Accelerate from Anywhere

An animated sequence of images showing people working in various clean tech and business settings.

Wherever you are in Canada, we have accelerators to help you at every stage of your enterprise, from ideation through to commercialization.

Accelerate from Anywhere (AfA) is for those tackling climate and water challenges through the power of entrepreneurship. Access mentors, advisors, training and networks with AfA.

We will match you to the program that’s right for you, whether you’re just beginning your journey or you’re already hard at work validating your solution, proving your business model, acquiring customers or raising capital.

Apply Now

Please note: Applications to AfA are now being managed through Foresight Canada in partnership with SI Canada 

Impact (July 2021 - August 2022)

$35.9M
earned and raised by cleantech ventures during AfA
123
new FTE jobs by cleantech ventures during AfA
212
impact ventures supported
304
participants
43%
women leaders
47%
BIPOC leaders
“The accelerator program helped us bring our solutions to the next level, and gave us access to top support and guidance to walk us through our challenges. The team was exceptional, they went above and beyond to help us with our different milestones.”
Tatiana Estevez Carlucci, CEO of Permalution, Earth Tech 2022
A joint initiative of
Foresight Canada SI Canada logo

PROGRAMS

Our broader climate solutions stream is for anyone pursuing solutions that address climate challenges but who are not primarily engaged in developing new technologies (e.g. natural or cultural solutions that may be leveraging existing technologies, such as reducing food waste, encouraging people to adopt plant-rich diets, supporting community gardens, building green roofs, or converting conventional farming to regenerative farming).

Our cleantech stream is for anyone developing new, scalable technologies that address climate and water challenges (e.g. clean energy and storage, electric transportation, bioplastics, alternative cement or refrigerants, carbon capture, circular materials, digital analytics and AI, or ocean tech).

Diagram showing two stream options for Accelerate from Anywhere, plotting the various programs that fall under each stream. Both stream starts with Impact Entrepreneurship 101.

CLIMATE SOLUTIONS STREAM

IMPACT ENTREPRENEURSHIP 101
Explore your purpose and develop your business idea. Led by SI Canada.
PROVE
Learn how to validate your value proposition & business model, hone your pitch, and develop your MVP. Led by SI Canada.

CLEANTECH STREAM

IMPACT ENTREPRENEURSHIP 101
Explore your purpose and develop your business idea. Led by SI Canada.
KICKSTART
Validate your value proposition and examine problem-solution fit. Led by Foresight. 
LAUNCH
Learn how to approach building your MVP, validate your business model, and hone your pitch. Led by Foresight.
DELIVER
Develop your technology roadmap. Led by Foresight.
EARTH TECH
Advance your business and raise funding. Led by SI Canada. 

What We Offer

Training logo.

TRAINING

Learn the skills and apply the tools to develop your solution and business.

Business and impact experts logo.

MENTORSHIP

One-to-one coaching with top Executives-in-Residence and expert advisors.

Connections icon.

CONNECTIONS

Connect with funders, investors and other business opportunities, and raise your profile.

PEERS

Meet, learn from and collaborate with other early-stage ventures from across Canada.

IMPACT ENTREPRENEURSHIP 101

Learn the foundations of impact entrepreneurship and begin your journey.

From making sure you’ve identified the right problem to learning how to turn your solution into a sustainable business model, if you’re ready to roll up your sleeves and invest in your personal and professional growth, then this is the program for you.

Next Cohort TBD
Applications closed

Who Should Apply

  • Those new to impact entrepreneurship, especially, though not exclusively, those with a particular interest in environmental solutions
  • Motivated and able to commit to attending weekly online classroom sessions and completing coursework

What You Get

  • Ten-week course taught live online by the Centre for Social Innovation
  • Tools and resources
  • Explore your purpose as an entrepreneur
  • Map your opportunities for impact
  • Learn how to create business and financial models
  • Connect with peers across Canada

View Full Program »

 

PROVE

Turn your climate solutions into a viable business.

Depending on your stage, we’ll help you validate your value proposition & business model, hone your pitch, develop your minimum viable product (MVP), and test your go-to-market strategy with structured training and individualized coaching. Prove your venture’s potential.

Next Cohort TBD
Applications Closed

Who Should Apply

  • Climate innovators with a business idea and value proposition
  • Designed for those pursuing any climate solution other than cleantech

What You Get

  • Six-week program with the Centre for Social Innovation to help you accelerate your progress
  • Structured approach to achieving problem-solution fit and validating your business model
  • Expert advice from an experienced coach
  • Online learning platform allows you to learn when it fits your schedule
  • Connect with peers and advisors

View Full Program »

 

KICKSTART

Transform your great idea into a successful business.

Discover best practices for validating a business idea with support from experienced executive coaches who hold you accountable to your goals.

Fall Cohorts begin in September
Apply now for early intake

A group of people standing in front of a window covered in post-it notes.

Who Should Apply

  • Cleantech innovators with a business idea and value proposition

What You Get

  • Six-week program with Foresight Canada to help you accelerate your venture
  • Structured approach to validating your value proposition and exploring problem-solution fit
  • Expert advice from an experienced coach
  • Online learning platform allows you to learn when it fits your schedule

View Full Program at Foresight Website »

Apply Now

A man holding a marker in front of a flip chart with drawings and words on it.

LAUNCH

Navigate a faster path to market.

Learn to develop a minimum viable product (MVP), validate potential markets, and communicate effectively with investors and funding partners.

Fall Cohorts begin in September
Apply now for early intake

Who Should Apply

  • Early-stage cleantech ventures working on an MVP
  • You have a founding team and are committed full-time to your venture
  • You have early evidence that you can solve a specific customer’s problem

What You Get

  • Six-week program with Foresight Canada offers structured approach to launching and growing your business
  • Dedicated one-to-one coaching with an Executive-in-Residence
  • Support from knowledgeable mentors
  • Networking opportunities

View Full Program at Foresight Website »

Apply Now

DELIVER

Transform your technology solution into a viable product.

Develop a technology development roadmap for your cleantech venture. Designed for technology leaders, this program ensures your technology and business goals are aligned.

Fall Cohorts begin in September
Apply now for early intake

A woman wearing a hard hat and high-vis vest holding a tablet in an industrial setting.

Who Should Apply

  • Chief Technology Officers (CTOs) of cleantech startups
  • Technical leads in emerging cleantech ventures
  • You have identified technology that you will turn into a product 
  • You are gearing up for commercialization

What You Get

  • Six-week training program with Foresight Canada to help you achieve technology development targets
  • Sector-specific educational workshops
  • Hands-on support from knowledgeable Executives-in-Residence
  • Networking opportunities

View Full Program at Foresight Website »

Apply Now

Two people observing and photographing a melting glacier.

EARTH TECH

Go in-depth over six months to prove your business model and technology, acquire customers and raise funding.

Working alongside committed advisors and a cohort of promising cleantech startups, we’ll help you gain initial market traction while preparing your startup for the growth and opportunities ahead.

Next program runs January – June 2023
Apply now for early intake

Who Should Apply

  • Early-stage cleantech startups or nonprofit social enterprises based anywhere in Canada
  • You have a founding team and are committed full-time to your venture
  • You have, or are close to, a working MVP and are looking to gain traction with initial customers and to generate revenue and/or raise seed-stage investment

What You Get

  • Six-month program with the Centre for Social Innovation offers customized support to help you prove your business model, validate your technology, and approach customers, funders and investors
  • Individualized learning, outcomes-based mentorship and peer support 
  • Dedicated bi-weekly one-to-one coaching with Entrepreneurs-in-Residence
  • Pitch to and connect with investors, funders and potential partners

View Full Program »

Apply Now

Apply to Accelerate from Anywhere and we’ll match you to the program that’s best for you!

Apply Now

Please note: Applications to AfA are now being managed through Foresight Canada in partnership with SI Canada 

FEATURED ADVISORS

Advisor

Helen Platis

Entrepreneur-in-Residence with Climate Ventures
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.
Advisor

Claire Dixon

Entrepreneur-in-Residence with Climate Ventures & Foresight
Claire has a unique ability to distill complex and disparate information into clear, concise insights. She brings 20+ years of strategy and operations experience in strategic consulting and senior operational roles. Claire holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a MEng/MA from Cambridge University.
Advisor

Wayne Miranda

Advisor with Climate Ventures
Wayne is CEO & Founder of Growth Mosaic, a "Best for the World" B Corp building impact-driven ventures in West Africa. Previously the Social Finance Investment Readiness Lead at McConnell Foundation, Wayne helped charities, nonprofits, and social-purpose enterprises to enhance their impact using social finance.
Headshot of Rick.
Advisor

Rick Findlay

Entrepreneur-in-Residence with Climate Ventures
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.
Advisor

Amit Shukla

Executive-in-Residence with Foresight
Amit supports start-ups within the AgTech space and develops connections for cleantech start-ups in Saskatchewan. A plant biochemist by training, he is an experienced program manager and has been involved in supporting the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the prairies and promoting industry-academia research collaborations for several years.
Advisor

Aaron Genest

Executive-in-Residence with Foresight
Dr. Aaron Genest serves as the President of SaskTech and the representative for Siemens Digital Industries. A former Director of Customer Experience at Solido, Aaron is now an Applications Engineering Manager after an acquisition of Solido by Siemens.

PARTNERS & FUNDERS

Logo for RBC Foundation
Funder, Partner

The RBC Foundation

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.
Logo for the Peter Gilgan Foundation
Funder, Partner

Peter Gilgan Foundation

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.
Funder, Partner

Bullfrog Power

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 Government of Canada
Funder, Partner

Western Economic Diversification Canada

For over 30 years, WD has been working to diversify the western economy while improving the quality of life of western Canadians.
The Government of Canada
Funder, Partner

NRC IRAP

National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP) provides advice, connections, and funding to help Canadian small and medium-sized businesses increase their innovation capacity and take ideas to market.
Innovate BC
Funder, Partner

Innovate BC

Supports the BC Ministry of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation’s mandate to grow BC’s technology sector, champion innovation, nurture small businesses and economic development, promote BC as a preferred place to invest and do business.