MaRS launches its Mission from MaRS: Better Buildings Adoption Accelerator cohort

Six ventures begin a one-year accelerator to help Canada achieve its climate goals by unleashing the commercial potential of Canadian cleantech innovation for the built environment at scale.

TORONTO, November 28, 2024 – MaRS Discovery District (MaRS) today announced six ventures participating in the cohort of Mission from MaRS: Better Buildings Adoption Accelerator. This accelerator, aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of the built environment, is made possible by the Peter Gilgan Foundation and marks the Foundation’s biggest philanthropic contribution to climate efforts to date.

Over the coming year, MaRS will work with the selected ventures and industry partners to advance the commercialization of high-potential Canadian technologies in order to create a more sustainable built environment. This comes at a time when the buildings and construction account for 37 percent of all global carbon emissions.

“Through a highly competitive selection process, vetted by a panel of industry experts, these companies were found to have high-impact, scalable solutions that can help decarbonize new and existing building stock in Canada and around the world. We are at a critical juncture in Canada’s net-zero journey, and the innovations these companies bring to the problem are needed now more than ever. Our aim is to enable the next phase of their growth,” says Tyler Hamilton, senior director of climate at MaRS.

“Joining the Better Buildings accelerator will empower us to enhance our collaboration with industry leaders and innovators focused on decarbonizing the construction sector,” says Sheida Shahi, CEO of Adaptis, one of the six selected ventures. “We are excited to form cross-functional partnerships that will help propel the adoption of cost-effective sustainable and circular practices.”

The new Better Buildings Adoption Accelerator innovators include:

Pooya Saberi, co-founder
TinyBox is a seed-stage cleantech startup building modular, net-zero home kits that can be rapidly assembled anywhere — think IKEA but for high-performance homes.

Evelyn Allen, CEO
Evercloak is revolutionizing how buildings are cooled by improving indoor air control and comfort without further warming the planet with their proprietary membrane-based, refrigerant-free dehumidification systems.

David Mather, CEO
NxLite makes advanced energy control coatings for windows and window-like substrates. The coatings are designed to keep the heat outside in the summer and cold outside in the winter.

Oliver Lang, CEO
Intelligent City is re-inventing urban housing with “Platforms for Life” (P4L), an industrialized, vertically integrated product platform.

Bolis Ibrahim, President
Cence Power specializes in innovative power distribution systems, designed to enhance energy efficiency and safety while reducing the amount of copper wire used.

Sheida Shahi, CEO
Adaptis is a software platform, supercharged by a diverse team of carbon reduction experts, for evaluating and optimizing building performance, whole-life carbon and CapEx.

The six Canadian innovators, working on some of the building industry’s greatest decarbonization challenges, will be sharing their solutions to all attendees at the MaRS Climate Impact conference on December 3, 2024.

Visit climateimpact.marsdd.com to secure your tickets.

About MaRS Discovery District
MaRS Discovery District helps Canadian startups succeed so they can solve our toughest problems in such areas as climate, health and the economy. As North America’s largest urban innovation hub and a registered charity, MaRS provides direct support to more than 1,200 ventures, builds communities of innovators within its 1.5-million square feet of lab and office space, and spurs the adoption of new solutions — in Canada and around the world. For more information, contact mfm@marsdd.com

About the Peter Gilgan Foundation
The Peter Gilgan Foundation is a private family foundation created by philanthropist and business leader Peter Gilgan. The Foundation aims to improve the lives of children and families by empowering initiatives that help the world transition to a more healthy, prosperous and sustainable future. Donations and commitments of more than $505 million have been directed toward this mission to date. The Foundation’s funding priorities include: health care; children, youth and families; Indigenous youth; international development; and combating climate change.

Media Contact:
awhalen@marsdd.com