Introduction

3 years. 6 women. $1 million grand prize

Diversity of thought. Real technological solutions. Solving climate and environmental challenges!

On November 30, Amanda Hall was selected as the Grand Prize Winner and was awarded the $1-million grand prize.

It all started in 2018, when MaRS Discovery District and Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) announced the Women in Cleantech Challenge, a three-year national competition that provided six entrepreneurs with unprecedented levels of support, and connected them to some of the top government laboratories, investors, and corporations in the world.

Why “Women in Cleantech”

Much of the technology needed to reach net zero has not been invented yet. Empowering women to succeed in Canada’s clean tech economy will help bring the needed diversity of thought to yield real technological answers for some of the biggest global problems. Women are a powerful force in Canada’s innovation economy, but are significantly underrepresented in the area of clean technology.

Innovative Funding, Innovative Solutions

The Women in Cleantech Challenge is part of the broader, government-wide Impact Canada Initiative, led by the Privy Council Office, and is coordinated by NRCan in partnership with MaRS Discovery District. This is the first of NRCan’s Clean Tech Impact Challenges to announce the winner.

The Challenge was designed to help mitigate gender imbalance in STEM careers and is currently supporting the creation of six new, highly impactful and globally significant clean technology companies founded and run by women.

Following a national call and expert selection process, six finalists were chosen from almost 150 applicants to participate in an intensive 3 year incubation program.