Annual Report tribute from SDTC CEO to outgoing Board Chair

Canadian entrepreneurs are big players in the cleantech arena, championing innovation and creating disruptive technologies across sectors from agriculture, mining, transportation, waste management, energy and more by harnessing the power of big data, machine learning, AI and the industrial internet of things.

I want to thank outgoing Chair, Jim Balsillie for his unwavering leadership of the organization over the past six years, four of which I was able to join him for. His commitment to Canadian entrepreneurs has been the key driver of the many changes SDTC undertook during his tenure.

We all have much to be proud of; streamlining SDTC’s application process to ensure the fastest disbursement of funds for our clients, closing the gap to commercialization by further expanding our reach and supporting more scale-up companies, and contributing as a convener of Canadian cleantech leaders to best address how we navigate the IP and data driven economy.

This new face of SDTC was made possible by the strategic focus of our Board led by Jim, and the talented SDTC staff I have the privilege of working with every day.

To date, SDTC has invested over $1.15 billion supporting almost 400 companies, creating 13,107 jobs and while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 18.1 megatonnes annually. This is just the beginning.

SDTC is here to act as strong, responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars and to foster Canadian cleantech innovation, by driving outcomes for companies as they commercialize their products and services globally. Canada’s cleantech entrepreneurs are on the verge of breaking through. We are here to support them in their efforts to Own the Podium.

Download and read the full 2018 Annual Report here. SDTC Annual Report contains a summary of the organization’s activities during the preceding fiscal year.