Are you a cleantech entrepreneur or innovator working to address climate or water challenges?
Earth Tech is a six-month accelerator for early-stage startups and nonprofit social enterprises, working on climate or water technology solutions that will positively impact communities and ecosystems across Canada. We support you in advancing your tech and business, becoming financially sustainable, and creating meaningful impact.
Our 2020-2022 cohorts rated Earth Tech as “exceptional” and 100% of our ventures have reported receiving useful knowledge, training and connections.
Apply now for early intake! Please note applications are now being managed through Foresight Canada in partnership with SI Canada
“Earth Tech was a phenomenal program and extremely beneficial to our company at the stage we joined. There was excellent mentorship, connections with others in the industry, and an energy and drive shared among the other entrepreneurs. Earth Tech was an outstanding program and I would recommend it to any cleantech startup.”
What We Offer
During our climate programs, participating early-stage ventures have earned and raised $44.7 million while supporting 554 full-time jobs.
We offer our ventures extensive, tailored supports, including:
MENTORSHIP & ADVISING
Bi-weekly one-to-one time with top, seasoned Entrepreneurs-in-Residence for outcomes-based coaching, and office hours with dozens of expert advisors.
LEARNING
Quality, customized workshops on topics like financial modelling, pitching, and impact measurement; invites to lunch & learns, panels, talks, and more!
CONNECTIONS & PROFILE
Access to our network of networks, and connections to funding & other business opportunities; increased profile through our marketing and investor pitch events.
PEER SUPPORT
Regular cohort circles for peer-to-peer support and learning with like-minded entrepreneurs and innovators from across Canada.
Key Dates
APPLICATIONS OPEN
10/8/2022
Recruitment opens for Earth Tech 2023.
COHORT SELECTED
12/3/2022
Selected applicants are invited to pitch online in November. Cohort is selected by early December.
PROGRAM STARTS
1/10/2023
The program kicks off in early January 2023 online, across Canada, and offers ongoing mentorship, learning, and peer support throughout the 6 months.
PROGRAM ENDS
6/30/2023
Earth Tech ends with a final Demo Night.
Eligibility
Earth Tech is open to early-stage startups and nonprofit social enterprises developing technologies that will help achieve any of the following climate and water outcomes:
CLIMATE SOLUTIONS:
Mitigating climate change
Strengthening resilience to its impacts
Increasing knowledge/awareness about climate change
WATER SOLUTIONS:
Improving water quality
Increasing water-use efficiency
Protecting and/or remediating waterways
Increasing knowledge/awareness of protecting waterways or water management
Apply now for early intake! Please note applications are now being managed through Foresight Canada in partnership with SI Canada
Ventures must also meet the following criteria to be considered:
Majority Canadian-owned and headquartered
Incorporated for-profit startups or nonprofit social enterprises (i.e. nonprofits that derive a portion of revenue from a business activity)
Pre Series A investment
Must be at the Validation or Efficiency stage:
Validation: Entrepreneur is validating their business and impact models, and has or is working on a minimum viable product; verifying clients; testing go-to-market strategy.
Efficiency: Entrepreneur has initial market traction and is scaling sales and marketing; starting to measure and report on environmental impact; forecasting based on actuals.
At least two full-time equivalent people devoted to the venture
Able to commit to fully participating online during the six-month program, which includes attending online workshops and coaching sessions (approx. 4-6 hours/month during day time) and being responsive with our program staff in our Slack workspace
There are no costs to participate in Earth Tech!
We are committed to making sure our programs reflect Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) – see our IDEA policy here – and we strongly encourage applications from underrepresented groups in cleantech leadership, especially women and BIPOC-identifying leaders. Contact us if you have any questions.
Helen brings over twenty years leadership and management experience within small and large organizations across the private and public sectors. Her field is energy, her expertise is market entry strategies, and she's been lucky enough to support different kinds of companies, all over the world: private/public, large/small, highly regulated, startups and not-for-profit.
Rick is a serial entrepreneur and has provided management advice in environment, operations, and strategy across sectors around the world for over 30 years. He is CEO of LINCit – a not-for-profit assisting cleantech firms to scale-up rapidly through a unique hosting model and specialized strategies.
As Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer of Interaxon, Trevor Coleman co-created Muse: the brain sensing headband. Since 2017 he has been a Design Thinking consultant, early-stage startup advisor, and indie game developer. His main areas of expertise are value-proposition design, strategy, fundraising, and product management.
The RBC Foundation is focused on preparing youth for the future of work, protecting the environment, and helping emerging artists thrive. RBC Foundation is contributing funding and expertise to support Earth Tech and its participants.
Bullfrog Power, a Spark Power company, is a Canadian green energy retailer operating in Canada. Bullfrog Power is contributing both funding and expertise to support Earth Tech and its participants.
The Peter Gilgan Foundation aims to improve the lives of children and families by empowering charities that help the world transition to a more healthy, prosperous, and sustainable future.
