Case Study:
Digital Nova Scotia
The Objective
In Spring of 2026, Digital Nova Scotia (DNS), in partnership with St. Francis Xavier University, was seeking a training partner to launch an AI for Export Bootcamp Microcredential, a six-week training program designed to support Atlantic Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in applying artificial intelligence to export-related business activities. With shifting economic conditions, including the effects of tariffs on SMEs, the group wanted to create measured, practical training that would help SMEs withstand economic pressures and build for the future.
The Solution
We put forward a proposal for a training curriculum that would take participating SMEs from “we’re exploring export opportunities, but don’t know where to start” to “we have an export roadmap, and the AI skills and knowledge to make implementation faster and more feasible.” We teamed up with our award winning, expert instructors in AI, marketing, and export. Emily Baillie, founder of Compass Content Marketing, has been teaching business owners through colleges, business associations, and Jelly Academy how to adopt AI into their organizations. She has been featured on CBC news as a thought leader in this space. Anthony Wingham has successfully taken his business, Nuez Acres®, from startup to exporting his products to international markets. His expertise in export strategy for businesses has led him to become the Indigenous Business Advisor for Export Navigator, supporting Indigenous owned businesses exploring and expanding into new markets.
Our group’s unique combined experience and skillsets in curriculum development, delivery and practical application as it relates to digital skills, AI adoption, and export strategy for businesses positioned us to support the 20 companies who participated in the pilot.
We focused on five key, practical areas:
International market research
Lead prospecting and generation
Localization
Export marketing
Business development workflows
The Results:
20
SME’S Supported
Efficiency with export planning and tasks
was the first recognized value-add
AI for Market research
was the strongest export-specific use case
New Markets Discovered
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“The opportunity is to develop India as a new export market for Gutcheck™. AI has helped us research the market, identify potential buyers and distribution partners, assess competitors, qualify leads, and develop targeted outreach and sales materials.”
- Gutcheck
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“The opportunity is in the UK. We had not previously prioritized that market, but we discovered it ranked quite high throughout the AI for Export Bootcamp.”
- BioSpa
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“We have identified opportunities in Indo-Asian markets for our IQF Cranberries.”
- Terra Beata Farms
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"The capstone approach was particularly valuable because it helped us move from learning to taking practical steps toward the Indian market opportunity."
- Nucliq
Participant Testimonials
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"The most useful aspects were the hands-on export framework, practical AI tools, market research and buyer identification, lead qualification, targeted outreach, and the development of a repeatable export workflow. The capstone approach was particularly valuable because it helped us move from learning to taking practical steps toward the Indian market opportunity for Gutcheck™."
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"Having done the spreadsheets and the work required in the course, it really helped me learn how to ask AI/question AI/iterate changes based on responses, which has led to faster, more accurate responses. I've seen the quality of my own work improve as a result, including our social media presence, planning, etc."
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"Streamlining our export strategy and prospecting has helped to prioritize expansion and growth. The process was previously extremely time-consuming, daunting, and difficult to track. The framework we built through the bootcamp has made a big difference in helping us prioritize and track our efforts. "