Before Hejmas joined Foresight Canada and Social Innovation Canada’s Earth Tech: 2050 program, its founders were hearing a lot of people saying “no.”
Calgary-based Marek Hejduk and Ondra Maseja had been pitching a new form of pulp, the traditionally wood-based product used to make everything from cardboard to packaging.
“We identify what will move the needle fastest for each company.”
Brittany Goldhawke, Foresight Canada
Their product is made from hemp and other bast-fibre plants, offering a cheaper, stronger, and—most importantly—cleaner alternative.
By replacing wood-based pulp, Hejmas’ pulp uses less water, no harsh chemicals, and reduces pressure on forests—which act as crucial carbon sinks for the planet.
“As these companies scale, so does their social and environmental impact,” said Brittany Goldhawke, Director of Earth Tech and Investor Relations at Foresight Canada. “That’s really our goal: helping ventures grow the solutions that Canada, and the world, urgently need. We just don’t have the time to wait.”
To prove its potential quickly, and turn those “no’s” into “yes,’” Hejmas needed a life cycle analysis. The analyses are expensive—typically costing tens of thousands of dollars—well beyond the reach of most startups, yet are a prerequisite to securing funding and commercial contracts.
Through Foresight’s Earth Tech: 2050 program, Hejmas received the funding it needed for a life cycle analysis and at 99.3 percent pure cellulose, its pulp was confirmed as one of the cleanest in the world. It can also be produced with as much as triple the tensile strength of conventional pulp.
That validation opened doors to European buyers and critical corporate partnerships with companies like Essity—a leading hygiene and health company, and Mölnlycke—a global MedTech company, to develop innovative healthcare and women’s hygiene products.
The startup is also currently in discussions with a major global furniture supplier and one of the world’s largest pulping companies. By incorporating Hejmas’ pulp, these companies can cut operating costs by millions of dollars per year and make products more sustainable.
“Hejmas is a great example of the kind of success we’ve seen come out of Earth Tech,” said Goldhawke.
Mitigation plus adaptation
To build on that success, Foresight, in partnership with Social Innovation Canada, is now launching a new iteration of the program.
While cutting emissions is crucial to mitigating the effects of climate change, Foresight also sees the need for climate tech that helps society adapt to a changing environment.
Foresight believes Canada also needs a ‘Plan B.’ Earth Tech: Adapt is Canada’s first national accelerator dedicated to solutions that can increase human and ecological resistance to the climate impacts that are already here, like fires, floods, and heat.
The cohort’s first 10 companies include ventures focused on wildfire detection, flood mapping, water purification, grid resilience, ocean alkalinity projects, and more. Their success will be measured not only by revenue or pilots but also by tangible benefits to human and ecosystem health, identified through analyses like the vulnerability reduction index.
Like the Earth Tech: 2050 cohort, each company receives a detailed diagnostic of its business model, IP, fundraising plan, go-to-market strategy, technology readiness, and team. The nine-month program offers venture-specific support provided by funding through partners: RBC Foundation, Peter Gilgan Foundation, Bullfrog Power, and Roadburg Foundation.
The Foresight team also helps ventures identify their most-pressing needs and funds critical scopes of work to prove out business potential and real-world impact.
“We get in there, figure out the highest-priority need, bring the right people to the table and help fund it. That helps de-risk these ventures for commercial deployment and increase their level of investor readiness,” said Goldhawke.
The program is designed to be accessible to innovators outside Canada’s urban hubs, ensuring entrepreneurs in smaller regions and remote communities can access the same level of support as those in metropolitan areas.
“Every venture is different,” said Goldhawke. “There’s no one-size-fits-all approach. We identify what will move the needle fastest for each company.”
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All photos provided by Hejmas.