Pathways Alliance empowers Canadian startups at CERAWeek
Written by Peter Beaudoin
Pathways Alliance is empowering Canadian start-ups with important access to global energy leaders at CERAWeek. At the heart of this endeavor is our innovation arm, COSIA, which plays a pivotal role in the cleantech ecosystem by helping early-stage companies gain traction and visibility. This involves identifying promising technologies for responsible energy development and then leveraging local resources to propel these start-ups towards scalability. In a previous post, we detailed how we facilitate access to resources within the Canadian ecosystem.
Now, Pathways is expanding its reach to Houston, offering start-ups a gateway to the global energy economy through the Innovation Agora at CERAWeek, the industry’s foremost global event. For the second consecutive year, Pathways is sponsoring complimentary access for early-stage technology firms to participate in this innovation showcase. This year, we are proud to extend invitations to the following Canadian companies:
The Innovation Agora at CERAWeek presents a prime opportunity to spotlight Canadian expertise, and Pathways will host several presentations showcasing how we collaborate with these emerging technologies to mitigate the industry’s environmental impact.
Why does Pathways invest in supporting early-stage technology firms still in the development phase? We recognize the journey from concept to commercialization is lengthy and requires diverse partners willing to test and support these technologies. By aiding Canadian start-ups in expediting their technology’s commercialization, we equip the Canadian oil sands with a wider array of solutions to enhance our environmental stewardship. This is not only beneficial for Pathways but also for Canada as a whole.
This marks the second year that Pathways has facilitated access to the Innovation Agora at CERAWeek. In 2023, our participation yielded notable success stories, such as OptiSeis, a Calgary-based company developed a method for seismic imaging that reduces the number of trees that need to be cut down during the process.
It was selected by the Houston Energy Transition Initiative as the best Series B startup. Building on this momentum, OptiSeis, represented by its president, Andrea Crook, is setting ambitious goals with Pathways’ support to showcase their technology to a global audience.
This year OptiSeis have set themselves a bigger goal, said Andrea Crook, OptiSeis’ CEO – “With Pathways assisting us to showcase our technology to the world we are hoping to complete our first EcoSeis pilot project for Carbon Capture and Sequestration, which will provide both a 50% reduction in land footprint and contribute to the global goal of reducing GHG emissions by enabling more efficient CCS project monitoring.”
Recognizing the immense potential in Canadian Cleantech, Pathways also awarded five complimentary tickets to Foresight Canada’s top cleantech accelerator. Foresight Canada, based in British Columbia, nurtures cleantech start-ups from across the country.
The value of supporting Canadian start-ups at premier energy events like CERAWeek is clear:
- Start-ups often struggle to connect with energy executives for crucial support of their technologies.
- Pathways bridges this gap by providing free tickets to CERAWeek, an unparalleled opportunity in the energy industry.
- This year, Pathways granted tickets to three Alberta-based start-ups and five tickets to Foresight Canada’s innovators in their Carbon Next accelerator program.
Together, these efforts underscore Pathways Alliance’s commitment to fostering innovation, sustainability, and the growth of Canada’s cleantech sector on the global stage.