This article was written by Kira Kelsie (Founder, Kasm Consulting) and Bonsai Growth Solutions with support from Foresight Canada.
Receiving funding and support for your startup can take months—even years. Bonsai Growth and Foresight Canada have teamed up to help you get the support you need, when you need it.
Canada’s cleantech sector is one of the most promising spaces for innovation and economic impact. Since 2017, the federal government has invested more than $2.3 billion to support the research, commercialization, and adoption of clean technologies through programs like the Clean Growth Hub. This coordinated effort has created an ecosystem that gives founders the opportunity to build and scale solutions tackling climate challenges.
The vision is working. Canadian cleantech companies are building technologies that cut emissions, strengthen the economy, and open new export markets. In 2023, Canadian cleantech exports reached $9.4 billion—more than 224,000 Canadians now work in the sector. These results show that Canada has the ideas, expertise, and drive to lead. What many founders still need is reliable, timely access to capital, resources, and support so they can put that innovation to work without delay.
Access Fast & Flexible Non-Dilutive Funding
Access to non-dilutive funding is one of the biggest advantages for Canadian startups. Programs like SR&ED tax credits, NRCan’s Clean Technology Investment Tax Credits (ITCs), and dozens of federal and provincial grants give founders the chance to fuel their growth without sacrificing equity.
The problem is that funding can take months to arrive. Startups often have to cover expenses for projects before they’re reimbursed. For cleantech founders—who work on capital-intensive projects and tight timelines—the waiting period can slow progress when it matters most.
Bonsai gives founders access to their SR&ED and grants capital upfront, helping them move forward while refunds and funding are still being processed. By bridging this gap, founders can keep pilots moving, secure talent, and execute project milestones while funds clear.
Canada has one of the most supportive cleantech funding environments in the world. But processing times can hold companies back. We give founders the cash flow they need to keep moving while the funding catches up.
By helping founders access the capital they’ve already earned, Bonsai turns waiting time into progress time. Founders can hire, launch pilots, and invest in growth instead of waiting for funds to clear. This flexibility helps cleantech ventures stay competitive in a fast-moving market and complements government programs, ensuring innovators can act on opportunities when they arise.
But, founders need more than just capital; they require mentorship, community, and visibility to bring their innovations to market. Foresight Canada is a critical partner in this equation.
Creating Market Opportunities
Foresight Canada’s Acceleration programs are strategically designed to empower ventures with the expertise and industry partners needed to scale globally competitive technologies that solve pressing challenges. Crucially, these programs support cleantech ventures at every stage of their journey, from initial ideation through successful commercialization and scaleup.
Foresight's tailored support is backed by an extensive ecosystem of over 2,000 active community members and 200 Executives in Residence (EIRs) who offer expert mentorship, strategic support, and dedicated guidance. To date, Foresight has supported more than 1,660 ventures and worked with over 150 industry partners to create over 9,670 high-paying jobs, deploy over $2.3 billion in cleantech capital, and achieve $583 million in revenues.
The core value of Foresight lies in de-risking technology and accelerating market validation. Foresight actively connects innovators with industry buyers, investors, and corporate partners through curated Innovation Challenges and matchmaking events, ensuring that solutions are developed directly in response to urgent, real-world demands.
Through partnerships with organizations like Bonsai Growth Solutions, Foresight adds another layer of value to its community, helping founders not only validate and scale their technologies but also access the capital they need to act quickly when new market opportunities arise. Bonsai’s support enables ventures within the Foresight network to maintain momentum between funding cycles, accelerating their path from innovation to implementation.
Foresight's programs meet cleantech ventures where they are, offering tailored support crafted around actual market demands and industry pain points to successfully scale commercially viable technology.
Strategic Collaboration
Canada’s cleantech framework is built on collaboration.
Bonsai was proud to sponsor the Foresight 50 After-Party during Innovation Week in Calgary. The annual event celebrates the fifty most investible cleantech ventures in the country. Supporting this gathering is one more way Bonsai contributes to the ecosystem—connecting the people building Canada’s sustainable future. “Cleantech founders are solving some of the toughest challenges in the world,” says Chauhan. “When we work with partners like Foresight, we can amplify that impact. We help the same founders access capital faster so they can focus on what matters—building the innovations of the future.”
The collaboration between Bonsai and Foresight reflects a shared belief: founders need both opportunity and access. Foresight helps identify and shape the first, while Bonsai enables the second. This powerful approach strengthens Canada's cleantech ecosystem by closing the gap between strategy and execution. Simply put: Foresight builds the growth roadmap through mentorship, connections, and
partnerships; Bonsai provides the essential
financial runway to bring it to life.
Moving Forward, Together
Globally, the cleantech market is projected to exceed USD $15 trillion by 2035. Canada’s strength in carbon capture, critical minerals, renewable fuels, and industrial decarbonization positions it well to lead in this space. This advantage is reinforced by strong policy support, specialized funding, and a dedicated founder ecosystem, creating an essential stability that drives sustained growth amid global uncertainty.
Every year brings new funding programs, stronger collaborations, and a growing network of founders who are turning climate challenges into business opportunities. Still, innovation only becomes impactful when founders can act. The future of cleantech in Canada depends on partnerships that align policy, funding, and action. Foresight and Bonsai’s collaboration demonstrates this; each plays a different role and shares the same goal of helping founders move from idea to impact. “When funding and innovation align, progress happens fast,” says Chauhan. “Our mission is to make sure that alignment never slows down.”
As Canada continues its commitment to sustainable growth, Bonsai Growth Solutions and Foresight Canada are proud to support the innovators leading the way.
