econext’s Post

Heading into the weekend inspired by the impact created by the Atlantic Canada Clean Tech Scale Up & Investment Challenge. Allison Murray and Acuicy won the $100,000 investment as part of the challenge. However, look deeper into the cascading impact. ACOA - APECA had the vision to support a program that is catalyzing the climate innovation ecosystem in Atlantic Canada and thus the world. It then took Dorothy Spence and Imaginal Ventures Inc. to conceive of a program that would build the core capacity of growing and scaling climate ventures. Jeanette Jackson 🌱 and Foresight Canada then stepped up to provide investment readiness training and support to the cohort of ventures. Then, Vanessa Ferlaino, Natalie Youssef, Selina Powszedny, Davina MacPhail, and the entire Spring team stepped up to deliver a first for the region Investor Challenge to empower investors, bring them into community, and support them to select an incredibly deserving company. It goes without saying that ecosystem players like Dan Oshodin and Volta have been instrumental developing incredible startups in Atlantic Canada including Acuicy and that has played a significant role in the program. Here's to Allison to Acuicy. And here's to all the players in the ecosystem who made it possible. It takes a village to grow a company, and to impact a region. Watch Atlantic Canada - it's creating outsized impact in climate innovation for Canada, and the world. #impactinvesting #angelinvesting #techforgood #atlanticcanada #cleantech #canada

The April Cleantech45 webinar has been rescheduled to 2 May 2024 at 10.00 (EEST). ⏰ You are invited to join our YouTube live where we'll explore cleantech investment trends and challenges with investors Jana Budkovskaja (Beamline Accelerator) and Hendrik Reimand (2C Ventures). The following questions will be covered: 👉🏼 What were the most important cleantech investment trends in 2023? What trends are you expecting to see in 2024? 👉🏼 What are the biggest cleantech investment challenges in Estonia? What can we do to overcome them? 👉🏼 How good are Estonian cleantech companies in getting funded? What could they do better? Join us online: https://lnkd.in/dKJ77aEr

For Canada to reduce emissions at a pace that our current climate challenges demand, innovators need access to capital to scale, deploy, and reach new markets. And so far, most struggle on that front. The Foresight 50 list is changing that. Now in its fourth year, the list recognizes and connects Canada’s most investible startups with a vast network of international investors. Find out who made the 2024 list. For a limited time, get 25% off early bird tickets: 🎟️ Foresight 50 Celebration Only (Nov 6) 🎟️ Foresight 50 Celebrations & Investor Forum (Nov 6 & 7) Use code F50EARLYBIRD to secure your spot ➡️ https://hubs.la/Q02Lynlp0 Foresight 50 2024 is supported by Gowling WLG, Pink Flag Marketing and Communication, Latitude Cleantech Search, and BackStretch Recruitment Group. Foresight would also like to thank the National Research Council Canada / Conseil national de recherches Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP), for providing funding support for its Cleantech Ventures program, part of which makes this initiative possible.

On a weekly basis, I read more about the news steps the countries take in the context of their decarbonization. This week, articles were read about the Strategic Innovation Fund, Emissions Reduction Alberta, and CleanBC. Indeed, it brings to the forefront some great insights into how the country is faring in terms of industrial decarbonization. We are all aware of the rapid strides that Canada is making in its commitment to attain net-zero emissions by the year 2050. From that date in time, the federal government, in partnership with the industry and the best brains in the research sector, has placed huge investments in terms of both time and money in developing innovative technologies and practices that are sustainable and designed to limit the levels of greenhouse gas emissions, particularly in all the major industrial sectors of the economy. Strategic Innovation Fund projects contribute to large-scale projects driving clean technology development and deployment. This is through the efforts that include CCUS—Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage—advancements, low-carbon fuels, and the electrification of industrial processes. As we have seen, the government of Alberta has initiated the Industrial Energy Efficiency and Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage program. This program aims to provide grants to projects drastically reducing emissions in the oil and gas, chemical, and manufacturing industries. Complimentary to that is partnering with agencies such as Emissions Reduction Alberta to fund breakthrough technologies in that regard. Finally, British Columbia is also in the running, with its CleanBC initiative, for the industrial decarbonization of clean technology deployment and the adoption of energy efficiency measures. The province is to invest in hydrogen, bioenergy, and renewable natural gas, so it moves out of fossil fuels. For the opportunity you have taken to look at all these initiatives, share your experience please. #Industrialdecarbonization #Cleanenergycanada #Netzero2050 #Sustainableindustry #Climateaction #Innovation Sources: https://lnkd.in/e3WQdfPU https://www.eralberta.ca/ https://cleanbc.gov.bc.ca/

Mark your calendar! C3 is teaming up with Impact Europe for the last in our 2024 series of webinars on #catalyticcapital. On Oct. 9th, we'll be showcasing findings from C3-supported research projects spanning Eastern Europe, India and the U.S., with a panel of experts who will discuss key considerations for investors and asset owners. They include: ➡ Priya Krishnamoorthy, 200 Million Artisans, which studied the role of catalytic capital in India’s artisan sector, particularly as it applied to craft-based micro, small, and medium-sized businesses. ➡ Jayshree Venkatesan, Center for Financial Inclusion (CFI), which researched how catalytic capital has spurred the digital credit industry, considering both growth and unintended consequences. ➡ Maoz (Michael) Brown, Impact Finance Research Consortium, which produced a quantitative analysis of the prevalence, applications, and consequences of catalytic capital investment based on a large sample of fund managers. ➡ Zsuzsanna Pósfai, Periféria Policy and Research Center, which studied how catalytic capital can help spur affordable housing development in eight Eastern/Southeastern European countries. ➡ Sarah Kearney, Prime Coalition, which developed a framework to help philanthropic investors understand when to use catalytic capital to fill specific capital gaps, particularly when financing engineering and science innovation. ✳ Register here: https://lnkd.in/g8jhAaZN ✳ Read about C3’s Strengthening the Evidence Base projects: https://lnkd.in/gYS-HBvD #impactinvesting #socialinvesting #climatefinance #affordablehousing #financialinclusion #SMEs #entrepreneurs #India #EasternEurope

My favourite topic - the commercialization of climate technology at industrial scale measured in market share, contribution to GDP, jobs, exports, shareholder value, and other commercial milestones. Thank you DEEP TECH CANADA and Platform Calgary for the chance to deliver the keynote at your inaugural event "Scaling Deep Tech for a Decarbonized Future".

The The ESG Initiative at the Wharton School's Head of Research Maoz (Michael) Brown will be sharing findings from the ESG Initiative's #CatalyticCapital report at this webinar, "Maximizing Catalytic Capital’s Leveraging Power," organized by the Catalytic Capital Consortium and Impact Europe on October 9, at 9:30am ET. One of 14 research projects funded by the Catalytic Capital Consortium to promote knowledge and awareness of catalytic capital, and published by the Impact Finance Research Consortium (a collaboration of faculty and staff at the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Initiative at the Wharton School, Harvard Business School, and The University of Chicago Booth School of Business), the report, “Catalytic Capital in Impact Investing: Forms, Features, and Functions," sheds new light on the features and applications of catalytic capital: whr.tn/4ezliOJ Register for the webinar on October 9 to hear from Maoz (Michael) Brown and more experts, who will discuss key considerations for investors and asset owners: whr.tn/4ezYq1t The Wharton School #WhartonESG #ImpactInvesting #Webinar #ESGResearch

📣 Last Call: Join Us for a Live-Only Webinar on SR&ED Funding! Tomorrow, November 27th at 11:00 a.m. (MT), we’re hosting an exclusive TechTalk Webinar on Canada’s SR&ED program—your gateway to unlocking the largest source of non-dilutive funding for cleantech innovation. 🎯 Why this is a must-attend: - This is a live-only session—no recordings will be available, so don’t miss your chance to gain actionable insights firsthand. - Our expert speakers from EY's Business Tax Incentives team are committed to answering any questions you bring—yes, even the tough ones! - Take charge of your SR&ED application. Even if you’ve handed it over to someone else, understanding the process is important to ensure your claim is strong and impactful. Empower yourself with the knowledge to make sure your SR&ED application is the best it can be and have more insightful conversations with your advisors or partners. Register at: https://lnkd.in/gvqjT5Q9) See you tomorrow! #Innovation #Cleantech #Funding #SRED #TechTalk #MethaneMitigation, #NGIFAccelerator #YYC, #Canada, #Startup #entrepreneurs

“Shell Foundation takes the lead on venture building and market building and have great expertise and market knowledge.  They work directly with ventures – early stage and mid-stage – helping them to get to the point where they can access commercial capital or scale capital” Steven Hunt, Senior Energy Innovation Advisor, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. #ShellFoundation has been proud to partner with the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office since 2012. This partnership has been built on a strong foundation of mutual collaboration, a shared strategic objective to drive the clean energy transition while raising incomes and an ability to co-fund impactful programmes. The partnership currently supports two jointly funded programmes under the FCDO’s Research and Evidence Directorate: Transforming Energy Access (TEA) and Catalysing Agriculture by Scaling Energy Ecosystems (CASEE). Both programmes are part of the Ayrton Fund, a UK Government commitment to invest up to £1 billion in Research and Development for clean energy technologies and business models in developing countries.  Learn more about this unique partnership: https://lnkd.in/eq5fwhyT #EnergyAccess #EnergyTransition #CleanEnergy #Energy #ImpactInvesting #Partnership #Innovation

When I look back at the photos from the two-day Investment Forum in Cape Town, they capture more than just moments, they encapsulate my commitment to my profession. People often question why I invest time and money in attending conferences locally and internationally. My answer is straightforward, it not just about the cost, it's about the value it brings to my practice, my clients, and our profession. For me, these forums are a crucial investment. They're where I gain knowledge that you can't always find in books or online, where I connect with like-minded professionals and where I stay ahead in a field that's always evolving. This isn't about spending, it is about investing in continuous improvement. I go to these events to learn, to network, and to ensure I never become complacent. The financial profession is constantly changing, and to give my clients the best, I need to be at the forefront of that change. The expense might seem steep to some, but the cost of falling behind is much steeper. Every conference I attend is an opportunity to grow and to make sure that I offer services that are not just good enough, but exceptional. That's the real return on investment from every forum or conference I participate in – a benefit that ultimately enriches my practice, my clients, and the entire financial sector. Well done Kevin Hinton and team! It was a great investment for me to make! See you in 2025 for number 15!