The Angels for Climate Solutions Startup Cohort, a months-long innovation challenge with a $100,000 prize, has been narrowed to a top 10. At the pitch event held on February 15, 19 cleantech startups competed to crack the shortlist. The challenge is run by the Vancouver Economic Commission and Spring Activator with a host of B.C. tech partners including Innovate BC, Volition, and Foresight. 

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The top 10 startups (ordered alphabetically)

1: Aqua Intelligent Technology
What they do: Smart drinking water
How they do it: Through science-backed insight and water management solutions that equip remote communities with full control and confidence that their drinking water is safe regardless of location or infrastructure status.

2: BinBreeze
What they do: Circular economy composting product
How they do it: By developing an all-natural, non-toxic composting powder that eliminates smelly odours and kills fruit flies associated with indoor composting.

3: Circular Rubber Technologies
What they do: Circular economy rubber
How they do it: The company’s tech provides tire manufacturers with a high-quality alternative to virgin rubber at significantly lower CO2 emissions and stable cost levels.

4: Poly V. Technology Inc.
What they do: Green polymer steel
How they do it: The company’s first product is fPDCPD, a light, strong and green novel polymer steel that can replace traditional high-weight metals.

5: Scootility
What they do: Electric utility scooters
How they do it: By building a safer, more rugged electric scooter with ample cargo capacity for the personal user. 

6: SkyAcres Agrotechnologies Inc.
What they do: Vertical farming systems
How they do it: SkyAcres’ affordable system is geared towards making aeroponic vertical farming more cost-effective.

7: Solaires Enterprise Inc.
What they do: High-output solar power
How they do it: Solaires’ technology and products enable solar cell manufacturers to produce a new generation of solar panels with a shorter value chain, 40-60% lower manufacturing costs, and with the potential to increase output power up to 3X.

8: Solar Earth
What they do: Maximize solar infrastructure
How they do it: Solar Earth‘s paving-integrated photovoltaics (PIPV) product turns sun-exposed infrastructure into a multiuse surface, generates renewable electricity, and capitalizes on free solar energy without intensive land use while retaining its original purpose.

9: Tradle
What they do: Sharing economy & childcare
How they do it: Tradle’s Clothing-as-a-Service platform helps new parents with fast-growing babies and toddlers have all the clothes their child needs (and outgrows) returned and replaced whenever there’s a growth spurt—all for a simple and affordable monthly subscription.

10: Velometro Mobility Inc.
What they do: Veemo™
How they do it: Veemo™ is a micro-mobility ebike with three wheels to move people efficiently within urban areas.

Why it matters: Consistent with Spring’s Impact Investor Challenges, diversity and inclusion is paramount—more than half of the founders in the cohort overall come from underrepresented groups. Plus, a variety of cleantech focuses are present amongst the cohort, pairing nicely with the myriad of climate problems we rely on cleantech innovators to help solve. 

The road to $100,000: The top 10 was narrowed from a cohort of 20 and will be further culled to a top 5 next week. That shortlist will pitch in the challenge’s finale held on April 5th. 

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