Carbon Upcycling Technologies, Adaptive Pulse among startups recently chosen for competitions, accelerators

A number of Canadian startups have recently been selected to take part in accelerators and competitions, including those of Hello Tomorrow and Intuit Prosperity Accelerator.

Carbon Upcycling Technologies, a Calgary-based Cleantech startup, is a finalist in Hello Tomorrow’s Global Challenge where the company was classified into the mobility and urban sustainability category, as well as the group of companies “unlocking the CO2 circular economy.”

Adaptive Pulse was among a group of fours Canadian startups recently chosen for the second cohort of the Intuit Prosperity Accelerator.

Since its launch in 2011, France-based Hello Tomorrow has been advancing deep tech innovation by hosting startup challenges, events, and acceleration programs. Its flagship competition, the Hello Tomorrow Global Challenge, has received more than 25,000 applications from 132 countries.

Three other Canadian startups were recently chosen for Hello Tomorrow’s competition, including SBQuantum, Aeroflux Braking Systems, and AI Redefined. Overall, more than 80 projects from around the world were chosen to take part.

Carbon Upcycling’s mission since its launch in 2013 is to reduce cement and concrete’s carbon footprint at a larger scale.

The manufacturing of the additives involves a reactor being loaded with gaseous CO2 and a raw waste-powder feedstock. The reactor is then rotated to break down the material, allowing for the CO2 to be absorbed into it to produce Carbon Upcycling’s carbon solution.

To further the adoption of its proprietary technology, Carbon Upcycling, along with the other Canadian startups, will be pitching to a jury at this year’s Hello Tomorrow Global Summit in December. From there, three startups will win first, second, and third prizes of €100,000, €30,000, and €20,000 respectively.

Arnaud de la Tour, co-founder and CEO of Hello Tomorrow, said that this year’s group of finalists is a reminder of the significant role that deep tech is contributing to society. “This is a wake-up call to the urgency and necessity of supporting their development on a global scale,” de la Tour added.

In the second installment of its accelerator programming, FinTech giant Intuit and Highline Beta have also revealed the latest cohort joining the Intuit Prosperity Accelerator.

The cohort is composed of seven early-stage startups from all over the world, four of which are Canadian

Adaptive Pulse, an AI tech startup based in Waterloo, is one of the companies selected for Intuit Prosperity Accelerator’s five-month-long initiative.

Other Canadian companies include Beam.city of Toronto, an advertising automation platform that helps businesses optimize their performance; QuoteMachine of Montreal, which helps independent retailers with personalized sales processes; and Stamped AI of Quebec City, an AI platform that automates accounting data certification.

The selected startups will be provided with product and technology expertise, as well as the opportunity to work with Intuit and Highline Beta teams to identify and test growth opportunities using Intuit’s design thinking methodology, Design for Delight (D4D).

The cohort will also have access to a network of mentors, investors, and founders as well as the opportunity for a follow-on investment from Highline Beta.