A new online platform on The Funding Portal has been launched that helps Canadian clean technology companies seek out government and private-sector financing, while helping investors to more easily connect with developers of new innovation.
The cleantech funding platform, designed in collaboration with Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC), is a new addition to The Funding Portal, which aggregates information on more than 7,000 sources of private financing, including venture capital, angel investors, accredited investors, and government funding, including grants and tax credits.
While not crowdfunding in the purest sense, the portal represents a step forward in helping struggling cleantech companies find the money they need to fund their research and commercialization efforts.
For SDTC, which is a lead funder of hundreds of cleantech projects valued at more than $2.5 billion, the platform helps its portfolio of companies find and attract previously undiscovered sources of investment. This will ultimately build momentum for the country's fast-growing cleantech ecosystem.
The portal was founded in 2011 by its chief executive Teri Kirk, a lawyer and entrepreneur who had the vision of creating an "investment hub" for Canada's innovations sector. This past spring, the portal was formally registered as an Exempt Market Dealer with securities regulators, allowing it to become a matchmaker for companies, investors and other funders.
In addition to its cleantech platform, a second sector-specific platform – this one focused on health technologies – will be launched this fall in partnership with Canada's University Health Network.
