Investing in Canadian wildfire technologies that protect communities, infrastructure, and air quality
VANCOUVER, BC, April 16, 2026 — As North America braces for another high-risk wildfire season, NorthX Climate Tech (NorthX) is investing $2.2 million in follow-on capital in CRWN.ai, Nova, and Skyward Wildfire Technologies, three BC-based companies building and deploying field-tested technologies to detect, prevent, and manage wildfires. Building on early commercial traction and real-world deployment, these investments will accelerate the scale-up of solutions protecting communities, critical infrastructure, and air quality across British Columbia and beyond.
“Wildfire risk is no longer seasonal, it’s structural,” said Sarah Goodman, President & CEO of NorthX. “What sets these companies apart is that they’re already delivering results in the field, with technologies being validated in real-world conditions with utilities and frontline teams. This is exactly where we double down—backing proven solutions and scaling them quickly so communities have the tools to prevent fires from becoming disasters.”
Supporting field-tested technologies preventing wildfire ignition from lightning, power lines, and hidden hotspots
This funding builds on initial investments made through NorthX’s 2024 Call for Innovation: Wildfire Tech, Canada’s first dedicated funding program for wildfire technologies. These solutions are targeting the most destructive and costly aspects of wildfire through prevention and detection technologies.
CRWN.ai develops early warning technology that detects electrical problems on power lines before they spark wildfires. This funding will support the deployment of up to 500 monitoring devices across BC transmission corridors, advancing CRWN’s system from lab testing to full field operation with real-world validation. This builds on NorthX’s initial investment in lab validation, establishing CRWN as the only company using advanced sensors and AI to predict power line-caused ignitions.
Nova delivers AI-powered wildfire intelligence, turning aerial data into live, actionable insights to help crews detect hotspots, track fire perimeters, and respond faster when it matters most. NorthX’s investment will advance Nova’s expansion from drone-only integration to a comprehensive multi-platform system unifying data across helicopters, aircraft, satellites, and sensors, scaling into large-scale provincial and federal operations. This funding builds on NorthX’s initial investment that validated Nova’s drone platform, now commercially deployed as the only automatic fire mapping system of its kind globally.
Skyward Wildfire Technologies addresses the root cause of the most destructive wildfires in Canada: lightning. Its breakthrough prevention technology is designed to reduce lightning-caused ignitions before they occur, protecting communities, critical infrastructure, and ecosystems.
NorthX’s follow-on funding will accelerate the deployment of a globally scalable lightning prevention system leveraging modular hardware automation, positioning Canada at the forefront of wildfire prevention innovation. NorthX’s initial investment in Skyward supported early development of the software, hardware, and operational capacity required for field technology demonstrations, establishing Skyward as a pioneer in lightning suppression.
Each company has demonstrated commercial traction and measurable impact. With live units in the field and partnerships with Powertech and UBCO, CRWN.ai is supporting utility operations to prevent industrial fire risks. Nova is turning aerial intelligence into clear, intuitive insights for more than 200 clients across North America and Australia. Skyward is expanding pilots of its predictive intelligence and targeted aerial intervention with wildfire authorities.
To date, NorthX has invested nearly $52.1 million in 82 projects, creating more than 829 jobs and catalyzing $621 million in follow-on investment.
About NorthX Climate Tech
Founded in 2021 with an initial investment from the BC Government, the Government of Canada, and Shell Canada, NorthX Climate Tech (NorthX) is a catalyst for climate action, funding the climate hard tech solutions that transform industries and build lasting prosperity.
Rooted in British Columbia but global in vision, we unite visionaries, investors, industry, government, and partners to scale technologies that drive deep decarbonization and economic growth for Canada. Like the “X” on a map, we pinpoint that pivotal moment when potential is immense, but capital is scarce, that place where local strengths become global solutions.
