CTC #22 - Kite takes on car dependency, Mysa goes commercial, and Ontario strikes economic partnership with Indigenous groups
Round-up for Sept 16-30th
Hey friend,
Welcome to another issue of Climate Tech Canada! A couple of personal favourites in this one are a raise by Kite Mobility to help end car dependency, Mysa taking their smart thermostat tech into commercial spaces, and a new partnership between Ontario and local Indigenous groups to ensure Indigenous peoples see economic benefits from development.
The last one is particularly timely with National Day for Truth and Reconciliation being this Friday. It’s a good time to make some space to learn more about Truth and Reconciliation, the Calls to Action, and how we can put them into practice at the intersection of tech and climate action. With that in mind, let’s get into this week’s issue.
Funding
Kite Mobility (Toronto, ON) secured an undisclosed amount to accelerate growth and keep up with demand for their mobility-as-an-amenity offering. Kite allows private buildings to offer mobility options to residents and guests through an app, including electric scooters, e-bikes and electric cars. Their services help reduce congestion, emissions and offer an alternative to car ownership.
Flyscan (Quebec City, QC) secured $4.79M in financing from BDC Capital and strategic investor Hatch. Flyscan provides aerial leak detection and monitoring for pipelines. The funding will enable Flyscan to scale up operations to support new commercial agreements, and leverage Hatch’s global presence for further expansion.
Lithion Recycling (Montreal, QC) raised an undisclosed amount from GM Ventures as part of their Series A round. The investment will see the two companies work on a battery recycling ecosystem and further research and development.
Litus (Calgary, AB) took home a $100K prize at Elevate Festival where they pitched their lithium extraction technology. Litus can extract lithium from water using nanomaterials, enabling more efficient lithium recovery.
Peak Power (Toronto, ON) secured $5M in funding from Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) to expand its distributed energy resource (DER) offering across North America. Other recipients of SDTC’s latest round of funding include:
Anaconda Systems (Vancouver, BC) - $2M for efficient, low cost and localized organic waste recycling
Cascadia Seaweed (Sidney, BC) - $4.3M to continue developing their seaweed-based animal feed supplement that can reduce livestock methane emissions
Clear Blue Technologies (Toronto, ON) - $5M to grow their smart compact solar power solutions for off-grid applications
RainStick Shower (Kelowna, BC) - $1.8M to develop their circular shower system that reduces water use
Reazent (Halifax, NS) - $600K in seed funding to develop organic alternatives to synthetic fertilizers by harnessing the natural effects of fungi and bacteria.
Milestones & Growth
Mysa enters the commercial space through a partnership with AutoGrid, a virtual power plant technology provider.
Invert launched their new consumer app, focused on helping individuals understand and take action on their carbon footprints. The app helps you reduce your footprint, and offers the ability to purchase offsets for the rest.
CarbonCure launched a new carbon quantification product, enabling concrete manufacturers to quickly and accurately quantify the carbon impact of their products.
BrainBox announced a deal with Sleep Country Canada to implement their AI-powered HVAC optimization technology in 214 locations.
In the News
The Ontario government will partner with local Indigenous groups to make sure they see economic benefits from EV sector growth, including new Stellantis EV assembly and battery plants in Windsor, ON.
New Brunswick announced $1.8M to kickstart climate R&D as part of the province’s refreshed climate plan.
Nova Scotia is aiming to open up leases for 5 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030. Energy costs are a hot topic in the province as NS Power is advocating for an 11% rate hike while estimating a $2B price tag to switch to clean energy.
The Federal government announced $250M in funding to help individuals switch from oil to clean energy sources like heat pumps. The cost of switching was a primary concern raised by NS premier Tim Houston in discussions around carbon pricing.
Student Energy received federal funding to develop the next generation of clean energy workers.
Canada Infrastructure Bank is putting up half a billion in funding to accelerate private charging and refuelling infrastructure for zero-emissions vehicles.
Air Canada bought 30 hybrid-electric planes from Sweden’s Heart Aerospace and acquired a stake in the company. The planes will carry 30 passengers and can fly 200km with zero emissions, with a full range of 400-800km.
LG continues their Canadian expansion signing deals with three producers of cobalt and lithium.
Despite record-high cashflow, oil & gas companies are opting for short-term shareholder dividends over decarbonization efforts. Is a EU-style windfall tax in the future?
Here & There
Uber to go all-electric in Canada by 2030
Report: EV industry could be worth $48B annually to Canada
A new online learning hub aimed at helping fleet operators transition their vehicles to EVs
The Merge cuts emissions from Ethereum by 99.95%
lululemon founder Chip Wilson makes the largest donation ever in Canadian conservation history with a $100M gift to B.C. Parks Foundation
Jobs
Product Manager - E-Mobility and Electric Vehicles at eLeapPower - Toronto, ON
Head of Operations and Strategy at nectar - Remote
Engineering Manager at Taking Root - Remote & Vancouver, BC
Marketing Team Leader at RailVision - Remote
Software Engineer at Spare - Vancouver, BC
Full Stack Developer at GBatteries - Remote & Ottawa, ON
Customer Success Manager at ChargeLabs - Remote
That’s all for this week - thanks for reading! If you’re enjoying the newsletter, consider sharing with a friend.