SDTC Seed Fund Recipients Showcase Breadth of Canadian Cleantech Innovation

OTTAWA, ON, December 16, 2020 – In partnership with accelerators across Canada, Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) today announced funding for 18 Canadian start-ups that are developing the sustainable solutions that will enable a Net Zero future.

“Congratulations to all recipients! These investments help secure Canada’s leadership in clean technologies today so all Canadians can benefit from a more economically and environmentally sustainable future,” said the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry. “Our Government is proud to support these companies across Canada as they drive innovation, create well-paying jobs, and help us meet our climate goals.”

“Despite the challenges of the current economic environment, innovation continues to thrive across the country,” said SDTC President and CEO Leah Lawrence. “The entrepreneurs funded through our Seed Fund’s second round reflect the breadth and variety of cleantech solutions that governments and corporations are looking for to meet their Net Zero commitments over the next ten years.”

The high-potential start-up firms receiving funding are developing technologies that span a variety of sectors, from data-enabled technologies such as the internet of things, quantum computing and blockchain, to technologies that enable greater sustainability in farming and the food industry, to carbon capture and storage to innovative solutions to reduce CO2 emissions in the construction and transportation industries.

SDTC’s Seed Fund provides early-stage cleantech entrepreneurs with one-time grants of $50,000 to $100,000. Seed Fund applicants are nominated by a select group of Canadian accelerators and other entrepreneurial service organizations from across the country.

SDTC continues to expand its reach across Canada’s innovation ecosystems, with nine new accelerators included in the 16 organizations which nominated successful applicants in this recent round. SDTC is actively looking to partner with incubators and accelerators in every region of Canada to support and strengthen innovation and entrepreneurship where it happens.

A full list of the newly funded companies and their accelerator sponsors appears below. The next call for Seed Fund applications will launch in January 2021.

Companies approved for funding

Below are 18 Canadian companies approved by SDTC for seed funding during the second round of the 2020/21 fiscal year. The accelerator partner that nominated each company is also listed.

1. Winecrush(Penticton, BC), supported by Foresight, upcycles the derivatives of wine making into high performance food ingredients.
2. CleanO2(Calgary, AB), supported by CDL Rockies, offers energy demand reduction through heat recovery and offers profit sharing agreements with customers for pearl ash sales.
3. Carbonova(Calgary, AB), supported by Innovate Calgary, commercializes a chemical process that uses greenhouse gases and natural gas as a feedstock to produce sustainable and economical carbon nanofibers.
4. Future Fields(Edmonton, AB), supported by TEC Edmonton, is a biotechnology company that serves the cellular agriculture industry by producing cell growth media to produce lab grown meat.
5. Carbon-Block Inc.(Winnipeg, MB), supported by North Forge, is developing hardware backed by blockchain, to automate the creation and verification of carbon offsets.
6. Just Vertical(Brampton, ON), supported by the Centre for Social Innovation, is an indoor hydroponic company that creates furniture which also grows food.
7. Argentum Electronics(Cobourg, ON), supported by Clean Energy Zone, has developed an end-to-end internet-of-things platform that generates insights from human behaviour and uses the data to optimize a building’s energy usage.
8. DuXion Motors(St. John’s, NL), supported by MaRS, is an advanced motor design and manufacturing company that is developing next generation electric propulsion systems for aircrafts and UAVs.
9. Ardra Bio(Toronto, ON), supported by UTEST, produces natural ingredients for the food and cosmetics industries using fermentation of renewable raw material such as sugar and agriculture biomass.
10. Pulse Industrial(Kitchener, ON), supported by Velocity, is an internet of things company that produces smart monitors for mechanical valves (known as steam taps) to detect leaks, allowing plants to reduce CO2 emissions.
11. Nord Quantique (Sherbrooke, QC) supported by ACET, develops quantum processors based on second-generation technology to deploy the full potential of quantum computing applications.
12. Viridis Terra(Quebec City, QC), supported by AG Bio, specializes in the restoration of degraded ecosystems, lands, and soils; and on the formulation, implementation, and sustainable management of large-scale reforestation and landscape restoration projects.
13. Nexus Robotics(Halifax, NS), supported by Le Camp, has created an autonomous robot which uses a camera system to differentiate between weeds and crops, providing a reliable and cost-effective farming solution.
14. Oneka Technologies(Sherbrooke, QC), supported by Sherbrooke Innopole, is a desalination company that harnesses wave power to produce fresh water.
15. Graphite Innovation and Technologies (GIT)(Dartmouth, NS) supported by Innovacorp, is a graphene technology producer which specializes in marine protective coatings.
16. Planetary Hydrogen(Gatineau, QC), supported by Innovacorp, produces hydrogen while capturing CO2 and storing it as a bicarbonate that fights ocean acidification.
17. Alterbiota(Toronto, ON), supported by the Verschuren Centre, manufactures low-cost, high-performance biographene additives for the concrete industry.
18. Kraken Sense(Sydney, NS), supported by the Verschuren Centre, has created an automated pathogen detection platform, with sensors which can detect bacterial contamination in produce in real time.