Six StFX students have been selected as recipients of the Xaverian Innovation and Entrepreneurs Micro-Grant, offered through the Coady Institute’s DiscoverBox, and will have the opportunity to enhance their entrepreneurial skill set through a comprehensive eight-week program designed to foster innovation and creativity.
Grant recipients include Isaac Hierlihy, Leah MacDonald, Tejashwini Maganur, Jayden Barker, Ben Collings Mackay, and Gray Pauli.
“The selected students will participate in workshops throughout February and March that cover key areas critical to business success,” says Paula Brophy, Program Lead for DiscoverBox.
These include pitching, business planning, customer discovery, marketing, intellectual property, and finance. “By engaging in these workshops, students will gain hands-on experience and practical knowledge that will empower them to further develop their business ideas and prepare for future entrepreneurial opportunities.”
The program culminates in a pitch competition, where students will showcase their business ideas and compete for up to $5,000 in prizes. This final challenge will provide a platform for students to refine their pitch and gain real-world exposure in a competitive yet supportive environment.
"This program empowers students to cultivate their creativity and innovative thinking,” Ms. Brophy says. “By providing experiential learning opportunities that simulate real life experience, we equip students with the tools and confidence they need to navigate their future careers and make a meaningful impact within their community.”
She says the Xaverian Innovation and Entrepreneurs Micro-Grant program reflects StFX’s commitment to supporting student entrepreneurs and cultivating an environment of creativity, collaboration, and innovation.
The program is made possible through funding support from the Province of Nova Scotia through the Department of Advanced Education - Strategy, Partnerships and Innovation.
Student recipients and their projects include:
Isaac Hierlihy: Athlete Aid
Athlete Aid is a mobile platform designed to help amateur sports teams and organizations manage injuries more effectively. The app allows health reps to log injuries, provides AI-driven guidance on return-to-play protocols, and facilitates communication between players, coaches, and medical professionals. The goal is to reduce mismanaged injuries and improve athlete safety across all levels of amateur sport.
Ben Collings Mackay: CM Marine Diving
CM Marine Diving services local fishermen. The problems fishermen face are numerous, such as rope getting caught around their propeller, losing equipment overboard, and build-up of barnacles on the haul of their boats. As a certified diver, he is able to go under their boats and solve these problems.
Leah MacDonald: Girls Grow Green
Girls Grow Green aims to help with food security by developing a hydroponic vertical farming system that produces fresh vegetables year-round, reducing dependency on imported food and strengthening local food security. Hydroponics is a soilless growing method that delivers nutrients directly to plant roots through water-based solutions, resulting in faster growth, higher yields, and greater resource efficiency than traditional soil-based agriculture. This method also allows for controlled-environment agriculture (CEA), where temperature, humidity, and light exposure can be optimized for plant health.
Gray Pauli: Polar Pantry
Polar Pantry is focused on reducing food waste and promoting sustainability through freeze-drying. Polar Pantry extends the shelf life of surplus produce by freeze-drying it, creating sustainable snacks that do not require refrigeration. For vegetables, they incorporate spice blends like Cajun, dill, and barbecue to turn previously wasted produce into convenient, nutritious snacks. Their fruit products provide the same satisfying sweetness that Polar Sweets customers love, offering a healthy, all-natural alternative to traditional sugary treats. By repurposing food that would otherwise be wasted, they create value for farmers, reduce environmental impact, and provide consumers with sustainable snacking options.
Tejashwini Maganur: Yowini Yoga
Yowini Yoga offers an integrated approach to wellness through yoga and nutrition. The three-week yoga program is designed in such a way that it includes yoga practices and a necessary diet. The program will be broken down into a weekly basis focusing on physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing.
Jayden Barker: One Stop Apparel (OSA)
Over 35 per cent of clothing orders purchased online are either returned or never worn. This statistic exposes a major problem in the current system, which OSA is looking to solve. The problem lies within the industry – sizing inconsistencies. These inefficiencies and wasteful practices inspired One Stop Apparel. OSA is a solution designed to eliminate the frustration of online clothing shopping by aiming to get customers the perfect fit, every time.
For more information about the program, please contact Paula Brophy at pbrophy@stfx.ca
