MaRS FOAK Lab

At PwC, Derek is a deals partner in the capital projects and infrastructure practice, focusing on energy transition. He specializes in M&A advisory, equity and debt capital raising for utilities, renewable and clean power generation companies and assets. Derek has spent more than 16 years in the power and utilities sector as a lead advisor on several cross-border M&A utility acquisitions, renewable and thermal asset transactions and public and private equity and debt financings.

Tyler guides all climate-related activities for ventures, corporate partners and investors, including the flagship Mission from MaRS program. He is also on the board of the Ontario Clean Technology Industry Association (OCTIA) and a member of the XPRIZE Brain Trust. Previous to joining MaRS, Tyler spent two decades as a journalist and wrote extensively about Canada’s clean technology sector and global cleantech trends. Most recently he was editor-in-chief of business and sustainability magazine Corporate Knights. He also spent 13 years at the Toronto Star, where he reported on Canada’s energy sector and wrote a popular weekly column on clean energy technologies and trends.

A chartered financial analyst charterholder, Eric has spent more than 25 years structuring financing, raising debt and placing equity for infrastructure projects across North America. He is currently advising the Global Climate Finance Accelerator on the best strategies for funding, business cases, financial modelling and more.

For more than 25 years, Susan has managed large and technically complex projects for finance and industrial clients. As the founder of the GCFA, Susan identifies and manages risks and develops strategic positioning opportunities for technically viable climate solutions. In addition, she is an executive-in-residence at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, and is an adjunct professor of climate finance at the university’s School of the Environment. Susan will act as a senior advisor to the FOAK Lab.

Greg has more than 20 years of experience and has worked in more than 15 countries assisting clients and colleagues on large-scale infrastructure projects in Africa, Central America, South-East Asia, Australia, Canada and Europe. Outside of the office, Greg is an adjunct professor at the University of British Columbia where he teaches infrastructure and public sector finance, and teaches undergraduate- and MBA-level courses on project finance at the University of Calgary.

With more than 30 years of senior consulting experience, Wendy helps to bridge the gap between climate innovation and financial viability. She specializes in finance and operational effectiveness, investment analysis, capital raising, business case development, climate program development and public-private partnerships. Throughout her career, she has helped implement frameworks to de-risk 16 grid-modernization projects. As executive director, she leads the GCFA’s efforts to finance and execute programs that address critical environmental challenges.

Hailee is the program manager for the FOAK (First of a Kind) Lab and the RBC Women in Cleantech program, where she supports founders working to scale and commercialize cleantech solutions. Prior to joining MaRS, Hailee was part of the team at Manifest Climate, a Toronto-based climate tech startup helping organizations navigate climate-related risk and disclosure. At PwC Canada, she worked with financial institutions, utilities and public sector organizations on climate strategy and ESG reporting, translating complex sustainability challenges into actionable solutions.

At MaRS, Alex helps to accelerate the growth of Canadian cleantech ventures by connecting them to capital providers, potential customers and MaRS network partners. Alex has nearly a decade of experience in climate innovation, holding numerous venture, corporate and investor-facing roles. She spent nearly four years in London, U.K. — most recently on the innovation team at DS Smith, the world’s largest manufacturer of fibre-based packaging, where she sourced and scaled partnerships to bring new products and services to market. Alex also managed the European and Asian partner networks at Cleantech Group.

Amit Modi is the founder of FGS (www.fgs.dev), an execution-focused project development firm that helps emerging climate technology companies get their first commercial projects built. FGS works as an embedded development partner, providing the strategic, technical, commercial, and financing support required to move complex projects from concept to bankable, build-ready opportunities.

Amit brings over 20 years of global experience developing and financing unique, infrastructure projects across the energy, transportation, and social sectors. Over the course of his career, he has led more than USD 5 billion in sustainable infrastructure transactions, guiding projects from early-stage concept development through structuring, contracting, and financial close.

Scale-up experience:

• COO and Acting CEO, Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC)
• Oversaw operations, strategy and ecosystem partnerships for a national $20-million organization funding Canada’s leading cleantech ventures.
• Led corporate transformation and stakeholder engagement across government and industry to advance sustainable innovation.
• EVP, Operations and Engineering, Iogen Corporation
• Led the commercialization and scale-up of cellulosic ethanol technology through a U.S.$105-million industrial facility with Raízen (Brazil).

• Directed $190–200 million annually in cleantech investments, approving more than $800 million into 200+ projects driving environmental and economic impact as VP Investments at SDTC.
• 25+ years of experience in cleantech innovation, impact investment and technology commercialization.

• Scaling cleantech ventures and technology commercialization
• Impact investment strategy and portfolio management
• Public-private partnerships and sustainable innovation policy
• Organizational leadership, governance and stakeholder relations