Energy, Aerospace & Finance Partner to Launch Avatar Program 2022
Ground-breaking cross-sectoral collaboration to empower leaders to build energy transition solutions
CALGARY, AB, Dec. 9, 2021 /CNW/ - Today, Avatar Innovations, a full-cycle energy transition innovation partner, announced the details and opened registrations for the ground-breaking Avatar Program 2022. In collaboration with major global energy, aerospace and finance corporations, the program will empower emerging leaders to build new energy transition solutions for commercialization. The program will take hundreds of participants through a 3-stage process: Avatar Ignite, Avatar Accelerator and Avatar Ventures. This process encompasses an entrepreneurial curriculum, an energy technology accelerator and access to capital.
Avatar is pleased to launch this initiative with some of the world's leading energy companies, Suncor, Cenovus, Enbridge, Whitecap Resources, Spartan Delta Corp., Emerson and Spartan Controls, which have each committed to enrolling employees in the program to work together on energy transition challenges.
To bolster both the financial strength of these emerging technologies, Avatar is pleased to be partnering with National Bank Financial, which will be enrolling employees in Avatar 2022 and providing advisement on capital markets for emerging energy transition technologies. Further, to ensure leading carbon market expertise and ESG adoption, Avatar is pleased to partner with Modern West Advisory to support these emerging technologies on rapidly evolving global carbon markets and ESG standards.
To ensure globally leading energy transition research and validation, Avatar is pleased to continue its long-standing partnership with the University of Calgary. Through its tech transfer office, Innovate Calgary will provide the Avatar Program 2022 with globally leading research and subject matter expertise.
The Avatar Program is being supported by key global business leaders and will feature such illustrious speakers as:
Vanessa Branson Trustee, Virgin Unite, UK Entrepreneur, |
Gajen Kandiah CEO, Hitachi Vantarra |
George Whitesides Chair, Space Advisory Board, Virgin |
Nandita Parshad Managing Director, Sustainable |
Harry Bowcott Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company Leader of the Sustainability practice in |
Steven Saddleback Director, National Energy Business |
Peter Tertzakian Managing Director, ARC Financial & |
Shane Breaker General Manager, SRDL |
Marty Reed CEO, Evok Innovations |
Dr. David Keith Founder, Carbon Engineering & Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School |
Steven Saddleback Director, National Energy Business |
Janice Tran CEO & Co-Founder, Kanin Energy |
Dr. Sara Hastings Simon Assistant Professor, Faculty of Science, |
Moji Karimi CEO & Co-Founder, Cemvita Factory |
Brett Henkel Co-Founder & VP Strategic Accounts |
The 3 phases of the Avatar Program 2022, Avatar Ignite, Avatar Accelerator & Avatar Ventures, will be housed in the Calgary Energy Transition Centre with virtual accessibility for participants across Canada and the United States.
Avatar Ignite: Beginning February 11th, a 12-week energy transition and entrepreneurship curriculum will task hundreds of emerging leaders to generate solutions to complex technology challenges. Working together on semi-autonomous teams under the guidance of industry and academic experts they will have the chance to solve major energy transition challenges such as hydrogen, carbon capture, sustainable aviation and more. At the end of the curriculum, they will pitch their ideas to a Shark Tank of industry executives for potential implementation.
Avatar Accelerator: At the completion of Avatar Ignite, the very best projects will be selected for admission to the Avatar Accelerator. The project team members admitted will work through a rigorous technology entrepreneurship and rapid prototyping curriculum. With support from Innovate Calgary and industry, the teams will attempt to build a minimum viable product and have the chance to pitch for investment from North America's leading industry and financial energy transition investors.
Avatar Ventures: At the completion of the Avatar Accelerator, the technologies and projects which have succeeded through this rigorous selection process will be supported for commercialization and scale through Avatar Ventures. Provided with expert mentorship, business strategy and technology development systems, Avatar Ventures will ensure the best technologies generated benefit industry and meaningfully lower emissions.
Registrations are now open for the Avatar Program 2022 to anyone interested here. Registrations will close at 11:59 pm MT on January 7th, 2021
ADDITIONAL QUOTES
"Emission reductions is not just an energy industry challenge. It's also an aerospace, technology and finance challenge. Avatar is pleased to bring together new sectors capable of solving this urgent issue while also empowering the leaders of tomorrow to build the future they will lead".
- Kevin Krausert, CEO, Avatar Innovations
"Innovate Calgary is excited to partner with Avatar Innovations in supporting a bold vision for energy transition in Calgary and Alberta – a vision founded on integrating expertise and people in industry and academia to accelerate development and deployment of functional technologies."
- John Wilson, CEO, Innovate Calgary
"Whitecap Resources is looking forward to working in partnership with Avatar Innovations as we advance energy transformation and the future of energy. We feel strongly that bringing together industry and academic experts across multiple sectors to collaborate with the leaders of tomorrow will be successful in finding innovative solutions to evolving challenges that include the environment, the economy and all forms of required energy."
- Grant Fagerheim, CEO, Whitecap Resources
"National Bank is delighted to partner with Avatar Innovations for the launch of this exciting program. Supporting sustainable development is an integral part of our mission and we are determined to pursue various initiatives to drive the energy transition. Our staff is looking forward to participating in the program by advising emerging energy leaders on capital markets and bringing our expertise to the table."
- Arun Chandrasekaran, Co-Head, Energy Infrastructure Sustainability Impact Group, National Bank Financial
"Suncor is proud to continue our partnership with Avatar and bring energy transition innovation to a new level. It's through collaborative, multi-sector efforts like this that we'll be able to collectively make progress on global climate goals and create economic prosperity for Canadians."
- Marth Hall Findlay, Chief Sustainability Officer, Suncor
"Cenovus is focused on addressing climate change and we know significant collaboration will be essential to accelerate the path to net zero emissions. The Avatar Program will help pair our experts with those dealing with emerging technology and startups, which will further strengthen the clean tech sector in Canada."
- Rhona DelFrari, Chief Sustainability Officer & Senior Vice-President, Stakeholder Engagement, Cenovus
"We're excited to provide 40 of our employees and Indigenous participants the opportunity to collaborate with like-minded innovators from across industry and academia to apply their knowledge and visions to generate new technology solutions to solve energy transition challenges through the Avatar platform."
- Byron Neiles, EVP Corporate Services, Enbridge
"We have an incredible opportunity in front of us to create a more robust and sustainable energy future. The transformation and decarbonization of the energy mix is an incredibly complex puzzle and will require innovation, expertise and extreme collaboration; outcomes Avatar has already produced, we're proud to renew our support"
- Jim Parsons, Vice President, Business Development, Spartan Controls
"Spartan Delta is excited to partner with Avatar Innovations and collaborate with colleagues and industry peers to create sustainable energy solutions. Avatar offers a unique opportunity to bring together Spartan employees, thought leaders and cutting-edge research to develop innovative, value-added solutions that showcase Canada as the most environmentally responsible energy producer in the world."
- Fotis Kalantzis, President & CEO, Spartan Delta Corp.
"The energy transformation presents an abundance of opportunities for new technologies and innovative businesses to emerge. It will take a lot of hard work to develop the pragmatic solutions and market mechanisms needed for these solutions to flourish, and we are excited about the opportunity to join Avatar, their partners, and the bright, ambitious minds of our next generation of business leaders to get this done."
- Jackson Hegland, President & CEO, Modern West Advisory
SOURCE Avatar Innovations
MEDIA CONTACT: [email protected]
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