Inside Toronto’s new testbed for tech

Evergreen Brick Works is an OCI technology development site

Evergreen Brick Works has long been one of Toronto’s most beguiling attractions, a former brick factory transformed into a one-of-a-kind ecological playground, complete with farmer’s market, public art, demonstration gardens, hiking trails and educational programming. Last year, it also became a much-needed testing site for dozens of ventures developing new cleantech solutions. Below, Dominique Ritter takes a look at this living laboratory.

Also, in this week’s newsletter:
Stories from the ecosystem, upcoming events and the hottest jobs this week

Test pilots

If you build it, they will come … and test their tech.

Toronto’s Don Valley Brick Works, an historic industrial site that includes a former quarry and brick factory, has long been a place where things get built. Over the past 16 years, its role as a large-scale environment community centre with a mandate to support sustainability, biodiversity and innovation has been slowly evolving under the auspices of the national non-profit Evergreen. With $150 million in investment to date, factory buildings have been restored, the watershed rehabilitated and new projects to strengthen climate resilience have launched.

The latest phase of its metamorphosis is now underway: in partnership with the Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI), the Brick Works is now a Technology Development Site. In short: it’s where small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) in climate tech, construction and urban innovation can put their concepts into action. As the Brick Works continues to build, innovators have the opportunity to test and validate in a real-world setting.

“Evergreen’s mission has long been focused on public infrastructure and building better public spaces in Canada for people and the planet,” says Martin Canning, executive director of community innovation at Evergreen. “[We wanted] to construct a campus and show Toronto, Ontario, Canada and the world what’s possible when we’re thinking of the future of cities.”

As one of 10 of the OCI’s Technology Development Sites, the Brick Works serves as a testbed that provides startups with commercial opportunities, investment bridges and operational validation. It also has some unique attributes that make it a particularly effective experimental space for startups: a 16.5-hectare site, a wide range of projects SMEs can participate in (from nature trails to new construction) and a willingness to make things happen quickly.

So far, the Brick Works has collaborated with about 35 startups on projects that range from drone technology to next-generation energy transition. Toronto-based startup Trax recently concluded a trial of its AI-powered platform that assesses regulatory compliance. TerreSky, a drone consulting firm, is currently training its AI model to track plant growth and the spread of invasive species in the Don Valley. Another venture exploring the opportunities at the Brick Works is Enersion, a Toronto cleantech startup developing heating and cooling systems that operate on a fraction of the energy required to power a traditional heat pump.

“There’s hardship that goes along with being the first-of-a-kind,” says Hanif Montazeri, the CEO of Enersion. “The Evergreen team loves innovation and they want to be the first-mover. They want to be a participant rather than an observer of innovation.”

Novel tech needs a place to develop and that’s what the Brick Works and its “perennial construction” can provide. For the team at Toronto startup Lowfoot, that opportunity allowed them to deploy their energy-analytics platform for the first time, work out some kinks and provide validation of their solution. The multi-purpose nature of the site means that the company now has case studies for a variety of commercial applications.

“That testing context isn’t just an accelerator. It’s a bridge to investment, and it’s a bridge to immediate commercial transactions,” says Canning.

If you build it, they will test. And then, the hope is, they’ll build a lot more. — Dominique Ritter

Stories from the ecosystem

HEALTH: Why the federal government’s social media ban is just one step in protecting Canadian kids.

AGTECH: No whey: Why good plant-based cheese may no longer be a stretch.

FUNDING: Tech leaders share advice for all stages of the fundraising journey, from networking to cap table.

ENERGY: Can next-gen geothermal plants solve Canada’s surging electricity needs?

HEALTH: Magic mushrooms might be the new anti-depressants.

FINANCE: Why Canadian companies struggle to traverse the “valley of death” — and what Ottawa might do about it.

Pulse Check: Toronto Climate Week

In this 85-second video, industry leaders, including Flash Forest’s Cameron Jones and Diana Philip of Planetary Technologies, tell us what exactly would accelerate cleantech adoption in Canada.

Upcoming events

• At the next MaRS Morning, “Produce results: from tech to table,” Haven Green’s Lindsay Bryson, Purchs’s Marcia Woods and Nadarra Ventures’ Mary Dimou discuss how innovation can create a more secure food supply for Canadians. June 25.
• Three ventures in the MaRS Better Building Adoption Accelerator — CURA, Morgan Solar and PakVille — showcase their housing decarbonization solutions at the “Next-gen new builds” pitch session. July 9.
• Woven’s “Golden Hour” summer social brings together women in data and AI for dinner and conversation. July 17.
• The second session in the MaRS Better Building Adoption Accelerator pitch series features ventures working in high-tech retrofits: QEA Tech, RegenEAU and TwinGlaze. July 24.
• Innovation Cluster presents “Entering Canada’s defence market,” a practical overview of procurement, compliance requirements and market access opportunities in Canada’s defence sector. July 29.
• Adaptation Canada, the country’s premier national conference on climate adaptation, is on September 22 – 24. Register before June 30 to avoid late fees.

For more, visit our events page

In the queue: What we’re reading, watching and listening to at MaRS

This week, Sofia Dawson, an intern in the Marketing and Communications department at MaRS and a fourth-year student at Concordia, shares what she’s consuming.

• A thoughtful conversation to tap into: “I’ve spent many an hour listening to Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert, most recently an episode with technologist, neuroscientist and Stanford professor, David Sussilo. Armchair Expert regularly gets into the nitty-gritty details that shape a person’s life and career and the Sussilo ep is no exception. It dives deep into the professor’s tumultuous childhood and how those early years drove his desire to better the world.”
• An inventive bedroom pop album: “Jeremy Zucker’s 2020 love is not dying set a new standard for experimental indie music. Its intricate, innovative songwriting and production are best embodied by the fifth track, “lakehouse.” Here, Zucker devises a melody line from a conversation with a friend, layering a discreet phone recording with edgy guitar and rocking drums.”
• A new singer-songwriter on a new music show: “Like Joni Mitchell or Adrianne Lenker? I’ve got an artist for you. Ana Romm — born in Victoria, now working the Montreal music scene — blends melancholic folk with honest lyricism. A few weeks back, Ana stopped by The Extended Plays, an interview-performance web series featuring artists from across the country. (Also, full disclosure, my side hustle.) A departure from the traditional promo, The Extended Plays brings real, intimate conversations to the table and investigates the stories behind the music.”

Careers: The hottest jobs in tech this week

• Blue J Legal, a legal technology company, is hiring a senior product designer, a people operations manager, a financial accountant and other positions. (Toronto)
• Dialogue, which provides virtual integrated health care, is hiring a clinical care specialist, an EAP dietician, a proposal specialist and other positions. (Multiple cities)
• Multiverse Computing, the quantum computing company, is looking for a mid/senior solution architect. (London, U.K.)
• Leap Tools, which makes augmented reality tools, is hiring product managers, a business development representative, a media buyer and other positions. (Remote)

For more, visit our jobs page

Did you know that MaRS is a charity?

Your support helps us advance Canadian innovation and science, bring our community together and transform the world for the better. For instance, through our carbon removal donation program, you can help support Canada’s most promising CDR companies through tax-deductible donations. Learn more here.

Thanks for reading! See you in two weeks.

Featured photo: Geoff Fitzgerald/Evergreen Brick Works

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