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Thursday, April 11, 2024

Opening + Keynote

9:00 – 9:05

Introduction to Climatetech Innovation Forum

Catherine Bérubé
Cycle Capital

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9:05 – 9:15

Opening Remarks: Overview of Cycle Capital Platform

Andrée-Lise Méthot
Cycle Capital

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9:15 – 9:45

State of Net-Zero by Danya Liu, BNEF

Danya Liu
BloombergNEF

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Panel 1: Industrial Decarbonisation

9:45 - 10:30

Moderator: Sharon Mustri, Senior Associate at BloombergNEF

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Decarbonizing Industrial Clusters: How can we move faster to reduce GHG emissions?

Energy use in industry contributes 24.2% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Achieving significant reductions in these GHG emissions will require a multifaceted approach addressing various industrial cluster sectors. Join our panel discussion as we explore strategies to accelerate the decarbonization of industrial clusters. 

Our experts will examine the challenges and opportunities of transitioning these complex systems to low-carbon alternatives. From innovative technologies to policy frameworks and collaborative initiatives, we’ll explore the tools and tactics to drive meaningful change in industrial emissions.

Jeff More
MineSense

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Eric
Dresselhuys
ESS Inc

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Jennifer Wagner​
Breakthrough Energy

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Reza Chaji
VueReal

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Nicolas Morency
Prevu3D

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Break

10:30 AM – 10:45 AM

10:45 - 11:00

Shirley Speakman
Cycle Capital

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  • Interview

Short interview: Christian G. Brosseau, Private equity & impact investments – Structuring Capital, Energy, Environment and Technologies at Fonds de solidarité FTQ

Christian G. Brosseau
Fonds de solidarité FTQ

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Panel 2: Finance and Market

11:00 - 11:45

Moderator: Musfika Mishi, Analyst BloombergNEF

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State of the VC and M&A Market

The VC market went through a downturn in 2023, with dealmaking and funding totals falling to 6-year lows. According to CB Insights, the down market has revealed a handful of areas that remain notably resilient, from AI- and sustainability-focused startups. 

The panel will review the VC and M&A markets and provide insights into the opportunities that lie ahead, especially in the emerging areas of AI and climatetech. 

Frank Verbeek
IMPROVED

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Gerd Goette
Cycle Capital

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Grégoire Baillargeon
BMO

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Elliot Greenstone
Davies

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Heather Smith
Ancoris

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Lunch

11:45 AM – 1 PM

1:00 - 1:30

  • Talk

Tim Baxter, Embracing Change

Introduction by Claude Vachet, Cycle Capital

Tim Baxter
Samsung

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Claude Vachet
Cycle Capital

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Panel 3: Semiconductors

1:30 - 2:15

Moderator: Claude Vachet
Cycle Capital

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How semiconductors can drive down industry emissions

Chips are the fundamental building blocks of modern computing, serving as vital components in all electronic systems, ranging from smartphones and electric vehicles to household appliances and mobile phones. As energy demand and electrification continue to rise, coupled with the proliferation of connected objects and major disruptions in various industries, there is an increased demand for new technologies.

These developments present significant opportunities in power generation, storage, and transmission. The global semiconductor market size was valued at USD 544.78 billion in 2023 and is expected to reach around USD 1,137.57 billion by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 7.64% during the 2024-2033 period.

In this panel discussion, we will explore the challenges and opportunities presented by Information and Communication Technology (ICT), focusing specifically on semiconductors in the context of the ongoing energy transition.

Melissa Chee
Canada’s Semiconductor Council

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Marie-Josée Turgeon
C2MI

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 Frederic Nabki
SPARK Microsystems

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Startups showcase

2:15 - 2:45

Hosted By

Patrick Gagne
CEO Cycle Momentum

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BioIntelligence Technologies

BioIntelligence develops & commercializes real-time analytics solutions for intelligent biomanufacturing reducing losses in products and environment impact & increasing overall performance.

 

Niosense

Niosense’s mission is to reduce unnecessary stops at intersections, allowing substantial savings of time and money for goods transportation. We  interact with traffic signals to prevent emergency and unnecessary stops. The result: a significant reduction in pollution in cities and increased safety for all road users.

Green Graphite Technologies

Green Graphite Technologies is commercializing the most cost-effective and eco-friendly process to transform Natural FlakeGraphite into Lithium-Ion battery-grade graphite for electric vehicles and energy storage.

2:45 - 2:55

Hosted By

Amélie Béliveau
Partner, Fasken

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Fasken Cycle Momentum ClimateTech Innovation Bursary

 

 

Break

2:55 PM – 3:10 PM

3:10 - 3:30

Fireside Chat with Nancy Floyd, Nth Power

Andrée-Lise Méthot
Cycle Capital

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Nancy Floyd
Nth Power

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3:30 - 3:45

Fireside Chat with Neil Brown, KKR Global Institute

Neil Brown
KKR Global Institute

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Dan Pinault
Cycle Capital

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Panel 4: Circular Economy

3:45 - 4:30

Moderator: Sharon Mustri, Senior Associate at BloombergNEF

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Integrating Circularity in operations: Quantifying the Climate and Economic Benefits from a Circular Economy

McKinsey reports that circular economy initiatives enhance performance and cut costs across various industries. Furthermore, a study by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation highlights that Europe could increase resource productivity by 3 per cent by 2030. This improvement could yield annual cost savings of €600 billion and an additional €1.8 trillion in economic benefits.

Our expert panellists will delve into the data behind the circular economy’s impact on both the environment and the economy. They will also discuss the integration of circularity in operations and the key elements that can drive policy decisions, business strategies, and consumer behaviour towards a more sustainable future.

Ben Forcier
Circular Innovation Fund

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Liz Rodgers
Nike

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Priyanka Bakaya
U.S. Department of Energy

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Kenny Arnold
Ellen Macarthur Foundation

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Closing Remarks

4:30 - 5:00

Closing Remarks by Andrée-Lise Méthot and Claude Vachet

Andrée-Lise Méthot
Cycle Capital

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Claude Vachet
Cycle Capital

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Cocktail

5:00 - 7:00

Cocktail, hosted by TACT

André-Lise Méthot

Founder and Managing Partner

Cycle Capital

Andrée-Lise Méthot is the Founder and Managing Partner of Cycle Capital – an impact investor and Canada’s leading ClimateTech investment platform with 600 million under management. In addition to serving on portfolio companies’ boards of directors, she’s active on the board of the Canada Infrastructure Bank, the Paris Fonds Vert Advisory Board, the Canadian Government’s Task Force on Women in the Economy, and she is the founder and chairperson of the Accelerator Cycle Momentum.

Exceptionally involved in the progression of women in science and technological entrepreneurship, she was named Officière de l’Ordre du Québec (2018), and she received numerous honours, including from the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec, the Laval University Faculty of Science and Engineering, and Association of Quebec Women in Finance. She was also recognized as one of the 16 Canadian personalities of Clean16 and among the Top 20 of cleantech investors by CleanTech

Catherine Bérubé

Partner

Cycle Capital

Danya Liu

Senior Associate

BloombergNEF

Danya Liu is a Senior Associate with BloombergNEF’s sustainability team. She researches climate risk, specifically the pathways by which it will alter corporate valuations and business models. Based in San Francisco, she is the lead analyst for the BNEF Transition Risk scores on the Bloomberg Terminal. Prior to joining Bloomberg she worked in impact investing where she earned her CFA accreditation.

Sharon Mustri

Senior Associate

BloombergNEF

Sharon Mustri is a Senior Associate on the Industry Decarbonization team at BloombergNEF in New York. Her research focuses on strategies for financing and business models in large-scale sustainability projects for industry. Prior to joining BNEF, Sharon conducted research across energy and environmental topics more broadly.

Jeff More

President & Chief Executive Officer

MineSense Technologies

Jeff More is a seasoned CEO, with a particular focus on intensive growth mandates. With an MBA, as well as a B.Eng. in Chemical Engineering & Management from McMaster University, his experience spans a diverse set of industries, including environmental services, electronics recycling, telecommunications, robotics, and engineered materials.

As President & Chief Executive Officer, Jeff is responsible for the strategic and overall leadership of MineSense Technologies. His primary mandate is to bring to market the company’s disruptive, value-creating technology. This has included raising over $74M in three oversubscribed equity rounds and winning the company’s first commercial contract.

A company builder with a proven track record in both large companies and entrepreneurial environments, Jeff brings broad functional expertise in business development, marketing strategy, operational efficiency, and M&A to MineSense. This is coupled with extensive expertise in global markets, including China, India, Japan, South America, and Africa.

As a demonstrated team builder and values-driven leader, Jeff holds a breadth of industry knowledge and enthusiasm for innovation, which he dedicates to building successful organizations and championing new technology.

Eric Dresselhuys

CEO

ESS Inc

Mr. Dresselhuys is the CEO of ESS Inc. and joined the company in April of 2021. Mr. Dresselhuys has over 25 years of leadership experience and is an accomplished technology and market development pioneer with a demonstrated background in growing both public and private companies. Prior to joining ESS, Mr. Dresselhuys founded Silver Spring Networks which became the leading provider of smart grid networking and data solutions leading to an IPO in 2013 (NYSE: SSNI) and an eventual sale to Itron (NASDAQ: ITRI). Other experience includes a variety of leadership positions at Procter and Gamble and Smart Energy Water where he helped build up the companies on a global scale. As an active member of the energy industry, he is a frequent speaker and author on issues related to the energy transition. Mr. Dresselhuys holds a B.S. in Economics from the University of Wisconsin and earned an Executive Certificate from the Sloan School at MIT.

Jennifer Wagner

Business Fellow

Breakthrough Energy

Jennifer Wagner is a climate tech executive focused on scaling up carbon removal and industrial decarbonization solutions. Jennifer is a Breakthrough Energy Fellow, where she serves as a fractional executive for a portfolio of innovative climate tech startups scaling solutions in green hydrogen, green chemicals, enhanced weathering, and carbon capture. She is the past President of CarbonCure, where she helped scale the company from an idea in the lab to a global leader with hundreds of installations in concrete plants around the world. Jennifer is also an executive coach for dozens of founders from diverse backgrounds through accelerators such as Lab Start, Air Miners, and Elemental Excelerator. She has received several awards including being recognized as one of 20 Women Driving The Future of Climate Tech, and leading her team to win the $20 million Carbon XPRIZE.

Reza Chaji

CEO and co-founder

VueReal

Dr. Reza Chaji is the CEO and co-founder of VueReal Inc., a Waterloo (ON, Canada) based company focused on revolutionary technologies for enhancing electronic systems (displays, sensors, AI, Autonomy, medical, health, automotive, etc.) by integrating millions of micro-optoelectronic devices into system substrates scalably, affordably, and rapidly.

He has extensive experience in the development and commercialization of advanced technologies. His work for enhancing OLED TVs’ yield, quality, and reliability is adopted in today’s OLED TVs.

He received his Ph.D. degree (2008) in Electrical Engineering at the University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada, where he worked on designing and implementing large-area electronic systems for AMOLED displays, biomedical imagers, and bio-array sensors.

He has over 70 published papers and one book in the field of display and sensor, over 200 filed/granted patent applications, and has received several prestigious scholarships and awards, including the EY nominee for the entrepreneur of the year 2023, Young Alumni Achievement Medal, Faculty of Engineering, University of Waterloo, 2012; CMC Douglas R. Colton Medal for Research Excellence 2009; and Strategic Microelectronics Council of ITAC Industrial Collaboration Award 2007. He was a finalist for the 2023- Entrepreneur of the Year award by EY. Under his leadership, VueReal Inc. was awarded the 2023- Top 50 Companies to Watch by Deloitte Canada’s Technology Fast 50 program.

Nicolas Morency

Founder and CEO

As a former project manager in the food and beverage industry, Nicolas honed his mechanical engineering skills and led various R&D initiatives. He is highly regarded for his commitment and drive to push boundaries and learn. Through VC financing rounds, he raised over $12.5M and built a team of over 40 people with a globally recognized, unique product offering. Nicolas regularly speaks and joins event panels focusing on reality capture and digital twin technologies.

Shirley Speakman

Senior Partner

Cycle Capital

Shirley Speakman is a Senior Partner with Cycle Capital based in Toronto.  She sits on Cycle Capital’s portfolio companies across North America; including companies that are in the plastics and polymer upcycling and transformation, IoT and energy storage and efficiency industries.  Shirley has had several exits; most notably the IPO of ESS Inc via a SPAC in October of 2021. 

Prior to joining Cycle Capital Shirley was with the Investment Accelerator Fund a $40M+ venture capital fund established by the Ontario government to invest in seed and early-stage technology oriented companies based in Ontario. She also advised biotech, ag-biotech and advanced manufacturing and materials companies in areas such as strategy, finance, negotiations and fundraising. She spearheaded numerous financings and M&A transactions and participated in the creation of a $40M cross border life sciences fund and the close of a Canadian based $40M ag-biotech fund.

Shirley is active in the innovation ecosystem as a member of Canada’s National Science and Engineering Research Council, through her involvement at MaRS and the Ontario Centre of Innovation, mentoring female entrepreneurs and investors through her work with Canadian Women in Venture Capital and as a director at Altitude Accelerator. She is also been a sought-after advisor for impact investment funds including the Amplify Fund and SVX.

Shirley was recognized as one of Canada’s Clean16 and one of Canada’s Inspiring Fifty. She holds her ICD.d (University of Toronto), a MBA from Wilfrid Laurier University and a Bachelor’s of Economics from the University of Waterloo.

Christian G. Brosseau

Private equity & impact investments – Structuring Capital, Energy, Environment and Technologies

Fonds de solidarité FTQ

Christian has a BA in Economics from Université de Montréal and a BA in Business Administration from HEC Montréal. Hebegan his career at PwC before joining Hydro-Québec where he carried outmany large-scale projects and oversaw commercial activities and energy transactions for Hydro-Québec Productionfor overten years. After that, he heldmanagement positions in organizations such as CGI, Solargise Canada and Cofomo. In 2020, he joined the Fonds de solidarité FTQ as Vice President, Private Equity and Impact Investments –Structuring Capital, Energy and Environment.

Musfika Mishi

Analyst

Bloomberg

Musfika Mishi is an analyst at BloombergNEF covering early-stage climate innovations and technologies. Musfika leads BNEF’s climate-tech investment research including trends in capital deployed to startups from venture capital and private equity to public markets. She holds a MS in Biology and a BA in Cellular and Molecular Biology from Boston University.

Frank Verbeek

Managing Partner and Founder

IMPROVED Corporate Finance

Frank established the firm in 2013 with the ambition of enhancing entrepreneurs’ experience with corporate finance partners. With over 40 years of experience in business development, innovation, and corporate finance, Frank advises multiple clients across a broad range of entrepreneurial ambitions in Technology, Energy Transition and New Mobility. He is a true advocate of the power of innovation and (new) technology deriving from this. Frank and his team are committed to supporting leading entrepreneurs and investors in the sectors with their ambitions to achieve a carbon-free economy in the next decade.

Gerd Goette

Venture Partner

Cycle Capital

Gerd is a seasoned board member, strategic advisor and venture capital investor with deep domain expertise in energy, transportation and the built environment. He joined Cycle Capital in November 2022 as a Venture Partner, focusing on deal sourcing and portfolio management. On behalf of Cycle, Gerd is a director at Powerside and a board observer at Vutility.

Gerd is also the Managing Director of Lupine Growth Advisors, an advisory helping start-ups navigate the growth challenges from minimum viable product to tens of millions in revenue. Currently Gerd serves on the board of directors at 60Hertz Energy and Sunverge Energy; he was a director at Rhombus Energy Solutions through their acquisition by Borg Warner in 2022 and the chair at Zen Ecosystems through their acquisition by Mysa in 2023. He also serves on the Investor Advisory Board of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the Investment Committees of Virescent Ventures (f.k.a. the Clean Energy Finance Corporation’s Innovation Fund) and Evergreen Climate Innovations (f.k.a.Clean Energy Trust, CET).

Previously, Gerd spent 18 years at Siemens Venture Capital, where as a Managing Partner he was the global head of the energy practice. During his tenure, Gerd invested over $100m in 55 transactions and was responsible for managing another $100m in invested capital.

Grégoire Baillargeon

President

BMO Financial Group, Quebec

Appointed President of BMO, Quebec and Vice Chair, BMO Capital Markets, in November 2022, Mr. Baillargeon has been with the Bank of Montreal since 2004. A trained lawyer working as a business banker for nearly 20 years, Grégoire has been actively involved in our community, including as past Chair of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Club of Montreal and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal and Finance Montréal’s Board of Governors. Grégoire also supports many organizations working to reduce social and economic inequality, including as a Board member for Centraide of Greater Montreal and Chair of the Board of academic perseverance organization Youth Fusion.

Passionate about the energy transition and the fight against climate change, Mr. Baillargeon recently joined the advisory board of Volt-age: Electrifying Society, a research program at Concordia University, and also serves on Carbon Removal Canada’s advisory board. Under his leadership, BMO became the first bank to join the Montréal Climate Partnership, as well as the launch of conVERTgence, two movements aimed at accelerating decarbonization and integrating sustainable business practices in the city.

Elliot A. Greenstone

Partner

Davies

Elliot represents Canadian and international private equity firms, as well as marketleading companies – both public and private – in their mergers and acquisitions, financings, private equity and venture capital deals, and licensing transactions. A strategic and experienced adviser, Elliot is regularly called upon by clients to act on their business critical transactions. Elliot’s graduate degrees in both business and science give him a unique perspective on corporate matters, including intellectual  property and information technology. As a result, he is frequently asked to provide counsel on complex business and legal issues for high tech, life science and retail companies. Elliot is the coordinator of the Corporate practice in our Montréal office and is also a member of our Technology, Talent Management and Professional Development committees.

Heather Smith

Managing Partner and Co-founder

Ancoris

Over 27 years of experience focused on originating, structuring, and placing equity and debt capital.

Head of Private Placements groups on Wall Street for 12 years, including Houlihan Lokey, Deutsche Bank, DC Advisory, and Greentech Capital Advisors prior to co-founding Ancoris Capital Partners.

Spent 10 years collectively at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette (Credit Suisse), and Prudential Securities in their private placements groups.

Selected as one of the Most Influential Women in M&A by Mergers & Acquisitions.

B.A. in Economics from Harvard University and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Tim Baxter

Former CEO

Samsung Electronics

Tim Baxter is a results-oriented global leader with a successful track record of revenue growth and value creation spanning over 35 years in the consumer electronics, telecom, mobile, appliance and entertainment industries. Tim has excelled in managing and scaling businesses and teams, transforming organizations, handling crisis management, leading and launching innovative technology solutions, public speaking and giving back to the community.

Tim currently serves as Director at Breville Group Ltd. (ASX:BRG): Director at PAVmed (Nasdaq:PAVM,PAVMZ); Operating Partner at Centre Partners Management LLC, a leading middle market private equity firm; Chairman of its portfolio company – Alliance Mobile Solutions, the 2nd largest AT&T Authorized Retailer operating 304 wireless stores; Chairman at VueReal, a next gen Microled display and sensor company; Lead Outside Director of First Orion Corp., a technology software provider.

Tim most recently was the President and CEO of Samsung Electronics North America. He joined Samsung in 2006 as Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing for the Consumer Electronics Division before being promoted to President in 2009, Chief Operating Officer in 2014 and CEO in 2017.

Tim graduated from Roger Williams University with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and is Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Trustees and spent 12 years as a Trustee. He holds an honorary degree from Roger Williams University and honorary doctorate from South Carolina State University.

Claude Vachet

Managing Partner

Cycle Capital

Claude is Managing Partner at Cycle Capital – an impact investor and leading cleantech venture capital investment platform with $600M AUM. He has 30 years of operational, Venture Capital and fund management experience of Venture Capital portfolios investing in high tech companies. Over the course of his career, he has built a solid track record of investments, led large team of investment professionals and has been involved in the execution of numerous exits, including GaN Systems who has signed an agreement to be acquired by Infineon AG for 830 m US.

Before joining Cycle Capital, he was Managing Partner of successful teams at both Kirchner and Multiple Capital managing large venture capital funds. He has also worked at Innovatech Montreal as VP of IT&C Portfolio, where he participated in the sale of the portfolio – the largest transaction of a Venture Capital portfolio in Canada with its 108 companies and 15 funds. Early in his career, Claude worked at Degremont in Clean technologies (water, energy and waste).

Claude holds a Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s degree from École Polytechnique (Montreal) and an MBA in Finance from HEC-Montreal.

Melissa Chee

Founding Member

Melissa Chee is a visionary tech executive, entrepreneur, and business leader who has created global companies and transformative technologies.

Building on a 25-year career scaling global technology multinationals and start-ups, Melissa most recently was the CEO of ventureLAB, a leading global founder community for hardware and enterprise software companies in Canada. At ventureLAB, she elevated Canada in the global semiconductor industry through initiatives such as ventureLAB’s Hardware Catalyst Initiative, Canada’s first and only hub for semiconductor and hardware tech companies and was a founding member of Canada’s Semiconductor Council. During Melissa’s tenure the organization was recognized as one of Canada’s most Admired Corporate Cultures and thrice as a Great Place to Work for Inclusion, Technology, and Managed by Women.

A champion of diversity, inclusion, and the advancement of women and girls in STEM, Melissa is a respected thought leader at the strategic intersection of critical technology sectors and the imperative for a more inclusive tech ecosystem. Melissa currently serves on the boards of the Vector Institute of Artificial Intelligence, Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada and Scientists in School. She is a past board director at NGEN – Canada’s Global Innovation Cluster for Advanced Manufacturing, Mackenzie Health Innovation Institute and Make-A-Wish Canada’s Corporate Cabinet.

She holds a MBA with Honours from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, and a Bachelor of Computer Engineering from McGill University.

Marie-Josée Turgeon

President and CEO

C2MI

Since 2022, Marie-Josée Turgeon has been serving as the President and CEO of C2MI. She joined C2MI in 2016 as Vice President of Business Development and was promoted to Vice President of Operations and Deputy General Manager in 2018.

Marie-Josée holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Laval University and an MBA from Université de Sherbrooke. She has been involved in the microelectronics manufacturing field for nearly 30 years. Prior to her current role, she spent almost 20 years at IBM Bromont, where she held various positions in manufacturing, research and development, and finance. She continued her career as a plant manager for Varitron in Granby before joining C2MI.

Throughout her career, Marie-Josée has been dedicated to promoting women in science through various activities, including serving on the Chair for Women in Science and Engineering at the Université de Sherbrooke and sitting on several boards of directors, including those of Technum Québec, ISEQ, and ICI (Ahuntsic College). She is also a member of the research ethics committee at Cégep de Granby.

Frederic Nabki

Co-founder, Chief Technology Officer

SPARK Microsystems

Frederic Nabki, with both B.Eng. (Hons.) and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from McGill University, has made significant strides in the field of microelectronics. His career began at the Université du Québec à Montréal in 2008, transitioning later to the École de Technologie Supérieure in Montreal. His work focuses on advancements in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), integrated circuits (ICs), and their integration, leading to the co-founding of SPARK Microsystems, a company born from his academic research.

Dr. Nabki’s research contributions include over 200 scientific publications, more than 50 patents, and pioneering technologies in silicon carbide micromachining, ultra-wideband wireless transceivers, and integrated optical communication systems. SPARK Microsystems, under his guidance, has gained international recognition for its innovative wireless technology that significantly improves battery life and enhances multimedia experiences across personal area networks. Additionally, his research work has supported the growth of two other Montreal-based startups in the IoT sensors and optical telecommunication sectors.

Recognized for his contributions, Dr. Nabki received the J.J. Archambault Eastern Canada Merit Award from IEEE in 2019. As CTO of SPARK Microsystems, he continues to drive the development of energy-efficient wireless technologies, contributing to the global pursuit of sustainable technological solutions. His role as an advisory board member for Canada’s Semiconductor Council since 2023 underscores his commitment to fostering the advancement of the national semiconductor industry.

Patrick Gagné

Chief Executive Officer

Cycle Momentum

Amélie Béliveau

partner

Fasken

Amélie Béliveau practises intellectual property law and commercial litigation. She is involved in all aspects of litigation, including drafting legal opinions and proceedings, and pleading before various courts. Amélie’s work in intellectual property focuses on matters relating to trademarks, copyrights, defamation and the right to control one’s own image.

In her trademark practice, Amélie assists clients with all stages of securing Canadian protection. She advises on selection and adoption of new trademarks and renders opinions on their availability and proper use.

Amélie represents clients before the Registrar of Trade-marks and the Federal Court in opposition proceedings and other litigation. She also intervenes in infringement cases.

Nancy Floyd

Founder and Managing Director

Nth Power

Ms. Floyd’s career has been marked by the creation of new markets in climate-positive businesses. In 1993, Ms. Floyd founded Nth Power, the first venture capital firm specializing in clean energy technologies. Nth Power focused on early-stage start-ups in sectors such as renewable energy, energy storage, green buildings, smart grids, energy efficiency, advanced materials, clean transportation and many others. Nth Power has raised four funds, totaling $425 million, and the company has invested in 56 start-ups. Ms. Floyd has served on 13 boards of the company’s portfolio companies, chairing four of them. She sold the last company in Fund IV in December 2021.

Neil R. Brown

Managing Director at KKR Global Institute

Neil R. Brown (New York) joined KKR in 2014 and is Managing Director at the KKR Global Institute and the Infrastructure & Climate team. Mr. Brown works at the intersection of finance and geopolitics to navigate global complexity, open new markets for investment, and invest in energy, climate, and infrastructure. He co-led KKR’s first investments in several countries and has been involved across five continents. He is on the boards of Contour Global, Albioma, ADNOC Oil Pipelines, ON*Net Fibra Chile, ON*Net Fibra Colombia, MetroNet, Nexo LatAm, and Monterra Energy, and has been involved with Sempra Infrastructure Partners, Marverde Infraestructura (Pemex Midstream), and United Group (SBB/Telemach), amongst others. Mr. Brown is also a Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council of the United States, specializing in energy and foreign policy. Before joining KKR, Mr. Brown served for over eight years on the senior staff of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, working with the late Senator Richard G. Lugar. In that capacity, Neil led legislative efforts and oversight on global energy security and governance, environment, and domestic energy, and he worked on countering weapons of mass destruction. He has also served as a senior advisor at Goldwyn Global Strategies, on the U.S. Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative advisory committee for the U.S. Secretary of Interior, and as a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States. He previously undertook refugee and development work while living in Nepal, Namibia, and Egypt. Mr. Brown currently serves on the non-profit boards of The Lugar Center, Merton College Charitable Corporation, Association of American Rhodes Scholars, and Columbia University Energy Journalism Initiative. Mr Brown is an honours graduate of Harvard University and received graduate MSc and MPhil degrees from Oxford University, which he attended as a Rhodes Scholar.

Dan Pinault

Partner

Cycle Capital

Dan Pinault is a Partner at Cycle Capital, one of Canada’s largest climate tech venture funds, and is based out of Cycle’s Toronto office. He has 15 years of experience advising and investing in the energy transition ecosystem. Prior to joining Cycle Capital, Dan worked at Brookfield Infrastructure Group as Director of Mergers & Acquisitions where his primarily responsibility was growing Brookfield’s district energy platform, Enwave Energy Corporation. Enwave was subsequently sold for $4.1B to IFM, OTPP, QIC and Ullico. Dan also worked as a Management Consultant at Navigant (now Guidehouse) where he focused on evaluating disruptive technologies related to grid modernization, renewable power generation and clean transportation.

Benoit Forcier

Senior Partner

Circular Innovation Fund

Benoit Forcier is a Senior Partner at Cycle Capital where he leads the Circular Innovation Fund (CIF), global growth-stage venture capital fund focused exclusively on circular innovation, striving to positively contribute to climate change mitigation and the circular use of resources. Managed by Cycle Capital and Demeter, a team of financial entrepreneurs with years of cleantech-focused capital management experience, with the support of anchor investors L’Oréal, the fund’s mission is to accelerate the growth of circular innovation, close the loop on single-use waste and re-design our economy for a more sustainable future.

Benoit has more than 27 years of experience in finance and business development, including 15 years of technology and venture capital investing throughout Ontario, Quebec, Atlantic Canada, and the U.S. Benoit joins the CIF after four years at BDC as part of the Cleantech Practice where he played an instrumental role in supporting high-impact cleantech companies to successfully scale. Before joining BDC, Benoit was a Partner at Cycle Capital, where he was the investment lead and board member of six portfolio companies across three funds. Before that, he was VP of Investment at Innovacorp, Nova Scotia’s crown corporation in early-stage venture capital. Benoit started his career in the telecom sector with BCE Inc., followed by Telesystem International Wireless where he oversaw venture and corporate investment, strategic alliances and risk and treasury management.

Liz Rodgers

Vice President Sustainable Product

Nike

Liz currently serves as Vice President Sustainable Product of NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE), the world’s leading designer, marketer and distributor of athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities. She joined Nike in 1995 and has held a wide range of leadership positions in the footwear and apparel divisions as well as roles in strategic planning and marketplace. In her current role, Liz leads a team that is focused on integrating sustainability across product creation to help protect the future of sport and maintain an environment where all athletes can live, train and thrive

Priyanka Bakaya

Commercialization Advisor

U.S. Department of Energy

Priyanka Bakaya currently serves as a Commercialization Advisor at the U.S. Department of Energy – Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). She helps make award selections and advises early-stage innovators on scale-up and commercialization, with a focus on industrial decarbonization and circular economy. As a former Founder & CEO, she brings over a decade of experience scaling up and commercializing technology. She coaches founders on entrepreneurship and sustainability through MIT Bootcamps. She began her career in finance and venture capital, and currently serves on the Impact Committee of the Circular Innovation Fund. She has been recognized on the Forbes 30 under 30 List, the Fortune 40 Under 40: Ones to Watch List, is a Cartier Women’s Initiative Award Laureate, and is a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader. She is a graduate of MIT Sloan and Stanford University with Honors and has completed Executive Education at Harvard’s Kennedy School and Princeton’s Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment.

Kenny Arnold

Senior Manager, Service Design

Ellen Macarthur Foundation

Kenny is a designer and an advocate for the circular economy. As a designer he leverages play as an approach to engaging people, reframing challenges, and making a positive impact. As Senior Manager of Service Design for North America, at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, he supports leading organizations in their effort to operationalize circular economy principles and strategies. Prior to joining the Foundation, Kenny worked across industries as an innovation consultant and industrial designer to develop new products and services.