Bill Spurr · Multimedia Journalist | SaltWire
As big as COVE’s site on the Dartmouth waterfront is – eight acres, plus 12 acres of accessible water lots and 53,000 square feet of office and workshop space – there’s a waiting list to get in.
The Centre for Ocean Ventures and Entrepreneurship opened in the former Coast Guard buildings in 2018 and now hosts a conglomerate of 67 ocean technology companies and research institutes, including 13 startups.
The space’s raison d’etre is to help ocean technology companies get their products to market.
“We’re building a cluster of activity, so it’s a one-stop shop, essentially,” said Melanie Nadeau, CEO of COVE. “The (location) is really important, being close to a deep harbour. The ability to be close to a lot of other entities, like (NSCC), the research institutes at Saint Mary’s and Dalhousie, the navy right across the way, the shipbuilding is important, the Bedford Institute of Oceanography, the port authority. There’s a lot happening in close proximity.”
