Ambitious Innovators Gear Up to Pitch Energy Solutions

By Alina Cox

On June 4, top energy innovators will compete for more than $100,000 in cash and in-kind prizes in Canada’s leading early stage pitch competition dedicated to technological advancement in the energy sector.

The Energy New Venture Competition (ENV), hosted by UCalgary’s Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking, is designed to introduce promising startups to a network of investors and industry leaders.

To prepare for the event, competitors have taken part in a comprehensive three-part mentorship and professional training program led by Platform Calgary, formerly Calgary Technologies Inc., and will spend the weeks leading up to the competition refining their pitch.

Since launching six years ago, ENV has become a highly anticipated annual event where Calgary’s energy and entrepreneurial community gathers to support emerging energy technology companies and concepts.

“Each year brings a talented group of energy entrepreneurs to the forefront,” says Hunter Hub Executive Director Joelle Foster. “The exposure from this competition allows the next generation of energy innovators to link up with like-minded individuals who believe in the power of innovation and entrepreneurship.”  

The competition will be judged by industry technology experts, angel investors, entrepreneurs and supporters. Winners of last year’s competition included a wind turbine de-icing retrofit, software designed to reduce costs associated with the energy industry’s freshwater usage, and an automated management system to regulate the flow of liquid in pipelines.

A growing community of entrepreneurial thinkers

This year’s competition will feature five Concept-stream entrepreneurs with early innovative ideas, and five Venture-stream entrepreneurs who have entered the seed stage and are in the process of obtaining funding:

• A company utilizing CO₂ and green solvents to reduce emission of greenhouse gases.
• A technology to optimize software-based capital deployment for energy-efficiency projects.
• A company developing advanced wireless sensor technologies for equipment and infrastructure monitoring.
• A company developing pure hydrogen production from oil and gas fields.
• A company implementing nanotechnology-based green-engineering processes for the energy industry.
• A concept working to produce pure carbon nanofibres from waste energy and greenhouse gases.
• A concept fabricating a high-voltage water-purification system.
• A concept developing compact, lightweight power conversion and storage.
• A lithium exploration and technology company.
• A company developing a pipeline leak-containment system.

The Energy New Venture Competition takes place June 4 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Downtown Campus. Attendance is open to all investors, industry experts, entrepreneurs, students and faculty members. Purchase your tickets today.

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Located in the heart of Canada’s energy sector, the University of Calgary has built a reputation as a global leader in energy research and innovation. With a focus on our low-carbon future, diverse teams are also assessing the effects of energy-related processes while harnessing unconventional hydrocarbon resources through UCalgary’s Energy Innovations for Today and Tomorrow research strategy.