The second year of the Creative Destruction Lab’s (CDL) space stream concluded with a virtual graduation of 12 companies of the original 26 that were selected. Four Canadian companies graduated while a fifth didn’t. That fifth company did manage to rebound and tell us their story.
The transition from in-person to virtual sessions for the CDL turned out to be smooth and offered some advantages, including more people attending the sessions.
As the CDL heads into its third space stream this fall and with the COVID-19 pandemic showing no signs of disappearing, the sessions will once again be virtual. The application deadline closed on August 10 and now a new batch of startups wait to hear if they’ve made the cut.
Space stream year 2 Canadian graduates
Here are the four graduates of the CDL space stream year 2.
4pi Lab
4pil Lab is a Calgary based company developing a constellation of satellites that use non-thermal sensors to detect, geo-locate, and report wildfires in real time.
Stephen Achal is the founder and CEO. Tahir Merali, formerly with the Canadian Space Agency is the new Chief Operating Officer.
The company recently was awarded a $250k contribution through the CSA Space Technology Development Program.
Website: https://site.4pilab.com/
Edgehog Technologies
Edgehog is a Montreal based company that has developed super-transmissive coverglass for photovoltaic cells that increases the efficiency and energy production of space and terrestrial solar panels.
The co-founders include Calvin Cheng, CTO and Product Lead, Nassim Sahraei, Innovation Lead and Siamak Kashi, Process Lead. The company was founded in December 2017.
The company also was awarded a $250k contribution through the CSA Space Technology Development Program.
Website: https://www.edgehogtech.com/
NEXT Farm
NEXT Farm is a Waterloo based company that has developed an agricultural analytics platform that uses remote sensing data and proprietary algorithms to analyze the health of fields and crops.
The co-founders are Pavel Bordioug, CEO and Claude Duguay, University Research Chair in Cryosphere and Hydrosphere from Space at the University of Waterloo. The company is a spinoff of H2O Geomatics which was formed in September 2014.
Website: https://nxtfarm.com/
Aeroflux Braking System
Aeroflux is engaged in the design, development, and manufacture of magnetic brakes for business, commuter, and commercial aircraft. We’re not quite sure why they were a part of the space stream as they seem to be an aviation sector company.
The Toronto based company was founded in 2019 by Nikola Kostic, Design Lead and Ciaran Dunn, Demonstrator Lead. Ciaran has since left Aeroflux and is now a Venture Analyst at the Creative Destruction Lab.
Website: https://aerofluxbrakes.com/
Other graduates
The other graduates of the CDL space stream this past spring were:
- Ansur Technologies, Norway
- Benchmark Space Systems, US
- Froberg Aerospace, US
- Infinite Composites, US
- Interstellar Technologies, Japan
- Miles Space, US
- Pixxel, india
- SE4, Japan
Obruta Space Solutions – The Canadian company that didn’t graduate, but that’s ok
Obruta Space Solutions was accepted into the CDL space stream even though it was just months after the company had been created. With a business plan in its early development they didn’t last long.
The good news is the company stuck to its idea and recently was awarded a $100k contribution through the CSA Space Technology Development Program for a Novel Multi-Target Space Debris Removal Technology Feasibility Study.
Obruta is an Ottawa based company founded in July 2019. The co-founders include Kevin Stadnyk, CEO, Kirk Hovell, CTO and Lucas Brewster, COO.
Website: https://www.obruta.com/