STORY CONTINUES BELOW THESE SALTWIRE VIDEOS
SYDNEY, N.S. — Matthias Bierenstiel admits he knew next to nothing about business when he began his entrepreneurial journey in 2020.
Now, just two years later, the university researcher-turned-businessman is the co-founder of Maskwiomin, a new Cape Breton-based company that has married traditional Mi’kmaq medicine with modern chemistry to create an innovative product that is already on the market.
It’s been a steep and fast learning curve for Bierenstiel and business partner Tuma Young, a fellow faculty member at Cape Breton University. He admits his breadth of knowledge was limited when it came to business.
Read more
After admiring handmade creations, Cape Breton woman teaches herself to sew and builds a business
Pottery-painting patio accents unique Cape Breton business
“You must remember, I’m a chemistry professor — I didn’t know anything about business,” exclaimed Bierenstiel, a native of southern Germany who received his doctorate from the University of Guelph and has been a professor at CBU since 2006.
“I did not know anything about business. I knew nothing about distribution channels or company structuring or business plans or marketing. And that’s only the tip of the iceberg. There was so much to learn.”
That’s when the pair became involved with Spark Nova Scotia.
Lighting the fire
Spark is both a competition and mentorship program for early-stage technology companies in the province. It’s funded by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) and presented through the Nova Scotia Association of Community Business Development Corp.
The Spark competition is held annually in three districts — Nova Scotia Southwest, Nova Scotia North and Cape Breton Island — to promote budding entrepreneurs who are generally located outside the Halifax area.
In 2020, Bierenstiel and Young entered the Cape Breton competition. Maskwiomin was one of the winning entrants and was awarded a prize of $40,000.
“When we applied to Spark all we had was an idea – we really didn’t have any kind of product at that time,” said Bierenstiel.
“I think, hands down, that Spark was the most impactful support, both financially and mentorship-wise, that we had when our company was just starting out. It was exactly what we needed at that time. It gave us a little bit of funding to build our commercial-type extractor and it helped us get started.”
He also said the company is a Cape Breton-only venture.
“You can’t do this in China – the trees have to be from Cape Breton as there is a particular species that we need. We’re proud of that. We want to be here in Unima’ki. We’ve built that into our business plan and ethos of the company.”
The products now made and sold by Maskwiomin (‘maskwi’ is Mi’kmaq term for birch bark, while ‘omin’ means oil or extract) are unique in their own right.
It all started years ago when Young, a Cape Breton Mi’kmaq and longtime Membertou First Nation resident, discovered that a certain medicinal knowledge was in danger of being lost. Through research, he was able to replicate the methods of his ancestors to turn the oil extracted from the bark of a birch tree into a healing salve of some sort that was used to treat conditions such as eczema.
Young then met the chemistry professor. Together they hatched the plan to commercialize Maskwiomin, but in a mindful manner to ensure the endeavour remained culturally ethical. It was a brilliant collaboration that led to the pair receiving more than $1 million in two Health Canada grants for research purposes.
“Receiving the Spark award was then a sort of a sign of approval that we were for real, that we were not just a one-day wonder,” recalled Bierenstiel.
“Spark facilitated that.”
Mentoriship and progress
In particular, Bierenstiel praised his Spark-appointed mentors and the efforts of Permjot Valia, a well-known, London-trained startup expert who also serves as the entrepreneur-in-residence at Cape Breton’s Navigate Startup House.
“Permjot really helped us identify what type of company we wanted to be,” he said.
“It worked. We made sure that we took part in ethical commercialization. We’re working with the community and are still in negotiation with the Membertou First Nation about becoming a partner in our business. Our last meeting was just a few weeks ago. So, this is all very positive.”
For his part, Valia said Maskwiomin is one of many Cape Breton based-Spark winners that has gone on to success. And he said the collective progress is both keeping intelligent and ambitious people at home and attracting other sharp minds to the area.
“I think what Spark does, what start-up activity does, is show our bright and ambitious people that there are great things they can do in Cape Breton,” said Valia.
“They don’t need to leave anymore to go to Halifax, Toronto, New York or Vancouver to pursue a career in technology-based entrepreneurship. So right now, with the world being the way it is, you can have a great quality of life and the happiness that comes from being near your family without sacrificing your career goals or business ambitions. It can be done.”
Spark Nova Scotia 2022 has now launched its latest competition with training registration having opened Aug. 9, followed by weekly workshops that run through Sept. 12.
Companies applying for the competition face a Sept. 19 formal application deadline with finalists being notified the following week.
Following a week of one-on-one pitch training, the competing companies will present their pitches before a panel of judges with the winners to be announced on Oct. 24.
For more information visit sparknovascotia.com.
David Jala is a business reporter at the Cape Breton Post.
Ensure local journalism stays in your community by purchasing a membership today.
The news and opinions you’ll love for only $14.99/month.
Start your Membership Now
Your home for the news shaping Canada’s East Coast
$15.00/MONTH
For your first year
UNLIMITED DIGITAL ACCESS
About Author
