This article is part of a series focusing on the grads of the 黑料吃瓜网Class of 2019. Spring Convocation kicked off May 10 in Truro, with Halifax ceremonies from May 27 to June 1. Read all our profiles here, and for more information visit the Convocation website.
Matt Zimola and Hossein Salimian are finishing their time at 黑料吃瓜网not only with their degrees, but with an exciting new business venture.
Although enrolled in different Computer Science graduate programs, the two met through their shared interest in entrepreneurship and are now in the early stages of launching their start-up,
鈥淲e were both working on individual start-up ideas that didn鈥檛 get off the ground, we got on really well, so we started to think about what we could do together,鈥� says Matt (Master of Applied Computer Science), who met Hossein (PhD in Computer Science) at the technology accelerator .
An ocean of opportunity
After seven months of brainstorming new business ideas, Matt and Hossein were successful in entering Propel ICT, but found themselves unsatisfied with the idea they were running with. They started to look to Halifax鈥檚 natural environment for inspiration.
鈥淲e wanted to take advantage of the ocean opportunity,鈥� says Matt. 鈥淪o, we started to call fish farms to find out what problems they were facing.鈥� Their findings led to the beginnings of ReelData.
uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) and computer vision to collect and analyze data for fish farms. Their software remotely and non-intrusively measures biomass (weight distributions of fish), optimizes feeding and understands fish health in real time. This software helps reduce mortality, waste and other resources, promoting a more sustainable aquaculture industry.
鈥淚t allows companies to manage biomass distribution and maximize feeding in a non-invasive way using cameras,鈥� explains Matt. 鈥淭raditionally, fish would have to be sedated and removed from the tank to do this.鈥�
鈥淔eed is the number one cost, often accounting for about 30 per cent of a fish farm鈥檚 top-line revenue. Our software enables them to reduce wasted feed and has a positive impact on sustainability.鈥�
ReelData has space at the Centre for Ventures & Entrepreneurship (COVE) and innovation hub Volta, where the team say they benefit from mentorship and connections. So far, the company has received funding through Innovacorp鈥檚 Sprint competition and COVE.
Discovering entrepreneurship
Both Matt and Hossein, were introduced to entrepreneurship through experiences during their time at Dalhousie.
Matt credits Grant Wells and Faculty of Computer Science-based as his 鈥渄oorway into entrepreneurship,鈥� where he took part in programs including the popular Creativity and Innovation Bootcamp.
Hossein, who completed his PhD on collaboration in mixed reality environments in the , received his introduction through the Norman Newman Centre for Entrepreneurship鈥檚 Starting Lean course. He later went on to take part in with his first idea.
Matt and Hossein have been focusing full-time on the company since early this year and are currently piloting software. They hope to be making revenue later this year and have international meetings lined up with potential clients in Scotland and Denmark.
They are also enjoying the benefits of Halifax鈥檚 burgeoning start-up community. 鈥淗alifax is a good place to be for ocean start-ups,鈥� says Hossien. 鈥淲ith all of the incubators, sandboxes and the ideaHUB, it鈥檚 a great time to be in the community.鈥�