MaRS Climate Impact Focuses on Scaling Canadian Cleantech
AI-generated image · Bay Street Wire
The upcoming conference aims to bridge the gap between pilot projects and commercial deployment amid a decline in venture capital investment.
Canada possesses a robust pipeline of competitive climate technologies, yet many firms struggle to move from pilot stages to full-scale commercialization. According to reporting from BetaKit, a federal survey indicated that nearly two-thirds of tech companies have products at the commercialization stage, but this phase is hindered by high capital requirements and a need for risk-tolerant investors.
To address these bottlenecks, the sixth-annual MaRS Climate Impact conference will take place in Toronto on Nov. 17 and 18. The event will convene over 1,000 participants, including policymakers, investors, and entrepreneurs, to discuss scaling strategies. Tyler Hamilton, Senior Director of Climate at MaRS, noted that the burden of proof for hardtech companies regarding commercial traction and technical development is currently at an all-time high.
Funding challenges have intensified as Canadian venture capital investment in cleantech dropped to $660 million in 2025, down from over $1 billion in 2022. Hamilton cited market volatility and the 2024 wind-down of Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) as contributing factors to this disruption. Hamilton further noted that many cleantech funds are currently low on dry powder, even as the National Research Council’s Industrial Research Assistance Program partially absorbed SDTC's mandate.
The conference will feature three tracks: "building for resilience," "policy, politics, and capital," and a "climate tech spotlight." Discussions will cover the financing of "first-of-their-kind" projects, which require significant capital before full-scale economics are proven. The 2026 program spans various sectors, including fusion, geothermal, grid modernization, and quantum computing. Confirmed speakers include XPRIZE Foundation CEO Anousheh Ansari, Xanadu CEO and founder Christian Weedbrook, and CURA co-founder and CTO Phil De Luna.