Cohorts 3 and 4 at the pan-provincial Innovation Catalyst Grant roundtable. Paige Thompson
The innovators are the fourth cohort of the Innovation Catalyst Grant a pan-Alberta entrepreneurial fellowship for STEM master's and PhD graduates that provides entrepreneurs with two years of support to develop and commercialize science-based products and services that contain a hardware component. It is managed by Innovate Calgary, the University of Calgary's central innovation hub, with participation and oversight by the Alberta Ministry of Technology and Innovation
"Alberta is full of brilliant people with ideas worth backing. The Innovation Catalyst Grant exists to make sure those founders can build their companies here, hire here, and keep their intellectual property here," says Nate Glubish, Minister of Technology and Innovation. "This cohort is proof the model is working. Twelve early stage ventures, 12 reasons for the next generation of Alberta innovators to bet on this province."
The fellowship provides recipients with access to a workspace, mentorship, and networking opportunities in UCalgary's innovation ecosystem. Through institutional support, founders have resources and support they need to generate new jobs, solve complex problems, and uplift the province with their ventures.
"Congratulations to the seven UCalgary recipients of this pan-Alberta grant who will be supported by our robust innovation ecosystem," says Dr. William Ghali, MD'90, vice-president (research) with UCalgary. "This success underscores how we are Canada's entrepreneurial university and are attracting and retaining top talent here in Calgary."
The new cohort will support the Alberta economy with their diverse range of ventures:
Dr. Narges Atrak, PhD - NH3ance: Developing a clean technology that produces green ammonia using electricity instead of fossil fuels, enabling near-zero-emission fertilizer and energy production whenever and wherever it is needed.
Aleisha Reese Cerny - Serenity Power: Clean, affordable, and reliable power enabled by next-generation solid oxide fuel cell technology.
Uzma Ahmed Din - Vision3x: Real-time 3D vision system with movable cameras that enables drones and robots to see farther and wider without blind spots, with built-in detection for safer, faster and smarter operations. (Din will receive a PhD from UCalgary in 2026.)
Nathan Meulenbroek, BSc'20 - Azimus Imaging: Screening and diagnosis of breast cancer using innovative ultrasound sensors and imaging techniques. (Meulenbroek will receive a PhD from UCalgary in 2026.)
Nick Fylstra - TurnCO2: Bringing the next generation of CO2 recovery systems to breweries to create new sustainable processing systems in the food and beverage industry. (Fylstra will receive a PhD from UCalgary in 2026.)
Dr. Sanoop Kammampata, MSc'14, PhD'21 - Elektra Industries: Safe, high-performance, sustainable solid-state sodium batteries for clean technologies.
Sabrina Scott, BSc'19 - CURA Climate: Decarbonizing cement with electrochemical solutions that remove up to 85 per cent of CO2 emissions from cement production.
Learn more about the Innovation Catalyst Grant here.
