MaRS announces Climate Impact 2021
Experts in cleantech come together for second annual conference featuring climate scientists Katharine Hayhoe and David Keith, and more than 30 Canadian cleantech startups
TORONTO, November 16, 2021 — Today, MaRS announced the program for the second annual impact event – MaRS Climate Impact 2021 – Canada’s leading three-day conference for scaling climate innovation. In collaboration with lead sponsor, the TELUS Pollinator Fund for Good, the conference will take place from November 30 to December 2, 2021, and brings together experts across more than 30 Canadian cleantech startups. Selected speakers include: Katharine Hayhoe, chief scientist, The Nature Conservancy and professor, public policy and public law at Texas Tech University; David Keith, professor, applied physics and public policy, Harvard and founder of Carbon Engineering; Judy Li, vice president, Energy Foundry; and Barbara Zvan, president and CEO, University Pension Plan. Additional sponsors include FinDev Canada, Silicon Valley Bank, Global Affairs Canada, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, and Natural Resources Canada.
“MaRS Climate Impact will focus on commercializing and scaling ventures that will help Canada achieve our net-zero emission ambitions while building economic success in the multi-trillion dollar climate innovation economy,” says Yung Wu, CEO of MaRS. “This event builds on our track record of thought leadership in social finance and the game changing solutions from our ecosystem of climate innovators. We look forward to bringing the community together for an impactful conversation and as a catalyst to drive world-leading innovation.”
MaRS Climate Impact will showcase climate solutions via four virtual content streams:
- Transforming the economy: Hear from investment specialists and financial leaders on the new models transforming the global economy to meet climate objectives; explore the climate financing needed for a net-zero future; go deep into the redesign of markets to make responsible, climate-focused investing the rule rather than the exception.
- Taking corporate action: Gain insight from innovators on how companies are adapting to reach net-zero targets; discover how business leaders are transforming their operations and investing practices, from ESG strategies to new impact funds; debate best practices and consider the latest alternatives.
- Accelerating adoption: Learn how new innovation will help the race to net zero; transform practices, procedures and infrastructure to ramp up adoption on a global scale; hear from the brilliant minds behind the latest technologies across sectors such as energy, finance, transportation and real estate.
- Measuring impact: Master the tools and tactics to monitor how business actions impact communities and the planet; get hands-on insight and meet real-world sustainability champions; participate in workshops that explore impact measurement and sustainability reporting for large organizations, investors and startups.
“We are excited to be working with MaRS again for the second annual MaRS Climate Impact 2021,” says Blair Miller, managing partner, TELUS Pollinator Fund for Good. “The Pollinator Fund for Good was created to catalyze and scale the impact new businesses can have in our communities through groundbreaking technology, new products and services, and community focused entrepreneurs. The challenges we face societally and environmentally are rapidly changing and we look forward to connecting with other industry leaders and changemakers to uncover solutions to these pressing issues.”
Tickets are $99 and include:
- Access to more than 20 hours of panel discussions and talks across three days including: investor perspectives on what’s next in sustainable investing; technologies driving a net-zero future; the women in cleantech challenge finale; a spotlight on ESG investing and corporate venture capital for scaling climate innovation;
- Extraordinary speakers: world-leading scientists, investors, innovators and entrepreneurs;
- Presentations from top Canadian ventures finding innovative ways to address the climate crisis; and
- Networking with CEOs and founders.
Visit https://climateimpact.marsdd.com to register and learn more.
About MaRS
MaRS is North America’s largest urban innovation hub. A registered non-profit, MaRS supports high-growth startups and scale-ups tackling key issues in health, cleantech, fintech and other sectors. In addition, MaRS convenes all members of the tech ecosystem to drive breakthrough discoveries, grow the economy and make an impact by solving real problems for real people — in Canada and around the world.
About the TELUS Pollinator Fund for Good
The $100 million TELUS Pollinator Fund for Good is one of the world’s largest corporate impact funds, and will focus its investment on for-profit companies and founders committed to driving social innovation. The TELUS Pollinator Fund for Good is an extension of TELUS’ long-standing commitment to leveraging the power of technology to drive positive social and environmental outcomes for all Canadians by funding the development of solutions for transforming healthcare, caring for our planet, supporting responsible agriculture and enabling inclusive communities. To learn more about the TELUS Pollinator Fund for Good, please visit: telus.com/pollinatorfund.
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