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Government of Canada invests in 17 Canadian cleantech companies

OTTAWA — The investments total $68.2 million in 17 Canadian cleantech companies through Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC). These companies work in a wide range of cleantech sectors, such as agriculture, transportation, waste management and energy conservation. The SDTC funding will help them develop clean technologies with the potential to deliver environmental and economic benefits for Canadians.

“Now is the time for ambitious climate action,” said François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry. “Our government is proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with these groundbreaking companies as they drive innovation and make their mark as international leaders in clean technology. We will continue to support cleantech companies as they turn their vision into action to grow the economy and create well-paying jobs in this industry.”

The companies, according to the sector, are:

Energy exploration

• Arolytics ($0.4 million) of Calgary, Alberta – a women-led cleantech start-up that is developing software that enables oil and gas companies to identify cost-effective solutions to their emission management challenges.
• Carbonova ($2 million) of Calgary, Alberta – a women-led company that is developing a process that employs captured CO2 and methane to create carbon nanofibers used to improve the mechanical strength of concrete and other materials.

Energy utilization

• 3E Nano ($5 million) of Toronto, Ontario – a growing energy utilization company that is developing a nano-thin solar coating that can be used on skylights, greenhouses and plexiglass windows to greatly lower heating and cooling costs.
• BrainBox AI ($6.5 million) of Montréal, Quebec – a pioneering company developing a digital control solution that uses artificial intelligence to optimize heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems to make buildings more energy efficient.

Power generation

• Aurora Hydrogen ($3.9 million) of Edmonton, Alberta – a start-up cleantech company that is pioneering an innovative process that uses microwaves to produce turquoise hydrogen, with no direct CO2 emissions or water consumption.
• Next Hydrogen ($5 million) of Mississauga, Ontario – a start-up cleantech energy company that is developing an innovative electrolysis technology to break water into hydrogen and oxygen, significantly decreasing the cost of hydrogen production while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Transportation

• Nano One ($10 million) of Burnaby, British Columbia – a groundbreaking cleantech company that is carrying out a project that will further efforts to cut CO2 emissions and industrial waste by simplifying the supply chain for electric vehicle battery production.
• Visual Defence ($4 million) of Richmond Hill, Ontario – a scale-up clean technology company that is advancing an AI-enabled solution to help cities monitor road conditions in real time, increasing operational efficiency and sustainability while reducing costs.

Agriculture and agrifood

• Future Fields ($5 million) of Edmonton, Alberta – a women-led biotechnology company that is scaling up its revolutionary process to produce the proteins needed to culture more cost-effective, less carbon-intensive meats.
• Hortau ($6.8 million) of Lévis, Quebec – an agricultural technology company that is developing a crop management platform that uses wireless sensor networks and artificial intelligence to anticipate crop stress and optimize plant growth.
• New School Foods ($5 million) of Toronto, Ontario – a start-up cleantech innovator that is developing a plant-based alternative to cuts of fish.
• Synergraze ($1.3 million) of Calgary, Alberta – a women-led agricultural company that is developing a seaweed-derived feed additive capable of cutting methane emissions from cattle digestion by up to 90%, reducing the environmental impacts of cattle-rearing.

Waste management

• Cyclic Materials ($3.6 million) of Kingston, Ontario – a start-up waste-management company that is advancing a unique technology to recover rare earth elements from magnetic waste, reducing landfill and increasing Canada’ssupply of these vital materials.
• Enim (Seneca experts-conseils) ($3 million) of Anjou, Quebec – a visionary cleantech company that will build and operate a pilot facility for the hydrometallurgical extraction of metals from old, printed circuit boards to reduce and recycle electronic waste.
• Provision Analytics ($2.6 million) of Calgary, Alberta – a leading-edge software company that is advancing its digital platform, using analytics and machine learning, to monitor food safety and quality data to discover ways to minimize waste across the food supply chain.
• Symbient Environmental ($1.5 million) of Mississauga, Ontario – a start-up wastewater treatment company that is pioneering a low-cost system to disinfect wastewater using performic acid instead of chlorine, reducing impacts on aquatic environments.
• ZS2 Technologies ($2.6 million) of Calgary, Alberta – a construction technology pioneer that is developing a process to make low-carbon magnesium cement by combining waste products while reducing environmental impacts.

“Canada’s entrepreneurs have the ideas that will help solve some of our planet’s most pressing environmental problems, but they cannot do it alone,” said Leah Lawrence, President and CEO, Sustainable Development Technology Canada. “With our support and funding at all stages of development, we are helping companies reach commercialization faster so that they can tap into the strong global demand for sustainable solutions across every sector of the economy.”