Finalists

Evelyn Allen is co-founder and CEO of Kitchener-Waterloo’s, Evercloak. Allen’s company produces ultra-thin nanofilms that dramatically reduce the energy required for commercial and residential air conditioning. The technology also has the ability to turn seawater into drinking water and make batteries and solar cells more effective.

Julie Angus is co-founder and CEO of Victoria-based Open Ocean Robotics. Angus and her team build solar-powered autonomous boats that collect real-time ocean data on emissions, oil spills, noise pollution and other risks. Her goal is to create a digital ocean (an IoT for the sea) to better understand this mysterious yet indispensable natural resource.

Nivatha Balendra is founder and CEO of Dispersa. Headquartered in Montreal, Balendra’s startup creates biosurfactant ingredients that are 100-percent naturally-derived, biodegradable and cost-effective. Her innovations can be used to replace traditional surfactants in a variety of industries, such as consumer packaged goods (CPG), to reduce the world’s reliance on the carbon-intensive palm-oil industry.

Amanda Hall is CEO of Calgary-based Summit Nanotech. Hall’s roster of scientists and business experts are developing a green lithium-ion extraction process to reduce the world’s reliance on fossil fuels. When applied to heavy industry, Hall’s solutions are highly scalable, and can serve some of the world’s most emission-heavy clients.

Alexandra Tavasoli is CEO and CTO of Solistra, operating out of downtown Toronto. Tavasoli has produced a solar-driven chemical reactor that recycles CO2 into commodity chemicals traditionally sourced from fossil fuels. Tavasoli’s ultimate mission is to make businesses and communities more sustainable by powering them with innovations such as green hydrogen.

Luna Yu is CEO of Toronto’s Genecis. Yu’s company converts food waste into biodegradable plastics and other high-value materials. Already being used by several clients, Yu’s products have the ability to reduce society’s dependence on landfills and single-use plastics, dramatically reducing GHGs and water pollution in the process.