo brings over 28 years of venture capital investing and a wealth of experience in the mobile, enterprise software and digital media verticals, having invested in and, or served on the board of numerous notable organizations including Affinio, Radian6, iMagicTV and C2FO, his diverse and extensive experience will allow him to play an integral role in the strategic direction, overall growth and business development of the organization.

“Mariner has always aspired to be a company of collaboration, innovation, partnership, and perhaps most importantly, one that listens to its customers. We’ve built an exceptional reputation as a trusted and reliable partner to some of the world’s most recognized and respected brands”, says Mariner chairman Gerry Pond. “Through continuous innovation and a customer focus, we will continue to compete and thrive on the world stage. Joe brings experience to the table that aligns perfectly with the board’s vision for our strategic growth and we’re excited to have him as part of the team.”

Catalfamo was most recently a managing partner for Summerhill Venture Partners, a group he co-founded, as well as a past co-founder and partner of Whitecap Venture Partners III. Prior to joining Summerhill, he served as EVP, CFO and director of Whitecastle Investments, a leading Canadian private investment company, and co-founder of its venture practice. He began his professional career with KPMG, where he held various senior positions in both Canada and the U.K. Catalfamo is a Gold Medal graduate from the University of Waterloo’s Master of Accounting program and holds Chartered Professional Accountant and Certified Management Accountant designations in Canada.

About Mariner Partners Inc.
Founded in 2003, Mariner has a team of over 200 people serving our clients across four lines of business – Mariner Innovations, Mariner xVu, SHIFT Energy and East Valley Ventures. Our success is rooted in our ability to deliver innovative solutions with a strong emphasis on value to customers both in Canada and abroad. Mariner provides core IT and strategic advisory services, has globally commercialized six technologies and invests in the development of enterprise product offerings leveraging the capabilities of emerging technologies. For more information or to check out career opportunities visit: www.marinerpartners.com

Media Contact
Jennifer DiPaolo
Marketing Manager, Mariner
Tel: +1 506 874-3877
Email: [email protected]

The post Saint John based Mariner Partners Inc. welcomes new board member first appeared on Mariner Partners.

from Propel

Award includes $25K cash and $30K investment

Propel has created a sales award in recognition of Gerry Pond and his contribution to the Atlantic Canadian innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Pond co-founded Propel in 2003.  And, since then, he’s played an integral role in the organization which helps launch tech startups in Atlantic Canada.

The Gerry Pond Sales Award will be awarded each year to an Incite Phase 2 company that excels in creating a repeatable and scalable sales process.  The Incite programming has an intense focus on customer acquisition and sales.

“Everyone who knows Gerry is well aware of his passion for three things: entrepreneurship, sales and Atlantic Canada,” said Barry Bisson, CEO of Propel.  “We could not think of a better way to recognize him than with an award to further encourage entrepreneurship and excellence in sales execution in the Atlantic provinces.  The Propel board of directors and staff are thrilled to be able to honour Gerry’s significant contribution to our region, and our organization, in such a fitting way.”

Pond’s experience as an entrepreneur and angel investor ignited his passion to advocate for the need to professionalize sales as a business discipline.  He firmly believes sales execution is an area where many Atlantic Canadian founders need improvement.

“Sales execution is often the difference between being a successful venture and one that does not realize its full potential,” said Pond.  “My goal has always been to help entrepreneurs and startups prosper in our region.  It is with honour and humility that I accept this recognition as I believe it will further help to achieve and bring awareness to the need for sales professionalism in successful Atlantic Canadian ventures.”

Concurrently, Pond was a strong proponent in the establishment of a sales stream in the UNB Saint John MBA program.

In addition to the accolade itself, the winner will be awarded with a $25,000 cash prize and the option of a combined investment from Innovacorp and NBIF totaling $30,000.

The creation of the award is sponsored and supported by many influential businesses and leaders who have a strong connection to Pond: Frank McKenna, the UNB Saint John MBA program, Beers Neal, Innovatia,  Mariner Partners, Cirrus9,Resson, Sunny Corner, Elias Management Group and EY.

The winner will be announced during a ceremony following Propel’s Demo Day on the afternoon of May 30^th in Saint John, NB.  Hon. Frank McKenna, Deputy Chair of TD Bank Group, a three-term Premier of New Brunswick and Canada’s former ambassador to the United States, will be present to deliver remarks to honour Pond.

The winner will be chosen by a third-party selection committee based on identified criteria.  The criteria includes:

• Monthly sales growth
• Growth in number of customers
• Demonstrated ability to push leads through the funnel in a structured way

About Gerry Pond

Gerry Pond has over 45 years of in-depth experience in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector. As the CEO of NBTel and the President of its successor, Aliant Telecom, he was at the helm during a period of significant deregulation in the Canadian industry. Under his innovative leadership, NBTel emerged as an international ICT leader.

Born in Quebec and raised in New Brunswick, Pond’s educational achievements include a Bachelor of Arts from the University of New Brunswick; Organizational Effectiveness Program, Harvard University; Executive Program, McGill University; and Senior Executive’s Program, University of Western Ontario.

Pond is currently the Chairman and Co-Founder of Mariner Partners Inc., and has co-founded a number of successful ICT start-ups in Atlantic Canada, including iMagicTV, Q1 Labs, Brovada Technologies, Radian6, Shift Energy and Cirrus9.  He is also the Co-Founder of Propel, a startup accelerator, the Co-Founder of the Pond-Deshpande Centre at the University of New Brunswick, and the Co-Founder of East Valley Ventures, an accelerator for Atlantic Canadian startup companies with a mission of helping passionate entrepreneurs launch meaningful and enduring technology companies.  He is a Director of Upside Foundation, NB Business Council and the National Angel Capital Organization.

Pond has received many honours, both regionally and nationally, including:
2017:     appointed a Member of the Order of Canada
2015:     awarded the first-ever Business Development Bank of Canada Entrepreneurship Champion
2014:     Wolf Blass Lifetime Achievement Award, Canadian Startup Awards
2013:     Champion of Public Education by The Learning Partnership
2013:     Order of New Brunswick
2012:     Canadian Red Cross Humanitarian award for New Brunswick
2011:     Canadian Angel of the Year from Techvibes & KPMG
2007:     Pond was inducted into the New Brunswick Business Hall of Fame
2005:     Honorary Doctor of Letters from the University of New Brunswick
2005:     Honorary Doctor of Commerce from Saint Mary’s University
2003:     Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal
2003:     Atlantic Business Magazine’s Top 50 CEO Award in Atlantic Canada
2002:     NB Knowledge Industry Recognition and Achievement (KIRA) Awards Person of the Year
1997:     Canadian Information Productivity Association (CIPA) Innovator of the Year and Hall of Fame

About Propel
Propel aims to be a leader in fostering the growth of successful global technology companies headquartered in Atlantic Canada.

For more information, please visit: propelict.com.

Media contact:
Jane Harwood
[email protected]
506-378-0177

The post Propel creates sales award in recognition of Gerry Pond first appeared on Mariner Partners.

Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada

“Monica and I are pleased to provide services to clients locally, regionally and across Canada from our home base in Fredericton,” says Mariner President Paul Eisner. “We have a strong and growing pool of IT professionals working across various client organizations in the capital region.”

From our new location in Fredericton, Mariner will focus on cyber security, change management, and supporting our clients’ project resource needs.  Mariner is actively recruiting for project managers, security consultants, change management specialists and business analysts. Applicants are encouraged to check out the available career listings on the Mariner site.

“Mariner is not your typical consulting firm, says Carolyn Kervin, a senior program manager with Mariner in Fredericton. The company takes an innovative and entrepreneurial approach to understanding and solving client problems. My experience, approach and skills are truly valued here at Mariner.”

Mariner will keep its new and future clients informed of developments with its Fredericton office.  The Fredericton team is excited to be part of this vibrant business community.

About Mariner

As one of the largest independent technology companies in Atlantic Canada, Mariner has a team of over 200 IT and software professionals working with clients both regionally and across the globe. Mariner has been delivering innovative solutions with a strong emphasis on productivity and customer experience since 2003. For more information or to check out career opportunities visit: www.marinerpartners.com

Media Contact

Jennifer DiPaolo
Marketing Manager, Mariner
T/ +1-506-874-3877
E/ [email protected] 

The post Mariner expands in Fredericton first appeared on Mariner Partners.

Monica Gaudet-Justason, Mariner VP, Public Sector

SAINT JOHN, New Brunswick, Canada — Mariner is pleased to welcome Monica Gaudet-Justason as its new Vice President, Public Sector. She will help bring innovative thinking and solutions to customers across the public sector including federal, provincial, municipal, agencies, and other government bodies. 

“Organizations in both private and public sector need innovative partners who can not only keep up with the rapidly changing ecosystem, but anticipate future requirements, leverage best practices, and work collaboratively to maximize the value of their investment,” says Mariner President Paul Eisner. “Mariner combines a depth of knowledge with proven outcomes in various practices impactful to the public sector, including data and analytics, cyber security and change management. We are excited to have Monica join the team to foster growth in these areas.”

Monica has over 20 years’ experience in consulting including project and client management, change management, business analysis, and stakeholder relations. She has worked with private and public sector as well as start-ups, in such fields as health care, banking, human services, and economic development. Monica’s home base will be Mariner’s new Fredericton office at 61 Carleton Street.

“I am looking forward to helping the public sector deliver on their key digital priorities by leveraging Mariner’s innovative approach to helping clients maximize the benefits of their investments” says Gaudet-Justason. “We have a team of seasoned professionals to advance these priorities and are actively looking for more top talent to grow our practice in Fredericton.”

About Mariner

As one of the largest independent technology companies in Atlantic Canada, Mariner has a team of over 200 IT and software professionals working with clients both regionally and across the globe. With extensive capabilities in the areas of analytics, automation software, information security and IT consulting, Mariner has been delivering innovative solutions with a strong emphasis on productivity and customer experience since 2003. For more information or to check out career opportunities visit: www.marinerpartners.com

Media Contact

Jennifer DiPaolo
Marketing Manager, Mariner
T/ +1-506-874-3877
E/ [email protected] 

The post Mariner brings innovation to the public sector first appeared on Mariner Partners.