Innovation in Atlantic Canada
Making the world a sensory friendly place from Saint John New Brunswick!
Sensory Friendly Solutions was founded in 2016 to help people, businesses, and organizations discover sensory friendly solutions to everyday life. Christel Seeberger, its founder, had worked in healthcare for more than 25 years helping people with sensory sensitivity who experience sensory overload.
Sensory Friendly Solutions finds ways to create better living spaces for all people to enjoy. They help educate and transform our understanding of sensory sensitivity and sensory overload.
In May of 2019 Christel was put in touch with Colum Consultants by Economic Development Saint John (EDSJ). At that time Christel was working on compiling her first SR&ED claim. She was working tirelessly, researching people's experiences living with sensory sensitivities and how technology can be used to improve the lives of those living with sensory sensitivities.
Christel was understandably overwhelmed by the complexity of the SR&ED program. She was concerned about submitting the claim to CRA as she wanted to ensure Sensory Friendly Solutions got the maximal return for their research time and encompass all the qualified expenses.


"Colum has been an invaluable asset to my tech start-up."
-Christel Seeberger, Founder and CEO Sensory Friendly Solutions
Christel had contacted CRA prior to meeting with Colum Consultants about having a Pre-Claim Consultation (PCC) and we proceeded to have this meeting together to discuss the research work and what we intended to put in the first SR&ED claim.
Colum Consultants outlined the CRA process and discussed the timelines in relation to her first claim. We qualified her research project and discussed her research work to ensure that it both qualified and quantified to meet CRA guidelines.
This was a great start to a strategic partnership ensuring Sensory Friendly Solutions doesn’t have the SR&ED stress that other startups have.
To date Colum Consultants has helped Sensory Friendly Solutions with multiple fiscal years of claiming SR&ED and we are considered an invaluable asset to their tech start-up.
Sensory Friendly Solutions are continuing their research and development journey and we are proud of developing strategic relationships with Maritime businesses like Sensory Friendly Solutions.