The British Columbia Centre for Innovation and Clean Energy (CICE) has invested a total of $1.7 million ($2.46 million CAD) in five different women-led startups developing climate tech solutions.
This investment is part of the Women in Climate Tech Call for Innovation launched by the CICE back in October 2024.
As part of this initiative, CICE is looking to back women-led decarbonization innovations tackling CO2 emissions in the transportation, construction, and bio-industrial sectors.
Established through commitments from the governments of British Columbia and Canada, along with Shell Canada Ltd., CICE operates as an independent non-profit that backs early-stage climate and energy startups.
Selected out of a pool of 58 applicants, the five ventures chosen to receive financial support are Agora Energy Technologies, Ayrton Energy Inc., EnviCore Inc., Gaia Refinery, and Seacork Studio Inc.
Awarded in line with the expected project value, the allocated funding ranges from around $250,000 ($350,000 CAD) for Seacork Studio, up to around $500,000 ($700,000 CAD) for Gaia Refinery.
These investments are non-dilutive and will be accompanied by additional support options like mentorship and coverage of up to 25 percent of a project’s upfront capital.
Each of the selected women-led projects addresses excessive carbon emissions through different novel technologies.
Agora Energy Technologies is working on decarbonizing heavy industry sectors by turning carbon into clean power through a one-step process that combines capture, purification, and conversion.
Relevant: CICE Invests $2M In Two Ocean-Based Carbon Dioxide Removal Projects
Another funding recipient is hydrogen producer Ayrton Energy, which is working on a technology that employs existing gas storage infrastructure to store and transport its cleaner fuel product.
EnviCore Inc. will receive ∼$363,000 ($500,000 CAD) in CICE funding to advance its technology for converting minerals from industrial waste into low-carbon construction materials.
Seacork Studio is another funding recipient contributing towards a more sustainable construction sector through the creation of seaweed-based carbon-negative building materials.
Lastly, as the recipient of the largest portion of CICE funding, Gaia Refinery will focus on further developing its plug-and-play carbon removal technology designed for industrial integration for bio-based waste streams.
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