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Five climatetech projects win $300,000 at the Quebec Climate Solutions Festival

From left to right: Jeff Hart (Climate Solutions Prize Organization), Philip Raphals and Charles Kiyanda (Breakthrough Research First Prize), Soodeh Abedini (Breakthrough Research Second Prize), Samson Bowen-Bronet (Audience Choice Award), Yee Wei Foong (Quebec Student Entrepreneur Innovation Prize), Galith Levy (Climate Solutions Prize Organization), Patrick Gagné (Cycle Momentum) – Credit: Jason Trott (CNW Group/Climate Solutions Prize)

MONTREAL — The Climate Solutions Festival—Quebec, welcomed over 800 participants, including leading innovators, investors, researchers, startups, clean tech entrepreneurs, and media, with the awarding of the Climate Solutions Prize Breakthrough Research Track Prize-Quebec, Start-Up Track Prize, Student Entrepreneur Innovation Prize, and Audience Choice Award.

The five winning projects were announced following a judging process which reviewed 200 submissions and were drawn from 25 finalists. A total of $300,000 in prizes were awarded to ideas with demonstrable potential for real-world impact when it comes to climate and which can be developed and put to use quickly.

Breakthrough Research Prize Winners:
Powered by JNF Canada, two winners shared a total worth $100,000. Winners were selected from submissions prepared by Quebec research institutions including universities, non-profit organizations such as hospitals and R&D centers, environmental charities, and non-profit incubators.

Projects were scored by an independent panel of judges based on criteria including impact, innovation, development potential, and cost-effectiveness.

First Prize: ($60,000) Name: Philip Raphals and Charles Kiyanda (NovoPower International)
Project: Power from waste heat: bringing data centres and green hydrogen electrolyzers into the circular economy.

Runner Up Prize: ($40,000) Name: Soodeh Abedini (Concordia University)
Project: An affordable electrochemical system for simultaneous converting CO2 and CH4 to green storable energy.

Quebec Start-Up Track Winner:
One winner of the $100,000 Start-Up prize, managed by Cycle Momentum, was selected from among ten finalists whose ideas all harnessed innovative approaches using Cleantech to tackle existing or emerging climate change issues.

Winner: ($100,000) Name: Jennifer Côté (Opalia)
Project: Real milk producting without cows using innovative technology which reproduces the functionality, taste, and nutritional aspect of traditional dairy without the methane production and intensive animal use.

Quebec Student Entrepreneur Innovation Prize Winner: In partnership with Mitacs, the $90,000 prize called on student entrepreneurs from across Quebec to build solutions to the climate crisis. The prize will be awarded in installments over two years to support the winner’s ongoing work on this theme.

Winner: ($90,000) Name: Yee Wei Foong (McGill University/Quantus)
Project: Decarburizing batteries with metal-free electrodes for a sustainable alternative to lithium batteries

The Audience Choice Award:
This prize of $10,000 was granted to one winner who was selected by festival participants following pitches by finalists from the Startup Track .

Winner: ($10,000) Name: Samson Bowen-Bronet (Altiro Energy)
Project: Large-scale energy storage that introduces more renewables into the grid and eliminates power curtailment using an iron-based clean fuel.

Climate Solutions Festival
More than three-dozen panelists and keynote speakers offered over 800 festival attendees and participants thought-provoking insights and pathways to using technology to combat climate change, beginning at home. The two day event brought together hundreds of innovators, investors, academics, entrepreneurs and national and international thought leaders in a unique mash-up of ideas meant to spur greater activity and action in clean tech development.

“The success of this year’s festival – a first in Quebec and Canada – demonstrates the broad engagement that exists to address the climate crisis within the entrepreneurial, research, and startup communities,” said Galith Levy, Chief Climate Solutions Prize Officer. “Our organization looks forward to bringing these communities together again next year as we unite our talents and resources towards tackling the biggest issue of our times.”