UNB s Wallace McCain Institute supports new software company in Miramichi
Author: Communications
Posted on Aug 30, 2013
Category: UNB Fredericton
The Miramichi Technology Fund, managed by UNB's Wallace McCain Institute, recently unveiled plans to support the creation of a new software development company in northern New Brunswick.
Eggroll Digital Studios Incorporated will use the investment to help launch its new mobile and software development company, one of only a few companies in Atlantic Canada doing similar work.
"I am very excited by this return to Atlantic Canada," says Eggroll founder and CEO Mike White, who studied and worked in television animation in Nova Scotia prior to starting a mobile gaming company in San Francisco in 2008.
"I witnessed the tragic displacement of so many colleagues and friends when I lived in Nova Scotia," adds White. "Having developed many successful mobile products over the years for other companies out west, I felt it was important to return and create a place where talented people could work and thrive."
Alongside his partner and creative director Curtis Carey, from Sunny Corner, N.B., White has already made a significant personal investment financially in launching Eggroll in Miramichi, which has already created new jobs in the region.
White notes that the additional support from the Wallace McCain Institute will allow him to put together a core team and begin developing a product line.
"We'll be focused primarily on developing games for mobile devices," says White. "For now we'll be creating iOS games for the iPhone and iPad. Eventually we would like to branch out to Android, Windows and Facebook as well."
The Miramichi Technology Fund was established in May 2011 through the generous donation of Frank and Julie McKenna. The fund aims to help Miramichi-based technology companies to grow and develop. It is tasked with making equity investments in technology companies in each of the next 5 years with the expectation that, in time, the fund will be self-sustaining and allow for further investments in the region.
Frank McKenna is the deputy chair of the TD Bank Group and former premier of the Province of New Brunswick.
Dr. McKenna's contribution has been made to the University of New Brunswick and is managed by the Wallace McCain Institute, which fosters entrepreneurship and innovation in New Brunswick and Atlantic Canada.