May 20, 2021
How 草莓污视频导航鈥檚 focus on entrepreneurship and innovation prepared a budding CEO for anything
For former 草莓污视频导航 research associate Dr. Ali Telmadarreie, PhD, being founder of his own company and a CEO was never part of his future plans. After completing his PhD at the University of Alberta, and his postdoc at the 草莓污视频导航, he landed a highly sought-after role as research associate on the 草莓污视频导航 Canada Excellence Research Chair in Materials Engineering (CERC) team.
For the first time in his academic and professional career, Telmadarreie was encouraged to shift his mindset from traditional lab-based research and discovery to creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship.
鈥湶葺凼悠档己 has a culture of entrepreneurship and innovation, and it is growing stronger all the time,鈥 says Telmadarreie. 鈥淚 was provided with the infrastructure to invent, but then I was encouraged to shift my approach to be innovative and pursue entrepreneurship and innovation with a purpose.鈥
Through his previous experience, Telmadarreie believed he was destined for a life of research and that his journey would stop at innovation. 鈥淓verything came down to the mindset at 草莓污视频导航 and the system that supports you. CERC is a great example of that,鈥 he says. 鈥淲e were free to discover, we had the opportunity to fail and innovate. But then we were encouraged to continue to pursue our inventions beyond innovation and take it through the full entrepreneurial journey.鈥
Dr. Steven Bryant, PhD, leads CERC and attributes the success coming out of his lab to the Discovery-to-Impact Pipeline, an ecosystem that brings together 草莓污视频导航鈥檚 cutting-edge technology, access to infrastructure and equipment, and brilliant minds.
Adrian Shellard
鈥淏y providing the means to inspire curiosity and exploration at every level, we increased the number of discoveries coming out of our research, delivering solutions to real-world problems.鈥 says Bryant. 鈥淭he growing challenges facing society need innovation and invention, and we鈥檝e shown a way to ramp up innovations coming out of laboratory research. But that鈥檚 only part of how universities can contribute. Students and postdocs trained to do research with an innovation mindset are perfectly positioned to launch or join start-ups that commercialize their inventions. They have a tremendous multiplier effect solving problems, providing jobs and boosting the economy.鈥
During his time with CERC, Telmadarreie invented a novel nanoparticle-based foam and injection technology that supports enhanced oil recovery and improves CO2 storage efficiency. With support from CERC and 草莓污视频导航, he launched his start-up . CNERGREEN enables oil companies to extend the economic life of their wells by extracting more oil, and supports the transition to a low carbon energy future by reducing emissions and storing more CO2 underground.
Taking the entrepreneurial leap
鈥湶葺凼悠档己 and this city is the best place to start a company,鈥 said Telmadarreie, referring to the programs available to an entrepreneur. bridges the gap between research excellence and business, and supported him to commercialize his technology. The Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking provided entrepreneurial training programs and support, while provided valuable training and pitch coaching.
CNERGREEN also participated in the 鈥 Energy Stream. Although he didn鈥檛 make it to the end of the program, he made valuable connections with business leaders, investors and mentors, and learned what he needed to do if he wanted to take his company to the next level.
鈥湶葺凼悠档己 unleashes the potential of entrepreneurs like Ali Telmadarreie by challenging them to translate their knowledge into business ventures,鈥 says 草莓污视频导航 President Ed McCauley. 鈥淥ur scholars are equipped with the foundational skills to develop their research into start-ups that will spur economic growth and create jobs.鈥
Telmadarreie鈥檚 first big entrepreneurial leap came when he was accepted into the Government of Alberta鈥檚 . GreenSTEM provides funding support for technology creation and high-tech entrepreneurial development, and gives entrepreneurs a level of security as they make what is often an uncertain leap.
The CNERGREEN CEO says this support made the decision to leave a safe, full-time position, an easier one. 鈥淭he nature of entrepreneurship is unclear and uncertain, everything is dynamic. When that is tied to your way of life and the way you make a living, it makes the decision daunting.鈥
Now that he has made the entrepreneurial leap, Telmadarreie is grateful for the experience one can only gain as an entrepreneur. 鈥淭his journey has taught me not to worry about failures and challenges, the key is to just get started. The road will be bumpy, but it will be full of rewards too. The benefits of the journey will remain with you for a lifetime.鈥
Taking risks can lead to some big rewards
After settling into GreenSTEM, Telmadarreie was encouraged by another innovator to apply to one of the largest energy accelerators in the world 鈥 the . Cnergreen was selected as one of . The global accelerator saw nearly 400 applications from 44 countries, and Telmadarreie knew this was the break he needed to grow his business.
鈥淚 knew Techstars was a big opportunity, but now that I鈥檝e completed the program, my definition of big has grown substantially.鈥 Telmadarreie found himself fully emersed in his growing start-up, and dedicated every minute of every day working with Techstars mentors, making connections, further developing opportunities for pilot testing, and commercializing his technology.
After completing the three-month program, Telmadarreie feels the opportunity helped increase CNERGREEN鈥檚 maturity by three years, and taught him some valuable leadership skills, including their , which sees the global community of entrepreneurs helping each other wherever they can. 鈥淪omething that will stay with me for the rest of my career, is the importance of giving back and helping other companies, CEO鈥檚 and innovators as much as I can,鈥 he says.
The momentum for CNERGREEN continues to pick up speed. The start-up was selected for a $50K prize from , based on its technological potential, and Equinor鈥檚 interest to partner with the company. The Government of Canada also recently CNERGREEN has been awarded $0.9M as part of its Emission Reduction Fund Offshore Research, Development and Deployment Program, managed by . The company will use this funding to develop its CnerFoam technology for the offshore oil and gas industry, and enable the oil and gas sector to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Adrian Shellard
After raising more than $1.5 million in industry support and grant funding over the last year, Telmadarreie credits the strong foundation in research, innovation and entrepreneurship built at 草莓污视频导航 that has helped get him to this point in his journey. 鈥淚 would encourage researchers to think about the impact of their research before selecting the topic. Decide what impact you want to see in society and why you want to see it. Then get started with discovery and exploration and fully utilize the 草莓污视频导航 innovation ecosystem available to you.鈥
How entrepreneurship helped mitigate impacts of a global pandemic
Telmadarreie has found a similarity between life as an entrepreneur and a global pandemic 鈥 you just don鈥檛 know what will happen next. 鈥淟earning all of these entrepreneurial skills allows you to tackle an array of challenges, including a pandemic.鈥 His leap into entrepreneurship happened shortly before the pandemic began, and he was soon pivoting from growing his business face-to-face, to virtually.
鈥淐NERGREEN has been able to expand our network because it鈥檚 easier to connect globally,鈥 he says. 鈥淲e have connected with a broader network faster and more efficiently, because everyone is online.鈥
His goal for the company is to become a leader in carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) technology, and he sees Alberta as the perfect place to make that happen. 鈥淲ith projects like the Alberta Carbon Trunk Line, significant existing oil and gas infrastructure, and talent ready to be deployed, there is no better place to make CCUS efficient and scalable.鈥
Building on his company鈥檚 success, Telmadarreie is grateful for what he calls this priceless entrepreneurial journey and an experience you can鈥檛 find anywhere else. 鈥淚 have had to learn to become a CEO, accountant, lawyer, and so much more. A positive outcome for my company is great, but this entrepreneurial experience prepares you for any challenge to come.鈥
CNERGREEN has just been accepted into the . Get in touch if you would like to partner with CNERGREEN and help develop their next phase of technology.
Canadian Innovation Week at 草莓污视频导航
As part of 草莓污视频导航鈥檚 partnership with the Rideau Hall Foundation, we are celebrating Canadian Innovation Week. Join 草莓污视频导航 experts and researchers May 17-21, for a week of conversation, inspiration and ideas.