SDTC propelling cleantech companies from seed funding to start-up to scale-up and beyond

Ottawa, ON – Canada’s cleantech entrepreneurs are proving their power to build a more sustainable future through innovative solutions to today’s environmental challenges. Working in partnership with these visionary companies, the Government of Canada is charting the way to a low-carbon, greener economy that supports both people and the planet.

The Government of Canada announced investments totalling $38.3 million in 12 ground-breaking Canadian companies through Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC). This funding is boosting innovation all across Canada and beyond – from cloud-based software that uses artificial intelligence to manage and optimize the dairy supply chain to solar-powered robotic vessels that collect real-time data to protect our oceans; from biotechnology that boosts the survival rate of tree seedlings when planting new forests to recycling technology that enables the full circular economy of polystyrene.

These investments will enable Canadian entrepreneurs in every sector of our economy to push the boundaries of innovation, commercialize their ideas and take clean technologies to the next level. It will also help drive our economy into the post-pandemic future while boosting Canada’s ability to meet our 2030 climate commitments and reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Several of the funded cleantech companies are past recipients of SDTC investments. They include three graduates of SDTC’s Seed Fund for early-stage entrepreneurs that have gained solid ground and are now ready to scale up:

• Open Ocean Robotics of Victoria, British Columbia – $2.8 million for its cleantech solution to collect ocean data and protect marine environments using zero-emission autonomous vessels, artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced sensors.
• Milk Moovement of St John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador – $1.5 million for cloud-based software that employs AI and data-enabled analysis to manage and optimize the dairy supply chain.
• OSCPS Motion Sensing of Montreal, Quebec – $3.2 million to develop lighter, lower-cost inertial navigation sensors for the next generation of autonomous drones and vehicles.

Four other companies are receiving repeat SDTC investments, including:

• Mikro-Tek of Timmins, Ontario – $3.7 million in second-round funding to develop a new microbial technology to treat tree seedlings, significantly increasing growth and survival rates while reducing the use of herbicides.
• Polar Performance Materials of Oakville, Ontario – $4.1 million in second-round funding to improve their process for manufacturing high-purity aluminum oxide powder employed in lithium-ion batteries, requiring less energy and lower temperatures.
• Polystyvert of Montreal, Quebec – $3.5 million in second-round funding to scale up a polystyrene recycling technology that removes contaminants from styrene plastics, reduces GHG emissions, and helps protect the environment.

Validere Technologies of Toronto, Ontario, SmartCone Tech, of Ottawa, Ontario, Red Leaf Pulp of Kelowna, British Columbia, Cobric Chemicals of Barrie, Ontario, Sentry Water Monitoring of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, and BioAlert Solutions of Sherbrooke, Quebec, are welcomed as new SDTC-funded companies receiving a total of $15 million in investments.

Quotes

“Canadian entrepreneurs are driving the innovation that is moving us towards a more sustainable and prosperous future. This investment will enable companies to rapidly accelerate and commercialize their ideas and continues the momentum of public and private commitments to reducing global emissions.”

– Leah Lawrence, President and CEO of SDTC

Learn more about these companies here.

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