By Angela Bourne, Altitude Accelerator Entrepreneur-in-Residence
Today is Earth Day: the day the world comes together to celebrate our planet and focus on what we can be doing better.
Since 1970, EarthDay.org has mobilized billions of individuals in 192 countries to drive positive action. This year’s official theme is “invest in our planet.” We couldn’t agree more.
Since 2008, Altitude Accelerator has helped 84 cleantech startups raise over $60M in funding to develop and launch products to help solve the world’s energy problems, spanning a variety of sectors – from solar power to air and water purification to electric vehicles and alternative proteins.
To be a startup founder requires boundless energy, drive, and passion. To be a cleantech startup founder requires the belief that your innovation has the potential to leave the world a better place for future generations.
For many of the cleantech founders we work with, this drive, this mission, this ambition – has become much more than a career; it is a calling to be a part of something bigger than any of us could ever know; the effects of which we may not even see in our lifetime, or in many lifetimes.
We recognize that the time is now.
Now is the time for unstoppable courage to invest our time, resources, and funding to innovate and implement changes to build a prosperous and sustainable future.
Budget 2022, released on April 7, shows Canada’s commitment. It allocates $2.6 billion for a carbon-capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) tax credit; $3 billion in funding to make zero-emission vehicles more affordable and build a national network of charging stations; $2.2 billion for the Low Carbon Economy Fund; $780 million to expand the Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund, and more.
The money is there. The priority is there. The world needs your ideas.
In this four-part blog series, “Cleantech Superheroes,” we will highlight the brilliant founders we work with and top recommendations from our team of investor, legal, and industry experts on how to build a successful cleantech startup. From securing funding to finding partners and gearing up for commercialization – we’ve got you covered.
Register with Altitude Accelerator to set up a meeting with our team and visit our website to learn more about our programs for entrepreneurs. And, we will see you next week on April 29, where we will discuss funding sources for cleantech startups.
Altitude Accelerator is a not-for-profit innovation hub and business incubator committed to commercializing impactful technology in Southern Ontario. Altitude’s team of more than 100 expert industry, academic, and government partners and advisors helps startups in cleantech, advanced manufacturing, internet of things (IoT), hardware, software, and life sciences grow faster, stronger, commercialize their products, and get to market. Headquartered in Brampton, Ontario’s Innovation District, Altitude Accelerator was created through a partnership with the University of Toronto Mississauga, the Mississauga Board of Trade, and the Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation, & Trade and proud to partner with Sustainable Development Technology Canada, Ontario Cleantech Industry Association, Canadian Cleantech Alliance, and Cleantech North.
