Five B.C. startups have received $300,000 each for their R&D projects. Each venture focuses on equipping various industries to address critical challenges, such as enhancing healthcare accessibility and reducing greenhouse-gas emissions in mining, while also boosting the province’s competitiveness and creating more jobs.

The funding was awarded by crown agency Innovate BC as part of its Ignite program, which is designed to support projects in natural resources, applied science, and engineering. The companies were selected based on their commercial and technical viability, as well as their potential to be market-ready within three years. To qualify for the funding, the projects had to be implemented by teams led by both academic and industry experts.

“We are proud to deliver the Ignite program, which provides critical funding to drive the commercial success of cutting-edge solutions coming out of industry and academic partnerships in British Columbia,” said Peter Cowan, president and CEO of Innovate BC. “These innovations not only address some of the province’s most pressing challenges but also help promote productivity and growth in key industries, ultimately contributing to a prosperous economy that benefits all British Columbians.”

The first venture to be selected was Ideon Technologies, which is working on an application to enable safer and more efficient mineral mining while reducing environmental impact, in partnership with UBC's Dr. Shaun Barker. Viridis Research was awarded the funding for developing a first-of-its-kind water treatment to eliminate dyes, toxic chemicals, surfactants, and microplastics from textile wastewater, by collaborating with SFU’s Neil Branda. Rockburst technologies, the third venture to be given $300,000, makes mining more sustainable by using CO2 to pulverize ore (the process of crushing or grinding raw ore) for resource extraction, together with UBC’s Dr. Bern Klein.

The remaining recipients are Peqish, which together with Anubhav Pratap-Singh of the University of British Columbia is developing fat mimetics — ingredients that mimic the sensory and physical properties of fat — using dietary fibers from chia to create healthier food options, and Geno10X Biosciences, which is creating a diagnostic platform that combines AI algorithms and HPV urine-testing methods to predict disease risks in a faster, more cost-effective, and non-invasive way. That project will run in collaboration with SFU’s Michael Adachi and Peter Unrau.

Since its founding in 2016, Ignite has invested a total of $13.5 million across 53 projects. Notable recipients include VoxCell BioInnovations (3D-printed, human-like tissues for drug testing), Daanaa Resolution (chip-based technology that transfers energy safely and efficiently), and Terramera (transforming food-growth and the economics of agriculture).

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