The University of Calgary’s Haskayne School of Business is launching a new program to help early-stage energy ventures bring their technologies to the market.
This weekend, the school’s Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) Rockies will select a group of 25 ventures for the program’s launch of CDL Energy.
“Calgary is already known for its pioneers and energy entrepreneurs and through this program a new generation of innovators and businesses will get their start and help build the growing momentum of the industry in the city and beyond,” said Alice Reimer, CDL Rockies site lead, in a news release.
“Calgary is a national leader in the number of patents filed, in the level of education in our workforce, the number of research institutions focused on energy and the number of firms in the sector based here. This means we have the talent, customers, investors and experienced mentors with deep knowledge and expertise in the industry: all the ingredients to turn the flywheel of a vibrant energy technology innovation system.
“Currently, the energy industry is looking for ways to drive down costs, increase margins and integrate innovation into their operations.
“The Energy Stream of CDL Rockies aims to de-risk pilot projects and to refine their minimum viable product, as well as to gain access to first customers and live infrastructure.”
The school said the ventures are seed-stage startups in areas such as energy infrastructure, digital oil and gas, power generation, bioenergy and energy efficiency.
The CDL program utilizes the experience, skills and knowledge of entrepreneurs who have founded, scaled and exited high-growth ventures. The startups will work with these mentor entrepreneurs to help them get off the ground.
“Interest in the new program was substantial with 100 applications to the inaugural cohort for CDL Energy with interest from ventures within Canada, Texas, Colorado, United Kingdom, Chile, Dubai, Iran, Singapore, Sweden and India. Creative Destruction Lab Rockies is a non-profit program that takes no equity and charges no fee for participation,” said the school.
“The energy-related innovations looking to join the CDL program cover a wide range including carbon to value, hydrocarbon leak detection, digital oilfield data analytics, power management and electricity, extraction and drilling, safety and water technologies.”
Mario Toneguzzi is a veteran Calgary-based journalist who worked for 35 years for the Calgary Herald, including 12 years as a senior business writer.
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