Before Heimas joined Forsyth Canada and Social Innovation Canada Land Tech: The 2050 program, its founders heard many people say no.
Calgary residents Marek Hejduk and Ondra Maceja have unveiled a new form of cellulose, a traditional wood-based product used to make everything from cardboard to packaging.
“We determine what will move the needle forward the fastest for each company.”
Brittany Goldhawk, Foresight Canada
Their product is made from hemp and other bast plants, offering a cheaper, stronger and, most importantly, cleaner alternative.
By replacing wood pulp, Hejmas pulp uses less water, contains no harsh chemicals and reduces pressure on forests, which serve as critical carbon sinks for the planet.
“As these companies scale, so does their impact on society and the environment,” said Brittany Goldhawk, director of Earth technologies and investor relations at Foresight Canada. “That's really our goal: to help ventures develop solutions that Canada and the world desperately need. We just don't have time to wait.”
To quickly prove its potential and turn a “no” into a “yes,” Hejmas needed a life cycle analysis. Analyzes are expensive (typically tens of thousands of dollars) and unaffordable for most startups, but are a prerequisite for securing funding and commercial contracts.
As part of the Foresight Earth Tech: 2050 program, Hejmas received the funding needed for a life cycle analysis and its pulp, which is 99.3 percent pure cellulose, was recognized as one of the cleanest in the world. It can also be produced with triple the tensile strength of conventional cellulose.
This review opened the door to European buyers and critical corporate partnerships with companies such as Essityis a leading company in the field of hygiene and health, as well as Möllnlikkeis a global healthcare company developing innovative products for healthcare and feminine hygiene.
The startup is also currently in talks with a major global furniture supplier and one of the world's largest pulp companies. By using Hejmas pulp, these companies can reduce operating costs by millions of dollars per year and make products more sustainable.
“Heimas is a great example of the success we have seen at Earth Tech,” Goldhawk said.
Mitigation plus adaptation
To build on this success, Foresight is partnering with Social Innovation Canada to launch a new version of the program.
While reducing emissions is critical to mitigating climate change, Forsythe also sees a need for climate technologies that will help society adapt to a changing environment.
Forsyth believes Canada also needs a Plan B. Earth Technologies: Adaptation it is Canada's first national accelerator dedicated to solutions that can improve human and environmental resilience to existing climate impacts such as fires, floods and heat.
The group's top 10 companies include businesses that specialize in wildfire detection, flood mapping, water treatment, grid resiliency, ocean alkalinity projects and more. Their success will be measured not only by revenues or pilot projects, but also by tangible benefits to human health and ecosystems, measured through analyzes such as the Vulnerability Reduction Index.
As with the Earth Tech: 2050 cohort, each company receives a detailed diagnosis of its business model, intellectual property, fundraising plan, go-to-market strategy, technology readiness and team. The nine-month program offers venture capital support through partners RBC Foundation, Peter Gilgan Foundation, Bullfrog Power and Roadburg Foundation.
The Foresight team also helps businesses identify their most pressing needs and funds critical workloads to prove business potential and real impact.
“We get down to business, identify the highest priority needs, bring the right people to the table and help fund them. This helps de-risk these businesses for commercial deployment and increase their investor readiness,” Goldhawk said.
The program targets innovators outside of Canada's urban centers, ensuring entrepreneurs in smaller regions and remote communities have access to the same level of support as entrepreneurs in metropolitan areas.
“Every business is different,” Goldhawk said. “There is no one-size-fits-all approach. We determine what will move the needle forward fastest for each company.”
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Do you have innovative climate technologies? Foresight Canada's Earth Tech programs support clean technology businesses tackling the world's most pressing climate challenges. Find out more.
All photos courtesy of Hejmas.
