Inaugural event hosted at TELUS Garden in Vancouver unites five leading funds, scaling founders, committed LPs, and vital ecosystem partners around the next chapter of climate innovation and investment
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – May 11, 2026 – Investors, founders and ecosystem leaders from across Canada gathered in Vancouver this week for the inaugural Canadian Climate Capital Summit, bringing together what organizers called the largest gathering of Canada’s climate and hard tech capital allocators.
Hosted jointly by Renewal Funds, Pangaea Ventures, Evok Innovations, Active Impact Investments and NorthX Climate Tech, the Summit marked a momentous collaboration in Canada, with five leading climate and hard tech funds coming together to convene the market alongside vital ecosystem partners Fort Capital, TELUS, MNP, Osler, McCarthy Tétrault, Carta, RBCx, and InBC.
At a moment when parts of the public narrative have turned more cautious on climate tech, the day offered a different picture: a room full of investors actively deploying capital, founders scaling companies with global potential, technologies gaining commercial traction that can, and already do, generate outsized investor returns.
The program featured keynote remarks from futurist and COP28 keynote Matthew Griffin, a candid discussion focused on the state of climate VC in Canada involving representatives from the organizing funds, founder talks from ten scaling companies, and a closing conversation on realizing major exits in climate innovation with two of Canada’s largest climate exits – Carbon Engineering and Ecobee.
The program featured keynote remarks from futurist and COP28 keynote Matthew Griffin, a candid discussion focused on the state of climate VC in Canada involving representatives from the organizing funds, founder talks from ten scaling companies, and a closing conversation on realizing major exits in climate innovation with two of Canada’s largest climate exits – Carbon Engineering and Ecobee.
In his keynote, Matthew Griffin highlighted a core theme that carried through the day: low-cost energy is essential to prosperity, countries around the world are racing to secure supply, and recent advances in hard tech, including photovoltaics, batteries, and nuclear, mean the biggest constraint is increasingly project delivery rather than technology itself.
Founders from across the host portfolios shared highlights from their respective journeys, including Amanda Hall, Summit Nanotech; Jonathan Rhone, CO280; Stephen Lake, Jetson; Gavin Schneider, Maia Farms; Edward Chiang, Moment Energy; Mohammad Doostmohammadi, pH7 Technologies; Curtis Cook, Rodatherm Energy; Mike Battistel, Cascadia Windows; and Craig Kasberg, Tidal Vision. Jeremy Moulson, NESI, also presented.
Together, those presentations offered tangible proof points across critical minerals, carbon management, electrification, energy storage, food security, sustainable materials, industrial decarbonization, and circular systems, reinforcing that Canadian climate and hard tech companies are not just being built, but scaled.
A recurring theme throughout the day was the growing collaboration between investors, founders and ecosystem partners working to scale climate and hard tech innovation in Canada.
“If we can keep building on the collaboration and energy from today, Canada has a real opportunity to be a place where world-class climate and hard tech companies are started, scaled, and financed.” said Geordan Hankinson, Managing Partner at Renewal Funds.
“Seeing so many hard tech founders on stage with real customers and accelerating traction was a reminder that the technologies we need are not hypothetical anymore, they are already scaling,” said Sarah Applebaum, Partner at Pangaea Ventures.
“Demand for the inputs that power our world, from industrial energy and AI to the minerals and materials to build critical infrastructure, is surging. Fortunately, innovation is keeping pace; we see stronger founders, superior technology, and investors who are leaning in rather than pulling back.” said Marty Reed, Partner at Evok Innovations.
“The energy in the room was incredible! It’s hard for most investors to back a moral imperative but they’re excited by the inevitability of progress in every industry – the future of production and consumption delivers big wins for our climate.” said Mike Winterfield, Managing Partner at Active Impact Investments.
“This week’s event demonstrated the power of bringing Canada’s leading capital allocators together around a shared ambition: scaling the climate hard tech solutions that will define our economic and industrial future. The strength of collaboration and backing in the room signals a new level of momentum and commitment behind climate capital in Canada.” said Ka-Hay Law, Chief Investment Officer at NorthX Climate Tech.
The Canadian Climate Capital Summit was presented with support from vital ecosystem partners, including Presenting Sponsor Fort Capital and event partners TELUS, MNP, Osler, McCarthy Tétrault, Carta, RBCx, and InBC, whose participation helped bring investors, founders, and institutional actors into one room at a pivotal moment for the sector.
About the hosts
Renewal is an early stage venture fund investing in technology startups improving the sustainability and resilience of infrastructure, production and manufacturing
Pangaea Ventures is a venture capital firm that invests in hard tech companies scaling novel technologies in advanced materials, chemistry, and biology to transform industries while solving our planet’s greatest challenges.
Evok Innovations is a venture capital firm investing in technologies that can accelerate industrial reinvention to meet the rising demand for the energy and materials that underpin the physical world.
Active Impact Investments is Canada’s largest climate tech seed fund helping to build the future of production and consumption.
NorthX Climate Tech is a catalyst for climate action, funding the climate hard tech solutions that drive deep decarbonization and economic growth for Canada.